Bacon?

Hammer Time

Find myself on the CF nutrition forum quite a bit these days. They all seem to be big on eating lots of bacon. Even the paleo heads are on it.
Im aware that ~1/2 the fat of bacon are MUFA but still cant understand how these people are using it in what is essentially a weight loss diet, because of the amount of saturated fat. Some of the posters are even cooking other meals with the leftover fat. Wouldnt mind including it in my own diet. Bacon and eggs is difficult to resist.
Just wondering what the opinion of this forum is. I wasnt keen on getting a Cordain and Sears spiel from the CF people.

InKonspikuou2

I'm not into eating processed meat so i don't touch the stuff. Most of it's calories are from fat, half of that is saturated and it's high in cholesterol. In terms of what i want from my diet it just doesn't feature and i don't know how it would feature in a weight loss diet. There is so much better out there that is just as tasty. And if i really liked bacon i'd probably eat turkey bacon instead. It's a little better.

J-Fit

Hammer Time wrote: »

Find myself on the CF nutrition forum quite a bit these days. They all seem to be big on eating lots of bacon. Even the paleo heads are on it.
Im aware that ~1/2 the fat of bacon are MUFA but still cant understand how these people are using it in what is essentially a weight loss diet, because of the amount of saturated fat. Some of the posters are even cooking other meals with the leftover fat. Wouldnt mind including it in my own diet. Bacon and eggs is difficult to resist.
Just wondering what the opinion of this forum is. I wasnt keen on getting a Cordain and Sears spiel from the CF people.

I have it all the time. There is increasing evidence which suggests that refined sugars or simple carbs in combination with a diet of high saturated fat is the real danger. Saturated fat on its own seems to be ok. I'm not 100% on this but I have no problems and if the rest of your diet is clean, it will be perfectly complimentary to the bacon.

john_cappa

Hammer Time wrote: »

Find myself on the CF nutrition forum quite a bit these days. They all seem to be big on eating lots of bacon. Even the paleo heads are on it.
Im aware that ~1/2 the fat of bacon are MUFA but still cant understand how these people are using it in what is essentially a weight loss diet, because of the amount of saturated fat. Some of the posters are even cooking other meals with the leftover fat. Wouldnt mind including it in my own diet. Bacon and eggs is difficult to resist.
Just wondering what the opinion of this forum is. I wasnt keen on getting a Cordain and Sears spiel from the CF people.

Saturated fat is not necessarily bad for you. When saturated fat is combined with over process carbs then it becomes a health risk.

I assume the people using this are running high fat, high protein and almost zero carbs diets (keto style) which is effective for weight loss.

When attempting to lose weight people are too caught up with avoiding fat. Marketing companies focus on this notion. You see so many products claiming to be 99% fat free. this products have no fat but are generally full of cheap processed sugers.

Edit! J-fit just beat me to it!

EileenG

Saturated fat has got an unfairly bad reputation. For years, it was lumped in with transfats when they were doing studies, and it was getting the blame for all the problems caused by processed fats. When you eat sat fats in their natural form (eggs, beef, coconut oil etc), they are extremely good for you.

Sat fats boost the immune system, keep testosterone levels high and keep your bones dense. As long as you are not combining them with processed junk, eat without worry.

As far as bacon goes, I'd be more worried about the nitrites and other preservatives in it. Processed and deli meat in general is not a good idea. Did anyone see the episode of Mythbusters where they used a salami to power a rocket? Yes, it really did have that much nitrite in it.

ragg

Its not going to make you fat or anything, its completely fine from that side of things.

Cured meats in general are really really high rish factors for bowel cancer. So it should be avoided, i never really do though, as you said bacon and eggs for breakfast is complete win

Hammer Time

Cheers for the help guys. Ill have a read of the literature on the saturated fat stuff but it looks like bacon and eggs will make it into the regular rotation. Trying to gain a couple of kg over the next few months so might as well enjoy it.

Sangre

sunnyjim

Sangre wrote: »

Niiiiiiiice! Where was that?!

Degsy

Bacon contains faaar too much salt and nitrates to be good for you..also pound for pound its really bloody expensive compared with steak or chicken.

rubadub

InKonspikuou2 wrote: »

Most of it's calories are from fat

So simply do not eat the fat if you are that worried.

Degsy wrote: »

Bacon contains faaar too much salt and nitrates to be good for you..also pound for pound its really bloody expensive compared with steak or chicken.

Tesco have "bacon bits" for €2 per kilo, it is packs of bits, you can often find very lean cuts, and it is usually very easy to cut off excess fat. It is VERY salty though, it can be soaked overnight in water to try and get some salt out.

d'Oracle

Degsy wrote: »

Bacon contains faaar too much salt and nitrates to be good for you..also pound for pound its really bloody expensive compared with steak or chicken.

Unsalted bacon contains faaar less.
Go to a butchers and get a good unsalted bacon, I bet it will be a lot cheaper too.