What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Bacon Every Day
Did you know we love bacon? Like, we really really love bacon. So much so that we’ve gone and created Henderson’s - a business that pretty much revolves around bacon (and salami, but we’ll save that for another day).
Bacon, oh bacon, wherefore art thou bacon?
Here at Henderson’s, bacon is life. Everything tastes better with bacon.
But lately, our love for bacon has us wondering: what would happen to your body if you ate bacon every day?
We’re taking a deep dive into the frying pan to find out.
The Henderson’s Way
First up, we just want to clarify something pretty important – today, we’re looking at what happens if you eat Henderson’s bacon every day, not what happens if you eat regular Joe-blogs bacon every day.
There’s a big difference. That big difference can mostly be summed up in one word: nitrates.
No Nitrates Here
Regular bacon contains lots of these things called nitrates. Nitrates are compounds made up of oxygen and nitrogen, and they’re often added to bacon to preserve it. When heated, they can change in composition, becoming either nitrites or nitrosamine, which can have harmful effects on the human body, according to the World Health Organisation.
When we started Henderson’s, we began with a simple mission: to produce 100% natural and delicious food the proper way.
This means we leave all the tricky chemicals and artificial flavours and colours out of our food – including nitrates!
You might notice that our bacon is brown compared to other bacon that tends to be pink. This indicates the absence of nitrate.
So when you’re worried about eating bacon every day leading to an overkill of nitrates, fear not. Henderson’s bacon is a nitrate-free zone.
Vitamins and Minerals Galore
Bacon tends to get a bit of a bad rap – it’s often thought of as pure junk food. But bacon actually contains a pretty good vitamin and mineral content and as part of a balanced diet, it can help your body get all sorts of good nutrients.
According to our research, bacon is an excellent source of B vitamins. These are essential in the maintenance of cell function and helping convert food to energy.
In addition, bacon is a great source of potassium, phosphorus and selenium. Did someone say #health?!
Good Fat, Bad Fat
It’ll come as little surprise that bacon is fatty. For the most part, you can visibly see the fat on those delicious meaty strips.
Soooo, we have good news and bad news.
The bad news? Bacon contains a fair bit of saturated fat. And diets high in saturated fat tend to be associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
The good news? Bacon also contains a fair bit of monounsaturated fat – which largely comes from oleic acid, the “heart-healthy” acid. A further 10% of the fat in bacon comes from polyunsaturated fat, which includes omega-3 fatty acids renowned for their health benefits.
Salty Goodness
Okay, so before you get on your high horse about bacon being a health food, let’s rein it in a little…
As much as we love bacon, we believe in all things in moderation. And most of all, we believe in a healthy and balanced diet. This includes a balanced amount of sodium.
Sea salt is 100% natural, so we have no issues including it in our bacon recipe. But it does inevitably mean that bacon is pretty high in sodium. About four slices of bacon can contain about 40% of the recommended adult daily sodium intake.
But before you start stressing and throwing the bacon out with the bathwater, let’s come back to that word: balance.
Bringing the Balance
In a healthy and balanced diet, you’re looking at the whole picture. That means considering what you eat each meal, each day and each week.
Goodness knows we love bacon. Some might say we’re obsessed even.
But that doesn’t mean we eat pure bacon every day. Even if we did, we’d still look to include it in a healthy and balanced way.
If you’re set on making bacon one of your staple food groups, look through the recipes on our website for some great ways to incorporate it into a balanced diet. Some of our favourites include our Bacon and Asparagus Summer Salad and our Chicken & Bacon Casserole.
Get creative and share your bacon recipes with us – we’d love to add them to our weekly meals too!
Please note – we are not health professionals, nor do we purport to be! This information, including but not limited to text, graphics and images is for informational purposes only. No material found on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare providers with any queries you may have 😊
References:
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-bacon
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-bacon-bad-or-good
https://www.verywellfit.com/bacon-calories-and-nutrition-facts-3495344
https://www.healthdigest.com/428063/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-eat-bacon-every-day/