Are there any positives left to bacon?

[SchubertsTroutWashingMachine]

Apart from the taste!?

It obviously has a lot of negative press, since it is processed and the links to bowel disease, etc, but it does contain protein and iron .
I don't like pork in other forms but fancy something different maybe once per week?
I was thinking about nitrate free bacon, with salad on sourdough. I would ideally prefer organic but good luck sourcing a nitrate free version of that.

So much messaging about good/bad food in general now it's often dizzying!

Can easily live without it but since I haven't eaten it in years I do flirt with the idea. Do you eat it, and if so, what are your thoughts?

🙄

One that the press covered widely is the WHO publishing a report last year citing 32,000 cases of bowel cancer were caused by a diet high in processed meat nitrates.

Is that a high number? Is it worldwide or for a particular country? Is it cases in one year or over how long a period? Would WHO or any reputable news source say that any case of bowel cancer was 'caused by' a diet high in processed meat nitrates? It's absolutely a risk factor but there are very few cancers where we can definitively say this is what caused it.

How much bacon constitutes 'a diet high in processed meat nitrates'?

seatbelts, sunscreen, alcohol

There's no downside to wearing seatbelts all the time. Sunscreen I'm not sure. Avoiding sunburn is wise but I have noticed that alongside people slathering themselves in factor 50 every day, all year round, there has been a marked increase in people with vitamin D deficiency. Alcohol I'm also not sure. I don't think an occasional drink is harmful, in fact I think it does lots of people some good because it makes them more sociable which is good for mental health. Obviously it's very easy to overdo this. Unlike bacon, alcohol is a drug and it can cause huge problems to physical and mental health.

Cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia - take your pick. You will most likely die from one of these. With genetic luck and a reasonable amount of care you will reach a normal old age before dying.

I would prefer to die in my 70's if it meant I could have bacon and the odd drink than live to be 90 without these pleasures.

Yesterday I made a bacon and mushroom stroganoff. It was DELICIOUS!😂

What are the statistics from that report? Sounds dubious. A rare bit of processed meat, an occasional bit of bacon 🥓 or a sausage sandwich 🥪 , or better still a sausage, bacon and fried egg roll? Causes bowel cancer? I just don't believe that.

@PencilsInSpace puts it perfectly:

"I would prefer to die in my 70's if it meant I could have bacon and the odd drink than live to be 90 without these pleasures."

Just eat in moderation. I keep cured meats to max once a week. Fresh sausages don't count by the way, as long as they don't contain nasty ingredients

Well put @PencilsInSpace

Unfortunately a lot of the reasons why people get sick, cancer in particular are unknown. A relative lived to 90 on a diet of daily bacon sandwiches, ham rolls for lunch with a cream bun, not great food in the evening, alcohol daily and a pipe - his heart got him in the end, yet a friend's husband died at 46 who was a fitness fanatic!

I think you are misunderstanding what it means to increase your risk. It doesn’t mean everyone who eats badly, drinks and smokes will die early. It means you will increase your risk.

I make bacon, it's very easy and you can just use salt.