bacon
 

My husband and I have been doing Atkins for four days now. He really likes bacon and could eat it at every meal (I like it too). We've bought bacon that isn't honey smoked, to keep the carb count down, but I'm wondering if bacon fat is healthy. I've noticed that none of the Atkins menu plans or recipes ( at least in the version I have) use bacon. Any thoughts on this?

I also use and eat bacon alot. The things to watch most for are the amount of salt (water retention, water weight) and nitrites or nitrates in bacon and other meats. I eat the cheap regular bacon nothing special but some people have issues with not losing if the eat nitrites and nitrates. I'm sure there are more educated people on this board that can give a better explation for you.

Fat is your friend on Atkins, and that includes bacon. I wouldn't advise eating it at every meal, though. Maybe a few times a week. And save the grease, which is great for frying eggs or dressing up green beans.

According to my copy of Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, the chapter called "And Away You Go -- the Induction Phase" , bacon is listed as an acceptable food, with a footnote "try to avoid meat and fish products cured with nitrates, which are known carcinogens."

I still eat regular bacon with the nitrates, but in moderation. Only two slices a day.

I use the ready-to-eat kind so I avoid the grease mess. Just microwave it in a paper towel for a few seconds and it's ready.

Thanks for the advice....I went back and looked at my copy of the Atkins diet and there was bacon on the acceptable foods list. I must have missed it before. I gues I'm wary of bacon because of all of the low fat diet conditioning. I have to admit though, being able to eat it again without guilt has been great!

One small piece of advice from my experience. If you should go overboard (which is easy to do with bacon) just be sure to drink extra water. The nitrates and whatnot don't bother me, but the salt content does. I seem to retain water the day after I eat too much bacon.

Julie