Bacon with preservatives


#1

Hi everyone. This is perhaps a silly question, but would it bother any of you to eat bacon with preservatives such as potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate? I am trying to stay clear of processed food, but the fact is I can neither afford grassfed meat nor preservative-free bacon. Apart from those two preservatives there are no other ingredients besides salt. What are your thoughts on digesting processed meat? I understand of course which is better, but it really boils down to what is more achievable. Anyone in the same boat as me who can’t afford grassfed or unprocessed meat?


(Pete A) #2

I love bacon with said preservatives.


#3

Me too. It’s just I don’t really know enough about the effect of those preservatives upon the body, but we live in times when such things, for most people I am sure, is unavoidable. It is too easy I think when eating keto or following some other WOE, to also fall into the trap of becoming a purist at heart, especially when it makes one’s diet less sustainable, because in the end of the day, we can only do our best.


(Pete A) #4

That works! :smiley:


(Allie) #5

Not something I worry about. I don’t eat bacon often as it’s a more costly way of eating pork, but when I do the preservatives are the last thing on my mind.


#6

I don’t worry about such things. If I manage to keep my carbs down and avoided added fats and some other things, I do so much good to my body that it really should handle the rest.
Considering how healthy and fine I felt on my definitely not good overeating HCHF diet (okay, I was young and I want a long, healthy life), I expect good things if I just continue my journey without extra things even if that would be higher quality food. That’s for a richer future.

I eat close to zero bacon but processed meat is an every day thing for me, I couldn’t do extreme low-carb without that (or it would require much more food but I wouldn’t enjoy my food enough that way either, probably). I don’t eat much processed meat I think, I definitely focus on “proper” meat and eggs but if there is a need, I don’t worry about it. I read the ingredients list, I avoid a few things I like to avoid… But I am not super choosy.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

Nitrates and nitrites are naturally-occurring substances. They tend to be found in much greater quantity in plants than in meat, which is one of the reasons celery is used in methods that preserve meat.

Some people claim that nitrates and nitrites in meat can be carcinogenic, but then they heartily recommend eating plants that contain far greater amounts. That logical inconsistency makes me suspect some anti-meat bias at work, there. Not to mention that the claim that meat causes cancer has been pretty well debunked, in any case.


(Jane) #8

No such thing as nitrite-free bacon or it is just pork, not bacon.

The food processors get away with stating that on their package when they use celery juice as a preservative. A loop hole, in other words. And charge way more.


#9

What he said. :grin:

This whole “watch out for nitrates in meat” is just a marketing trick to send chasing shadows. Baseless. More nitrates in veggies like healthy spinach than in bacon. :grin:


(Robin) #10

Bacon good.
No bacon, sad.


(Laurie) #11

I don’t know how good or bad anything really is.

I am on a tight budget. I basically live on cheap ground beef, and cheap whole hams. I do buy better (more expensive) eggs, because I’ve been spoiled and can tell the difference.

As you say, we can only do our best.


#12

I did the same but war inflation came and now the good eggs (from the egg lady we know or from the greengrocery) are cheaper than the bad ones in the supermarkets (the good ones in the supermarket are surely even more expensive but I never cared about them and they always were insanely expensive).

There is no such thing as cheap beef for me so I eat cheap pork, cheap processed pork and cheaper turkey :smiley:
I have quite cheap bacon ends in my fridge, I bought it several weeks ago, I will eventually eat them. Not big on bacon, me.


#13

That’s it. In an ideal world we would all be eating grass fed meat and butter and free range chickens and so on, but sadly, for so many, that is not an option. My partner and I buy the cheapest of ground beef too as well as bacon. We usually have some ground meat at hand, because it’s easy to cook with and a good source of protein. We do buy free-range eggs from the super-market, but that’s it in terms of luxury. I thought when I began keto it would be cheaper overall, but not so, even though I gave up a ton of fancy, pricy snacks. But because it’s doing my body good, and I’ve really got into this WOE faster than I thought I would, the benefits surely outweigh the cons.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #14

And that’s far better than the (high-carb) alternative! :+1: Once you win the lottery, you can eat even better!


(Judith) #16

You could try making your own bacon, there are recipes on YouTube/Pinterest. I haven’t tried but they look easy enough! Good luck!


#19

eat any more store brand cheap bacon I can get at all times.
I do well on it and thrive on it. suits me easily. Key is do you at all times on bacon. If you do well on reg. ol’ cheapy store brand bacon then have at it :slight_smile: I inhaled lbs of it for years LOL and I am doing wonderful but key is do you truly on it. If you want only grassfed or some ‘type of’ food processing you will only allow then ya have to pay the price for what ya want. This never effects me. I buy and try. I do great I eat. I don’t like it I don’t bother.

I ‘kinda went no processed’ ever when I started carnivore plan and in the end, bleck, I eat the best processed I enjoy and never looked back. I still love and do well on hard salami, eat reg. cheapy store bought bacon, still eat some Taylor Ham product, suck down link sausages, only brands that are best ingredients and I do great on …so key again is find you and what suits you. after that ya got it made in the shade :slight_smile:


(Pete A) #20

Smithfield rules!!!


#21

too darn expensive LOL our prices skyrocketed on this brand and I 'heard a bit ago on the ‘net’ they were sold to a foreign country but yet to check that out. I guess we never know truly who ‘owns’ the companies we eat :wink:

I gotta say ya love it have at it and I sure get it. I went thru ‘cheapy’ bacon packs like insanity til I hit what I love on the cheap side and even that darn price is now up and up and away. UGH

went thru alot of ‘the bacon ends and pieces’ big value packs but in the end, damn it just wasn’t the sliced bacon I wanted ya know but I do every now and then keep trying them out since they are so low in price and I do eat it :wink:

ok don’t get me started on economics and inflation now HAHA


(Pete A) #22

I also buy Walmart Great Value thick bacon. Mostly just whatever.


#23

yea good brand. I get it too when I am in that store, price is decent also.
cool