What’s The Real Deal With Bacon???
cwaller7
Posts: 25 Member
Hey everybody, according to almost every article I read on google bacon can’t be eaten ever day. I have been counting calories & tracking my macros. my macros are at 37% protein, 24% fat, & 39% carbs. I cook 4 strips of Oscar Meyers uncured bacon on a pan every mon-sat morning & my daily sodium intake is 3050mg daily. I also lift weights 6 days a week doing a push/pull/leg split twice a week. I train for hypertrophy and I lift pretty heavy. Am I living a “healthy” enough lifestyle to consume bacon 6 days a week?? or do I need to ditch the bacon? I’m 26 y/o, 5’9”, 189 lbs, sitting at about 17% body fat. I’m consuming 1800 calories a day this week, trying to lose 2 lbs of fat a week. I want to get down to like 12% body fat before 1/1/21, but I’m trying to figure out if bacon is the right or wrong way to go. Please help. Thanks!
2
Replies
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Nothing wrong with bacon. It's a good source of protein.8
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The deal? It is delicious.6
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If it fits into your calories and macros...👍7
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I was just wondering because it seems every article I read says it increase your risks of cancers, diabetes, etc. and that it should absolutely not be eaten everyday.5
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Bacon is my mother's favorite food group. Only your doctor knows if it's right for you.
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sounds like you are eating bacon without all the chemicals. Go for it! BACON YUMM.0
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Well. Interesting.
I take issue with your chosen rate of loss given your current weight and goals. They don't quite make sense to me.
I suppose the answer re bacon rests with your doctor. We live on a continuum and I'm fairly sure that bacon every day does not beat non contaminated lettuce everyday in terms of optimizing health outcomes. Assuming equal calories, mind you, that would be a heck of a lot of lettuce!!!
Having said that I eat evil sugar and cookies everyday, so there's that.
Neither saturated fats, nor nitrites, nor red meats that include porc, nor burning meats to a nice crisp top the list of "how to reduce cancer and heart disease risks"
are slices of 🥓 the only food you can tolerate in the morning? Maybe try some oatmeal on your bacon or choco puffs for a change up! I hear yogurt and fruit are crowd favorites... I'm sure we can dig up some more...
But eat some food. You're not going to optimize muscle by eating sub 2K and going for 1000 Cal deficits....12 -
I was just wondering because it seems every article I read says it increase your risks of cancers, diabetes, etc. and that it should absolutely not be eaten everyday.
There are lots of things that have links to serious illness/disease/death. While I’m trying to improve my health and quality of life by losing weight I’m also not going to eliminate foods/food groups because I might get X disease or die Y years earlier (obviously I’m not talking about things like allergies or carbs/sugar for diabetics). None of us are getting out of this alive so I’m not going to avoid things I truly enjoy due to a slight increased risk of something.
Now bacon is delicious and if it fits in your goals then eat it. But variety is good so eating a ton of bacon in a day/week probably isn’t the best choice but probably won’t do any harm. If you are concerned you can talk to a doctor to make sure the articles you are seeing are legit science based pieces and not some click bait article.
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I was just wondering because it seems every article I read says it increase your risks of cancers, diabetes, etc. and that it should absolutely not be eaten everyday.
There are lots of things that have links to serious illness/disease/death. While I’m trying to improve my health and quality of life by losing weight I’m also not going to eliminate foods/food groups because I might get X disease or die Y years earlier (obviously I’m not talking about things like allergies or carbs/sugar for diabetics). None of us are getting out of this alive so I’m not going to avoid things I truly enjoy due to a slight increased risk of something.
Now bacon is delicious and if it fits in your goals then eat it. But variety is good so eating a ton of bacon in a day/week probably isn’t the best choice but probably won’t do any harm. If you are concerned you can talk to a doctor to make sure the articles you are seeing are legit science based pieces and not some click bait article.
that is very true, can’t live in fear. I guess I let those articles scare me, & I began to overthink.
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Well. Interesting.
I take issue with your chosen rate of loss given your current weight and goals. They don't quite make sense to me.
I suppose the answer re bacon rests with your doctor. We live on a continuum and I'm fairly sure that bacon every day does not beat non contaminated lettuce everyday in terms of optimizing health outcomes. Assuming equal calories, mind you, that would be a heck of a lot of lettuce!!!
Having said that I eat evil sugar and cookies everyday, so there's that.
