Must Read: Is Bacon Good or Bad? The Salty Truth Behind the World’s Most Loved Meat
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"Everything is better with bacon". One way or another, you might have heard that saying already. That juicy, crispy, scrumptious piece of meat is incorporated in almost all kinds of recipes. Unfortunately, your favorite piece of meat that's oozing with goodness might not be too good for you.
According to a report from Huffington Post, bacon's calories contain 68% of fat, and half of it is what we call saturated fat. Research has shown that consuming foods with high amount of saturated fat may lead to higher risks of having higher cholesterol, heart disease and stroke.
Cured meats, like bacon, contain chemicals called nitrates that prolong the shelf life of meat and also enhances the taste. However, consuming a large amount of nitrates like sodium nitrates in particular, can damage blood vessels around your heart causing your arteries to harden and narrow.
According to Harvard School of Public Health, people who eat 2 ounces serving of processed meat everyday are also more likely to develop type two diabetes due to the sodium content and the presence of nitrates as well.
The recommended daily limit for sodium is 2,300 milligrams. One slice of bacon contains 192 milligrams of sodium (salt), so, if you eat around three to four slices, it means you have already consumed nearly half of the sodium you should have for a day.
A high intake of sodium has a lot of negative effects to your body. Among them are body swelling, high blood pressure and kidney stones. Too much salt intake was also linked to stomach ulcers and cancer in animals, Reader's Digest reported.
If you can't give up bacon completely, you may want to opt for turkey bacon. It is lower in saturated fat than the pork bacon and also has a small amount of iron and protein. But if you're still into pork bacon, you could always eat them in moderation.