The Big Q: Shall We Give Up Bacon?

The Big Q: Shall We Give Up Bacon?

Recently, Bacon has come under repeated attack for a several of reasons.

1. Bacon is loaded with saturated fat, which has been wrongly demonized. This is not a valid health reason to avoid.
2. Pork is also known to be more prone to contamination with pathogenic microbes, this is a real health threat.
3. When Pork is cured, most Bacon is cured, unless labeled uncured, the issue of nitrates raising your cancer risk is a concern.

The main concern about Pork is that we need to be cautious about the source of the Pork we consume, just as we should be cautious about the source of our Beef, Eggs, and Poultry. If Pork is pasture-raised and the pigs live in their natural setting eating pig-appropriate food, then Pork is nutritious. Once it is properly raised it should also be preservative (nitrates) free.

Pork is a healthy meat from a biochemical perspective, and if consumed from a humanely raised pastured hog, and prepared properly, there is likely minimal risk of infection. But, almost all of the Pork we are likely to consume will not fit these criteria, it is difficult to find.

And, even if you buy high-quality Bacon, you still have the nitrates to contend with, plus the toxic end products produced when you fry the Bacon. This does not mean we have to avoid it entirely, but we should limit the amount of Bacon you eat on a weekly basis, and always avoid crispy Bacon. Soft is best.

My favorite is uncured Applewood smoked from pasture raised hogs. Gooood!

I do believe that there are risks from eating processed meats and cooked red meats, such risks can be mitigated. Meat does have valuable nutritional benefits. The Key is to consider the quality and quantity of the meat, and the way we cook it.

Americans eat more meat than required for optimal health. So, it is prudent to limit your protein intake.

1. If you eat more protein than your body requires, it will simply convert most of those calories to sugar and then fat. Increased blood sugar levels can also feed pathogenic bacteria and yeast, such as Candida albicans (candidiasis), as well as fueling cancer cell growth.
2. Excessive protein can also have a stimulating effect on an important biochemical pathway called the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). This pathway has an important and significant role in many cancers. When you reduce protein to just what your body needs, mTOR remains inhibited, which helps minimize your chances of cancer growth.

Most Americans eat too much poor quality CAFO meat. I say eat only organically-raised grass-fed or pastured meats, and this includes Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, and Pork. Here is why:

1. Organic pastured meats tend to have a better nutritional profile, have far lower risk of pesticide contamination, and a reduced risk of contamination with drug-resistant pathogens.
2. Organic farming benefits the environment, promotes food security, and creates a more sustainable food system.
3. The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria20 and recent outbreaks of deadly pig and bird flu viruses that decimated swine and poultry herds across the US are clear signs of the inherent health hazards associated with CAFOs. These kinds of outbreaks really say a lot about the system, and none of it is good.

The only benefit CAFOs provide is large-scale efficiency that lowers the initial cost of the meat, but radically increases your long-term health costs. The industry claims CAFOs are necessary to keep costs low so that everyone can afford to eat, but the system creates a number of extremely expensive side effects that are not calculated into their cost of doing business, including antibiotic resistant disease that now kills 23,000 Americans each year, along with air, water, and soil pollution that threatens the very future of mankind.

There are ways of cooking meat to minimize health hazards. Grilling and frying create the highest amounts of toxic end products, the most toxic parts being the charred or blackened portions. Cooking methods using indirect heat, such as stewing, steaming, braising, or poaching are the safest, as they create the least amounts of toxic end products.

So, it is not necessary to give up Bacon if we buy the healthy Organic product and prepare is wisely.

Eat healthy, Be healthy, Live lively.

HeffX-LTN

Paul Ebeling

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