Neither saturated fats, nor nitrites, nor red meats that include porc, nor burning meats to a nice crisp top the list of "how to reduce cancer and heart disease risks"
are slices of 🥓 the only food you can tolerate in the morning? Maybe try some oatmeal on your bacon or choco puffs for a change up! I hear yogurt and fruit are crowd favorites... I'm sure we can dig up some more...
But eat some food. You're not going to optimize muscle by eating sub 2K and going for 1000 Cal deficits....
yea I figured my deficit was a little extreme, but I also figured that if I was losing weight too fast then I could always add additional calories.
I started lifting again September 1 (that’s when my gym reopened post COVID-19). & then I started counting calories on 9/14 I weighed in at 191.2 lbs. from the week of 9/14-9/20 I was eating 1920 calories per day & I went from a weekly average weight of 191.2 lbs to 190.1 lbs. then from 9/21-9/27 I went a weekly average weight of 190.1 lbs to 189.6 lbs. so for this week from 9/28-10/4 I was cutting calorie intake down to 1800 because I wasn’t satisfied with rate I was losing weight.
I wasn’t sure if this was the right move because I was also detrained since I haven’t been in the gym since March. so I figured the weight loss being stagnant could have been a result of losing fat but rebuilding muscle.
however, in March right before the gyms closed I weighed in at 176 lbs. now weight pretty much 190 lbs I just wanted to get this fat off as quickly as possible. but I wanted some advice on that as well that’s why I put all that information in my original question, so thank you for your response.1 -
How much you eat of ANYTHING matters if it contributes to bad health. You can eat bacon everyday. Just don't eat a whole package.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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The nitrates in some hams and bacon are carcinogenic. But there are brands that don't use nitrates to preserve, such as naked bacon2
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So, I don’t eat pork (pigs are as smart as dogs and some people have pet pigs; once I learned that, I could no longer eat them). However, if you want to eat bacon every day, go for it. If you have issues with blood pressure, choose a lower sodium bacon. As said above, certain preservatives are carcinogenic, but there are certainly enough brand options that you can find one that doesn’t use carcinogenic preservatives.4
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Bacon and other processed meats tend to be calorie-dense and high in sodium, saturated fat, and a variety of chemicals like nitrates and nitrites. So, bacon is not "good for you" on our peculiar scale of good and bad foods. That doesn't mean I intend to give up the Sunday bacon that comes with brunch but I wouldn't eat it or red meat or high mercury fish or pie crust or ... every day of the week.
The risk one takes is under-consuming important nutrients while saving room for bacon (and its sodium, saturated fat, nitrates/nitrites, etc.) You are making a choice of what not to eat every time you decide TO eat something. Two slices of bacon is about the same calories as an apple. I think we can all guess which is the healthier choice. Meanwhile, on Sunday, pass me the bacon.3 -
I ate bacon in my salad for lunch today - delicious
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Hey everybody, according to almost every article I read on google bacon can’t be eaten ever day. I have been counting calories & tracking my macros. my macros are at 37% protein, 24% fat, & 39% carbs. I cook 4 strips of Oscar Meyers uncured bacon on a pan every mon-sat morning & my daily sodium intake is 3050mg daily. I also lift weights 6 days a week doing a push/pull/leg split twice a week. I train for hypertrophy and I lift pretty heavy. Am I living a “healthy” enough lifestyle to consume bacon 6 days a week?? or do I need to ditch the bacon? I’m 26 y/o, 5’9”, 189 lbs, sitting at about 17% body fat. I’m consuming 1800 calories a day this week, trying to lose 2 lbs of fat a week. I want to get down to like 12% body fat before 1/1/21, but I’m trying to figure out if bacon is the right or wrong way to go. Please help. Thanks!
Since bacon is a better source of fat than protein, it's not a great choice for your macro goals.
Are you trying to get back to 176 pounds? Or is your goal more that 12% BF, and in this case, what are you using to measure BF?
Either way, your rate of loss is overly-aggressive, which tends to be counter-productive, as it can lead to burnout and binging.
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I have bacon every Sunday. Usually one, sometimes two, slices. I don't think I could eat it EVERY day, but if it works for you, do it! I think a slice of bacon is like 40 calories give or take? There's a lot of worse stuff you can have then bacon, too.
