“Are There Health Benefits in Turkey Bacon?”

 

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.

Although many people assume it to be healthy, there are pros and cons to turkey bacon — especially when compared to pork bacon.‌ When you’re shopping at the grocery store, look for a turkey bacon product with less sodium. You should only eat 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, yet two ounces of turkey bacon contains 1,900 milligrams of sodium. ‌Pork bacon has less than 1,300 milligrams per two ounces, although the amount is still very high. Too much sodium increases your risk of heart disease and also makes it more likely that you’ll have kidney stones. Both turkey bacon and pork bacon have zinc and vitamin B complex nutrients, but pork bacon offers slightly more. Pork bacon also has more selenium, a mineral that may contribute to a lower risk of getting cancer.

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.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF TURKEY BACON

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.

POTENTIAL RISKS OF TURKEY BACON

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.

REVIEWED BY: Dan Brennan, MD, WebMD on June 01, 2021

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.”

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine, #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2LiveWell #FeelFree2SignUpAndFollow

The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.
 
"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.  

“What Happens When You Stop Eating Meat?”

 

LESS INFLAMMATION: It may be hard but ditching those crispy pieces of bacon is better for you in the long run. Research shows both processed and red meats are high in saturated fat and can lead to ongoing inflammation. This could raise your chances of getting cancer and other diseases. Processed meat includes bacon, deli meat, and hot dogs. Red meat includes beef, pork, and lamb.

BETTER GUT HEALTH: Research shows eating lots of processed food and refined grains can negatively affect your gut health. But a plant-based diet helps boost healthy gut bacteria. Fiber-rich foods especially trigger growth of good bacteria, which lower inflammation and your risk of inflammatory diseases.

ENERGY LOSS: You may feel tired and weak if you cut meat out of your diet. That’s because you’re missing an important source of protein and iron, both of which give you energy. The body absorbs more iron from meat than other foods, but it’s not your only choice. You can also find it in green, leafy veggies like spinach, as well as iron-rich cereal, bread, and pasta. Look for protein in eggs, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy products.

MORE TRIPS TO THE BATHROOM: Less meat and more fiber from whole grains, raw fruit, and veggies may mean extra time on the toilet. Fiber makes it easier to poop by pulling water into your colon. This makes your stools softer.

LOWER RISK OF DIABETES: Researchers have linked red and processed meat with a higher chance of type 2 diabetes. One study found that eating a half serving of red meat (one serving is the size of a deck of cards) a day boosts your odds of getting the disease by 48%.

LOWER CHOLESTEROL: Limiting foods with saturated fat, including meat, can lower “bad” or LDL cholesterol in your blood. Experts say saturated fats should make up less than 10% of your calories every day. If you still crave meat, try leaner, skinless cuts.

YOU SAVE MONEY: High-protein foods like beans, peas, lentils, and eggs are a cheaper alternative to meat. And buying in-season fruits and veggies can save you even more money. Data shows one person on a 2,000-calorie diet can eat enough fruit and veggies for less than $3 a day.

YOU HELP THE ENVIRONMENT: Replacing meat with plant-based foods lowers carbon and other greenhouse emissions. It takes more land to raise livestock than it does to grow food. Growing food also uses less water.

YOU MAY NEED SUPPLEMENTS: When you follow a meatless or limited plant-based diet, you might miss out on important vitamins and minerals. Supplements can boost your levels of vitamin B12 (only found in animal-based foods), iron, calcium, and vitamins A, B, and D. Talk to your doctor about which supplements are best for you.

YOU MAY LOSE WEIGHT: Researchers reviewed 15 studies on how a vegetarian diet affects your weight. People who switched to a plant-based diet lost about 10 pounds, and those who were heavier lost more weight.

REVIEWED BY: Hansa D. Bhargava, MD, WebMD on January 21, 2021

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America: “A red meat-derived glycan promotes inflammation and cancer progression.”

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: “Inflammation.”

MD Anderson Center: “Processed meat and cancer: What you need to know.”

Frontiers in Nutrition: “The Effects of Vegetarian and Vegan Diets on Gut Microbiota.”

