Hi Newbie here!

I have a question about bacon and sausage. Im reading Atkins New Diet Revolution book and on page 124 he mentions the acceptable foods to eat durring induction. He says I can eat bacon liberally but at the bottom of the page he said to make sure that it is not cured with sugar and to avoid nitrates. Well here is my problem. I might have jumped the gun a bit but I already bought bacon and sausage and they have nitrates and I think they might be cured w/ sugar. Should I avoid eating these just durring induction or all together. Or can I just continue eating them. I would eat about 2 pieces of each a day. If anyone can help me on this it would be great!

Thanks!
KingFirley

I did the same thing, jumped the gun and bought all the wrong things. Ate them anyway and they didn't hurt me. Not sure if there is bacon out there without nitrites. I haven't see any yet.

Karen

Are known to cause cancer, that's why Dr. Atkins says to avoid bacon, sausage and lunch meats that contain them.

However, unless you have access to a natural food/health food store it can prove very challenging to find nitrate free bacon, etc. And when you do find it, it will be wildly expensive (at least it is here).

Some people soak bacon prior to preparation to remove as much of the bad stuff (sugar, salt and nitrates) as they can.

It's also hard to find bacon cured without sugar, just make sure it is way down on the list of ingredients and always check the brand's declared carb count.

Lisa

So basically i can eat bacon and sausage with out slowing my weight loss?

I've never had a problem myself (in fact, I once ate nearly a pound of bacon to combat a crunchy craving once) but as with everything else around here YMMV (your mileage may vary).

However, if you are eating a clean program (no LC processed foods like bars, etc.) and your weight loss runs up against a wall, you might consider limiting your bacon/sausage/ham consumption...and I do advise against a pound of bacon in a single sitting

Lisa

P.S. Be wary of sausage - it can have a lot of fillers. Always check the label and get the lowest carb count possible.

I did end up finding bacon with no sugar (only one kind in the whole grocery store!) and it was "Maple Leaf 33% less salt bacon". I was so bummed looking for sausage, which I LOVE b/c they ALL were made with sugar. I might look in my local health food shops, luckily we have a few here. Hope that helps!

Woah! A POUND of bacon??
If I ate that much bacon I wouldnt want to look at bacon again. But I dont like alot of grease.
You know whats really great as a crunchy treat?? Take a whole bunch of pepperoni and lay them out on a paper towel, then put another on top of it. Stick em in the microwave for ONE minute. Wala...crunchy pepperoni treats!

Awesome, thanks for all the info!
You people rock!

In VA Gwaltney makes bacon with no sugar but it still has nitrates. There are 2 health food stores in VA Beach that sell organic bacon with no sugar or nitrates. It's usually $5-$6 for 8 oz. Ouch. It's a rare treat at my house!!!

Liz

Check your local butcher for fresh sausages made without nitrates or sugar. A couple of our local grocery stores carry fresh sausages that are both sugar and nitrate free.