Many people believe that turkey bacon is a healthier alternative to the more traditional pork bacon. However, turkey bacon doesn’t offer as many health benefits as you may believe.
WHAT
IS TURKEY BACON?
Turkey
bacon is cut and cured to be similar to the pork bacon you’re used to eating.
The difference is that it primarily comes from turkey, although sometimes pork is added in
as an ingredient. Turkey bacon isn’t actually
sliced directly from a turkey into pieces. Instead, it is chopped, formed, then
sliced into the pieces you see on shelves at the grocery store. If the turkey bacon contains any
pork, it must be listed on the ingredient label. If it doesn’t contain pork and
is strictly poultry meat, the turkey bacon is usually fully cooked. You can
heat or cook the product to your desired temperature or crispiness.
PORK BACON VERSUS TURKEY BACON
Even though turkey bacon is
often touted as a healthier bacon alternative, it isn’t much better for you. Turkey bacon is
still high in saturated fat and sodium. Assuming that turkey bacon is healthier may
lead to you eat more of it. This
can have a negative impact on your health. You may be surprised to find out that
experts recommend one serving or less of bacon per week in your diet. This is
true of pork bacon, turkey bacon, or any other cured bacon product. When you compare turkey bacon's nutrition
values to the pork alternative, the two are actually very similar. Each two-ounce serving of pork or turkey
bacon contains nearly the same amount of protein. Pork bacon has 20 grams of
protein while turkey bacon has 17 grams. Turkey bacon does have fewer
calories, with 218 calories per serving, compared to pork bacon, with 268
calories per serving. The one place that turkey bacon stands apart is with fat
content. It only contains 14 grams of fat compared to 22 grams in pork
bacon. Keep
in mind that turkey bacon does contain 4 grams of saturated fat, which is
considered the bad fat for your diet. Still, that is half as much as pork bacon, with 8
grams per serving. Eating too much saturated fat increases your risk for heart
disease.
When shopping for and preparing
turkey, consider these things:
- Look for turkey bacon with less sodium.
- Don’t add salt, oil, or butter when you cook.
- Allow the fat to drip off of your turkey bacon.
- Blot it with paper towels to remove excess grease.
Turkey bacon does offer a high
amount of protein as well as other important nutrients for your diet.
However, not all protein is created equally, and there are healthier
options. The National Academy of Medicine recommends you get around seven
grams of protein for every 20 pounds you weigh. For a 120-pound person, this
equals 43 grams of protein. For a 220-pound person, this equals 77 grams of
protein. Examples of healthier protein options include salmon and lentils. Four
ounces of grilled salmon will give you around 30 grams of protein. It is low in
sodium and has only one gram of saturated fat. It’s also an excellent source of
omega-3 fats, the kind of fat that’s good for your heart. One cup of cooked
lentils offers around 18 grams of protein plus 15 grams of fiber. Plus, it has
almost no saturated fat or sodium if you don’t cook with added fats and salt. These
are both much healthier options than turkey bacon while offering similar
nutrition.
The reason turkey bacon has
health risks is that it is considered an ultra-processed food due to the way it
is packaged and preserved. This, coupled with the fact that it is deceivingly
unhealthy, makes it dangerous for your health because it lends to
overindulgence. The World Health Organization categorized processed meat like
turkey bacon as carcinogenic to humans, meaning it could potentially cause
cancer. It falls into the same category of cigarettes, although it isn’t nearly
as bad for you as smoking or using tobacco. Still, foods like turkey bacon greatly
increase your risk of health conditions like colorectal cancer by as much as
18% when you eat a 50-gram serving each day.
SOURCES:
Ask USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture:
“What Is Turkey Bacon?”
Cleveland Clinic: “Turkey Bacon: How
Healthy Is It Really?”
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health:
“Protein.”
World Health Organization: “Cancer:
Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat,” “IARC
Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat.”
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