Cell Host & Microbe: “The Impact of Dietary Fiber on Gut Microbiota in Host Health and Disease.”

USDA: “Vary Your Protein Routine,” “Shop Smart,” “Fruit and Vegetable Prices.”

Mayo Clinic: “Iron deficiency anemia.”

FDA: “Interactive Nutrition Facts Label: Protein.”

Cleveland Clinic: “Improving Your Health With Fiber.”

Diabetes Care: “A Prospective Study of Red Meat Consumption and Type 2 Diabetes in Middle-Aged and Elderly Women.”

JAMA Network: “Changes in Red Meat Consumption and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.”

American Heart Association: “What is a Serving?”

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: “Heart-Healthy Living.”

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: “Dining Out for Vegetarians,” “Does My Child Need a Supplement?”

Vegetarian Society: “Eat to Beat Climate Change.”

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: “A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Changes in Body Weight in Clinical Trials of Vegetarian Diets.”

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine, #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2LiveWell #FeelFree2SignUpAndFollow

The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.
 
"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.

“Foods That Aren’t What You Think”

 

FOOLED BY YOUR FOOD? With so many foods available today, it can be hard to know just what you're buying. Many foods on supermarket shelves might not be what you think they are. Here are some that you probably have in your cupboard right now.

FAKE OLIVE OIL: Your olive oil may not be what the label claims: 100% pure olive oil. There’s a good chance the bottle on your pantry shelf has been mixed with other oils. Is that really such a big deal? It is if you’re allergic to peanut oil, which is commonly mixed with olive oil in an act of food fraud. If you have a peanut allergy, you could have a severe reaction to this sneaky substitution.

MAPLE SYRUP VS. PANCAKE SYRUP: Maple syrup comes from sap from a maple tree. The sap is boiled and becomes the sticky stuff you know as maple syrup. But pancake syrup (also called table syrup) is not the same. Pancake syrup’s main ingredients are corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup, and it includes other things, like:

• Coloring
• Flavoring
• Preservatives

WASABI OR NOT WASABI: Many restaurants, especially in the U.S., serve wasabi. But most of it isn’t real wasabi -- it’s a mixture of horseradish and wasabi root with mustard flour, oil, vinegar, high-fructose corn syrup, and food coloring. The real thing comes from the root-like stem of a plant related to cabbage and cauliflower. It naturally grows in cool, moist places and can be pretty hard to come by and harvest. You have to grate the root as you eat it because the flavor usually only holds for about 15 minutes after grating.

LOBSTER VS. LANGOSTINO: While you might think you’re about to enjoy a hot lobster bisque, there’s a chance you’re actually eating langostino -- a different animal that's related to a hermit crab. It's also known as squat lobster. The taste and texture are similar to lobster. But the FDA says it can’t be labeled as such unless the word “langostino” or “squat” is also used. Langostino is about half the price of the real thing.

THE TROUBLE WITH TILEFISH: There are a few types of fish that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children should avoid due to mercury. Tilefish is one of them. Unfortunately, it’s easy to eat this fish and not realize it. Markets and restaurants sometimes swap it for more popular species such as red snapper and halibut.  

DRUGS IN YOUR HONEY: Food fraud isn’t the only reason some foods aren’t exactly what you think. Think about honey. It may benefit your health in many ways, sometimes as a wound dressing. Of course, it’s also a delicious natural sweetener. But it may have plenty of contaminants, including traces of antibiotics that beekeepers use on their bee broods. They won’t make you sick, but they could add to the public health problem of antibiotic resistance.

NOT-SO-NATURAL FLAVORINGS: There’s nothing natural about some of the “natural flavors” in packaged foods. Food companies make them in a lab to mimic the flavor of real foods. Recently the FDA banned several synthetic flavorings in response to data that shows health risks in lab animals. If you want to eat healthier, stick with the original natural flavors: the ones found in real, whole foods. 