You're losing weight and your eating bacon. Sounds like a win-win!3 -
Bacon is a gift from a higher power.4
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kshama2001 wrote: »Hey everybody, according to almost every article I read on google bacon can’t be eaten ever day. I have been counting calories & tracking my macros. my macros are at 37% protein, 24% fat, & 39% carbs. I cook 4 strips of Oscar Meyers uncured bacon on a pan every mon-sat morning & my daily sodium intake is 3050mg daily. I also lift weights 6 days a week doing a push/pull/leg split twice a week. I train for hypertrophy and I lift pretty heavy. Am I living a “healthy” enough lifestyle to consume bacon 6 days a week?? or do I need to ditch the bacon? I’m 26 y/o, 5’9”, 189 lbs, sitting at about 17% body fat. I’m consuming 1800 calories a day this week, trying to lose 2 lbs of fat a week. I want to get down to like 12% body fat before 1/1/21, but I’m trying to figure out if bacon is the right or wrong way to go. Please help. Thanks!
Since bacon is a better source of fat than protein, it's not a great choice for your macro goals.
Are you trying to get back to 176 pounds? Or is your goal more that 12% BF, and in this case, what are you using to measure BF?
Either way, your rate of loss is overly-aggressive, which tends to be counter-productive, as it can lead to burnout and binging.
so my current goal is to lose 2 lbs (preferably of fat) every week over the next 12 weeks in an effort to lose about 20 lbs to get down to 170 lbs which is where I feel happy with my physique. I was very aggressive with my approach because this is the biggest I’ve ever been & after researching I came to the conclusion that 2 lbs weekly is the most weight I could lose while retaining a sufficient amount of muscle mass as long as I train heavy & focus on retaining as much strength as possible in the gym during that time.
now if I lost strength too quickly or loss weight too quickly I would then add on more calories weekly but I’m 2 weeks in of tracking everything that I eat & I see that I’m only losing about 1 lb per week & I’m actually getting stronger w my lifts in the gym so I figured I should lower my calorie intake to 1800 per day. I got these numbers from a calorie calculator on google based on my weight, height, age, etc.
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Fitforevermore wrote: »The nitrates in some hams and bacon are carcinogenic. But there are brands that don't use nitrates to preserve, such as naked bacon
This. I've not found any ham that doesn't have nitrates in. Rumour has it that Waitrose has some, but not been there in a while! Therefore, we eat it sparingly. As per usual, everything in moderation (unless you have a specific health concern/issue). I personally wouldn't eat ham or bacon every day, and try to limit red meat generally.1 -
Fitforevermore wrote: »The nitrates in some hams and bacon are carcinogenic. But there are brands that don't use nitrates to preserve, such as naked bacon
Not familiar with that brand, but don't be fooled with the ones that say no nitrates EXCEPT for those naturally occurring in celery juice. Nitrates are nitrates no matter where they extract them from.5 -
HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »Bacon and other processed meats tend to be calorie-dense and high in sodium, saturated fat, and a variety of chemicals like nitrates and nitrites. So, bacon is not "good for you" on our peculiar scale of good and bad foods. That doesn't mean I intend to give up the Sunday bacon that comes with brunch but I wouldn't eat it or red meat or high mercury fish or pie crust or ... every day of the week.
The risk one takes is under-consuming important nutrients while saving room for bacon (and its sodium, saturated fat, nitrates/nitrites, etc.) You are making a choice of what not to eat every time you decide TO eat something. Two slices of bacon is about the same calories as an apple. I think we can all guess which is the healthier choice. Meanwhile, on Sunday, pass me the bacon.
If I need protein, bacon is the healthier choice.
If I need fiber, an apple is the healthier choice.6 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Hey everybody, according to almost every article I read on google bacon can’t be eaten ever day. I have been counting calories & tracking my macros. my macros are at 37% protein, 24% fat, & 39% carbs. I cook 4 strips of Oscar Meyers uncured bacon on a pan every mon-sat morning & my daily sodium intake is 3050mg daily. I also lift weights 6 days a week doing a push/pull/leg split twice a week. I train for hypertrophy and I lift pretty heavy. Am I living a “healthy” enough lifestyle to consume bacon 6 days a week?? or do I need to ditch the bacon? I’m 26 y/o, 5’9”, 189 lbs, sitting at about 17% body fat. I’m consuming 1800 calories a day this week, trying to lose 2 lbs of fat a week. I want to get down to like 12% body fat before 1/1/21, but I’m trying to figure out if bacon is the right or wrong way to go. Please help. Thanks!
