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MyFitnessPal Community

Speaking of bacon, unsure how to measure

Retrofit55

To keep my fat intake up (and because it's so yummy

), I usually scramble my eggs in all of the bacon fat left in the pan after I've cooked the strips. I was basing my macros for the bacon on the "per slice" grams on the package label, and thought that was that.

Then it occurred to me that the per slice numbers listed on the package were probably per DRAINED slice. If so, I was failing to include the value of all of the grease left in the pan when I calculated my macros. Does this mean I should be measuring the (hot) grease in the pan before I add the eggs?

Is there a standard value for the bacon slice AND the grease that cooks out of it?

Just confused. How do you all account for the grease left in the pan if you consume it in the same meal with the bacon slices? (I'm not sure, but hope, this makes sense.)

Replies

kpk54

Most bacon packaging states FRIED on the label for calories and such so that is the finished piece only and does not include the fat/grease left in the pan. Look at the label.

Also if you look in MFP food database you will find several entries for things like "animal fat", "bacon grease" etc. It is generally about 38 calories per teaspoon.

None of it is perfect. People fry their bacon to varying degrees of fried/crispness/fat removal but it is a start.

getfitchelle

The values here are for raw, and I weigh all my bacon in grams before cooking. I also have been known to lick the pan when it cools down! How strange to get a cooked value on the packet!

lemurcat12

getfitchelle wrote: »

The values here are for raw, and I weigh all my bacon in grams before cooking. I also have been known to lick the pan when it cools down! How strange to get a cooked value on the packet!

I think most packaged bacon lists cooked numbers. I do basically what you do -- I get bacon from a farm, weigh it raw (per USDA) and then figure I logged the fat so use it for my eggs or brussels sprouts or whatever else I happen to be eating with the bacon (green tomatoes are nice in it too -- did that yesterday, the brussels this morning).

KnitOrMiss

I always say, whatever method you use, use that consistently. The minor differences will work out in the end. Unless you are eating a pound of bacon at a time, you're unlikely to have HUGE discrepancies anyway. USDA labeling allows for up to 20% or so error on packaging, and nearly all calorie estimates (based on age, weight, etc. without specific testing; exercise burns without confirmed HRM readings; and calorie estimates - with or without scales) are just that, estimates, with a margin of error. As long as you aren't being ... extreme in volume or consumption of it, I think you're good, as long as you stick with a method. Consistency is what matters most...

EggToni

Speaking of bacon which I have been recently eating a lot of it seems, are any of you concerned about the nitrates/nitrites? Is it a myth that they are harmful and/or should I limit my consumption of bacon? Still a little new and confused to this WOE.

mandycat223

EggToni wrote: »

Speaking of bacon which I have been recently eating a lot of it seems, are any of you concerned about the nitrates/nitrites? Is it a myth that they are harmful and/or should I limit my consumption of bacon? Still a little new and confused to this WOE.

I have my own concerns about nitrates and nitrites. I haven't been able to find a (good) variety of bacon that is nitrate/nitrite free so I somewhat limit my intake. As far as luncheon meats are concerned, I was happy to find Hillshire Farms Naturals, which are n-free. To be sure, they're a processed meat product, which many people avoid. But again, I don't eat a lot of them and they're both tasty and convenient.

Dragonwolf

Cured meat, especially cured bacon, is going to have some. Even the so-called n-free ones do. It's from the celery salt. Nitrite is what cures the meat and is often created from nitrate sources.