THE ICKY SIDE OF SPICES: The spice jars in your cabinet are filled with more than flavorful herbs. The FDA allows a certain amount of insect fragments, rodent hairs, and other gross things in every jar. For example, ground oregano can have up to 1,250 insect pieces per 10 grams before the FDA calls it “adulterated.” (Crushed oregano can only have 300). On the bright side, most products are well below the standards allowed for these unwelcome additions.  

WHITE CHOCOLATE: Mmm, white chocolate. It's sweet and creamy. You can buy it in candy bar form or sprinkle chips of it into your cookie dough. But it's not really chocolate. According to the FDA, chocolate has to have at least 10% chocolate liquor. That's the cocoa butter and the solids you get when the cocoa bean is ground. The white kind is made of a mix of cocoa butter, milk solids, and sugar but no chocolate liquor. 

FRUIT JUICE: Often, fruit juice is not 100% real fruit juice. Make sure you check the ingredients list. If it’s a long list, that can be a clue that what you’re buying isn’t actually all that it seems. Even if the label reads "100% fruit juice," it might not be what you’re expecting. That just means everything in it came from either a fruit or a vegetable -- but it might include cheaper juices you wouldn’t expect, like white grape or apple.

VANILLA FLAVORING VS. EXTRACT: Vanilla flavoring -- also called imitation vanilla -- is not the same as vanilla extract. The extract is made with vanilla pods and a simple alcohol called ethanol. The flavoring is made with synthetic vanillin. It's almost always made from extracts based on petrochemicals or wood pulp. You may have heard of it being made from castoreum, which comes from beaver glands. But it’s so rarely used now that it's very unlikely you'll find it in foods.

ORANGE JUICE: Orange juice that’s “not from concentrate” is pasteurized. This takes the oxygen out of the juice. But this also takes out many of the natural chemicals that give the juice its flavor. Also, the producer may store the juice for more than a year. So, they hire other companies to make flavor packs to add to the juice to make it taste fresh. These packs are often made by the same companies that make perfumes. The added flavors won’t be listed as an ingredient because they're made from orange essence and oil.

REVIEWED BY: Christine Mikstas, RD, LD, WebMD on July 02, 2019

SOURCES:

Food Safety Net Services: "What is Food Fraud?"

Consumer Reports: "5 Things You Need to Know About Maple Syrup."

Chemical and Engineering News: "Wasabi."

Washington State University Extension: "Growing Wasabi in the Pacific Northwest."

Huffington Post: "That 'Lobster' You Ordered Might Not Be Lobster At All." 

SeafoodSource: "Seafood FAQ: Langostino vs. Lobster: What's the difference?"

Oceana: “Oceana Study Reveals Seafood Fraud Nationwide.”

Washington State Department of Health: “Healthy Fish Guide.”

Environmental Science and Pollution Research International: "Towards a better understanding of the therapeutic applications and corresponding mechanisms of action of honey."

Scientific World Journal: "Antibiotic, Pesticide, and Microbial Contaminants of Honey: Human Health Hazards.”

FDA: "FDA Seafood List Updates for 2017," "FDA Removes 7 Synthetic Flavoring Substances from Food Additives List,” “Food Defect Levels Handbook.”

Science Direct: "Chocolate Liquor."

FDA, CFR -- Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Volume 2: “Food and Drugs, Chapter I -- Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Subchapter B -- Food for Human Consumption, Part 163, Subpart B, Sec. 163.130."

FDA, CFR -- Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Volume 2: “Food and Drugs, Chapter I -- Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Subchapter B -- Food for Human Consumption, Part 163, Subpart B, Sec. 163.124."

Michigan State University: "Is your fruit juice really 100 percent fruit juice?"

Mentalfloss: "What Does '100% Juice' Mean?"

Virtual Mass Spectrometry Laboratory: "Food Counterfeiting: Vanilla Case Study."

Harvard University Science in the News: "The Flavor Rundown: Natural vs. Artificial Flavors."

WNYC: "Last Chance Foods: The Secret, Highly Processed Life of Orange Juice."

American Nutrition Association Nutrition Digest: "'Fresh' Squeezed? The truth about orange juice in boxes."

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine, #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2LiveWell #FeelFree2SignUpAndFollow

The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.
 
"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.