Let’s chew the fat… How about bacon?

Saneya Hamler, Michigan State University Extension - January 11, 2013

Facts about bacon and the breakdown of three different types.

As flavorful as bacon is, there are some real health risk associated with its daily consumption. Bacon is high in saturated fats and sodium. High levels of these two things can lead to obesity, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease and cancer, just to name a few chronic diseases that may lead to death. Last year there was a real concern that the United States would face a bacon shortage. The following lists some true facts about bacon and bacon substitutes, like Canadian bacon, turkey bacon and soy bacon.

Center cut bacon (Oscar Mayer)

If you are a bacon lover, you are already use to paying on average five-dollars (Walmart) for a pack of pork bacon.
Pork bacon is high in calories - 60 calories for a serving (three slices-cooked)
41 calories are attributed to fat
Pork bacon is high in saturated fats - 1.5g per serving
Pork bacon is high in sodium 270 mg per serving

Canadian bacon (http://www.fatsecret.com)

This is a term only used in the United States.
Canadians call it peameal bacon because it was rolled around in dried yellow peas as a preservative.
This cut of bacon is taken from the back of the pig and not the belly and tends to be a lot less streaky.
Canadian bacon has 52 calories per serving when cooked.
Canadian bacon is high in sodium - 356 mg.
A serving of Canadian bacon is one ounce and it contains .653g of saturated fat per one slice serving.
On average the cost of a package of Canadian bacon is about $1.50. (Walmart)

Turkey Bacon (Jenni-o)

30 calories per serving (three slices is one serving)
.5g of saturated fat are in a serving
Contians 130 mg of sodium per serving
Turkey bacon is cut straight out of the fatty flank of the turkey, which is near the wing
Turkey bacon on average sells for $2.50. (Walmart)

Soy Bacon (light life)

20 calories per serving
One slice is a serving
1.0g fat per serving
Soy bacon is made of tofu and/or tempeh
Cost $3.49 per five ounce package

Michigan State University Extension promotes healthy lifestlyes with a well-balanced diet.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).