Since bacon is a better source of fat than protein, it's not a great choice for your macro goals.
[clipped for brevity]
Since pan-fried bacon is nearly 30% protein (by % cals, not weight), it's not a terrible choice for someone with a 37% protein goal. I mean, you can't expect every food you eat to reflect you overall macro goals.
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »Hey everybody, according to almost every article I read on google bacon can’t be eaten ever day. I have been counting calories & tracking my macros. my macros are at 37% protein, 24% fat, & 39% carbs. I cook 4 strips of Oscar Meyers uncured bacon on a pan every mon-sat morning & my daily sodium intake is 3050mg daily. I also lift weights 6 days a week doing a push/pull/leg split twice a week. I train for hypertrophy and I lift pretty heavy. Am I living a “healthy” enough lifestyle to consume bacon 6 days a week?? or do I need to ditch the bacon? I’m 26 y/o, 5’9”, 189 lbs, sitting at about 17% body fat. I’m consuming 1800 calories a day this week, trying to lose 2 lbs of fat a week. I want to get down to like 12% body fat before 1/1/21, but I’m trying to figure out if bacon is the right or wrong way to go. Please help. Thanks!
Since bacon is a better source of fat than protein, it's not a great choice for your macro goals.
[clipped for brevity]
Since pan-fried bacon is nearly 30% protein (by % cals, not weight), it's not a terrible choice for someone with a 37% protein goal. I mean, you can't expect every food you eat to reflect you overall macro goals.
This presumes pan-frying AND THROWING THE RENDERED FAT AWAY.
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kshama2001 wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »Hey everybody, according to almost every article I read on google bacon can’t be eaten ever day. I have been counting calories & tracking my macros. my macros are at 37% protein, 24% fat, & 39% carbs. I cook 4 strips of Oscar Meyers uncured bacon on a pan every mon-sat morning & my daily sodium intake is 3050mg daily. I also lift weights 6 days a week doing a push/pull/leg split twice a week. I train for hypertrophy and I lift pretty heavy. Am I living a “healthy” enough lifestyle to consume bacon 6 days a week?? or do I need to ditch the bacon? I’m 26 y/o, 5’9”, 189 lbs, sitting at about 17% body fat. I’m consuming 1800 calories a day this week, trying to lose 2 lbs of fat a week. I want to get down to like 12% body fat before 1/1/21, but I’m trying to figure out if bacon is the right or wrong way to go. Please help. Thanks!
Since bacon is a better source of fat than protein, it's not a great choice for your macro goals.
[clipped for brevity]
Since pan-fried bacon is nearly 30% protein (by % cals, not weight), it's not a terrible choice for someone with a 37% protein goal. I mean, you can't expect every food you eat to reflect you overall macro goals.
This presumes pan-frying AND THROWING THE RENDERED FAT AWAY.
I don't (although I'm sure an awful lot of people do). But I don't slurp it down with my bacon either. I store it in the refrigerator until I need fat to cook something that I'd like to cook in bacon fat (e.g., a fried egg). Then I log the bacon fat.
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The real deal with bacon is that sausage is better...6
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I was just wondering because it seems every article I read says it increase your risks of cancers, diabetes, etc. and that it should absolutely not be eaten everyday.
In a population study anything connected to a SAD can be linked to disease. Anything connected to SAA (last A for activity) is the same way so TV, Video Games, Social Media, etc.
What we don't know, and probably can't know, is what happens when you take something from one of those studies and place it in a healthy lifestyle context. My bet is becomes mostly insignificant as long as it is reasonable and there are no underlying medical or genetic issues. If you were on a mostly bacon diet then I might be worried.4 -
thanks for all the feedback, I appreciate it everyone.4
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Bacon can have a lot of fat.
But you seem to have it in your macros.
From my perspective anything in moderation is ok. Is 4 strips of bacon 6 days a week moderation? That’s for you to decide.
If you're eating it and working toward your goals, then go for it.
One other question I have for you is: with that much bacon, how is your cholesterol?
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depends how the rest of your diet is honestly, not just calories. How are your trans fats? Saturated? Etc? Getting lots of veggies and fruits? Enough vitamins and etc etc? My gut says bacon 6 times a week is overkill. But im not a doctor.2
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