When in doubt, ask yourself what you ancestors did and for how long. We've been curing meat for thousands of years. If you're concerned with modem methods of curing, pick up raw pork belly and cure it yourself using the traditional methods. It might seem daunting at first, but it's pretty hands off after initial setup.

http://www.thekitchn.com/the-good-bad-and-ugly-nitrites-55456

CommanderEmily

I used to just pour my bacon fat into a mason jar and if I cooked with it I would log how many tablespoons or whatnot that I used. I find my bacon comea out better and the perfect level of doneness if I take a baking sheet (with high enough edges for the grease) and one of those racks for baking and cook my bacon on that.Then just pour the excess in a jar. I also have a preference for precooking bacon and keeping it in a container in the fridge so when I am ready to eat I pop a slice or two in the hot pan next to my eggs.
Honestly though, I don't do that anymore. On a different version of the lowcarb diet now so I don't eat much pork. But when I was doing all that, I started switching to healthier oils and etc because while fat is important, the wrong kinds of fat can harm rather than help. I have a bad heart valve and want it to stay in good enough condition that I don't need an operation lol.

Adi4Fitness

I use the fried bacon on mfp to log. Although I bake my bacon in an oven with a grill and just throw the grease away. Most labels unless they specifically mention it as fried/cooked/baked the calorie listing is always per raw slice.

kpk54

Bacon is no different than anything else-read the label on the package and if there is no label (got it at a butcher or whatever) find an entry in MFP of "like kind" when possible.

EggToni

@Dragonwolf -- Thanks.

AlexandraCarlyle

I found this recipe for curing pork belly. It sounds very good, and I may well try it. Fortunately, we have a magnificent Pork butcher in town, and I KNOW I can buy organic pork from him....

retirehappy

http://blog.ruhlman.com/2011/05/the-no-nitrites-added-hoax/

Good article by Michael Ruhlman, he wrote Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing. His blog has how to do your own bacon too. He is one of the better food writers around.

AlexandraCarlyle

retirehappy wrote: »

http://blog.ruhlman.com/2011/05/the-no-nitrites-added-hoax/

Good article by Michael Ruhlman, he wrote Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing. His blog has how to do your own bacon too. He is one of the better food writers around.

Thank you for this - as a real foodie myself, this is manna from Heaven!

EggToni

retirehappy wrote: »

http://blog.ruhlman.com/2011/05/the-no-nitrites-added-hoax/

Good article by Michael Ruhlman, he wrote Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing. His blog has how to do your own bacon too. He is one of the better food writers around.

Thank you for sharing that article. I've read conflicting information online in regards to nitrites, but found that there is increasing opinions that concur with M. Ruhlman.

LolaDeeDaisy23

This was my dilemma a few months ago. I would eat half a pack of bacon in one day, needless to say, the calories do add up! Cook the bacon and drain the fat. Weigh out the cooked bacon and log. I use Farmer John, it's usually 50 calories per 10g of cooked/drained bacon. If you're eating the fat, I weigh that separately and use butter entry as my log. Butter...bacon fat...lard... all the same really.
So those two slices of bacon you're eating can actually add up to 400 calories if you're eating the fat along with it.

lemurcat12

Dragonwolf wrote: »

Cured meat, especially cured bacon, is going to have some. Even the so-called n-free ones do. It's from the celery salt. Nitrite is what cures the meat and is often created from nitrate sources.

When in doubt, ask yourself what you ancestors did and for how long. We've been curing meat for thousands of years. If you're concerned with modem methods of curing, pick up raw pork belly and cure it yourself using the traditional methods. It might seem daunting at first, but it's pretty hands off after initial setup.

http://www.thekitchn.com/the-good-bad-and-ugly-nitrites-55456

Yeah, this is basically my approach/feeling. I get bacon from a local farm (it's just where I get most of my meat) and they cure it in a traditional way, and I eat a moderate (IMO) amount of it, so am not concerned about the health effects.

mrssie1223

Trader Joe's has yummy uncured bacon that is nitrate and nitrite free. ; )

Dragonwolf

mrssie1223 wrote: »

Trader Joe's has yummy uncured bacon that is nitrate and nitrite free. ; )

From one of the aforementioned articles:

Bacon is one of the greatest foods on the planet, but the food marketers are going to figure out a way to make you buy their bacon. So what they do is use celery powder and celery juice (note the asterisk on the label above) as their nitrate source (celery is loaded with nitrate) and are therefore are allowed to say no nitrites added.