Bacon: beneficial properties and harm to the body. What more?

What is "true" bacon?

Bacon - alternating uniform strips of meat and lard - is obtained from English and Danish large breeds of pigs with a long back. The livestock is kept for fattening for over six months. Animals are fed using the “alternating” technology: protein-grain diet: skim milk and grain mixture, flour. The farmer monitors the weight of the livestock and prevents obesity and thinness. The layer of fat in premium quality bacon is defined by limits: from 3 to 10 centimeters.

Curing the resulting bacon requires art. The technology involves uniformly filling the pieces with a pure saline solution according to the Baume formula. Manufacturers use dry salting and wet salting in brine. The grade of the finished product depends on the quality of the salting and the method of smoking the delicacy.

The truth about bacon

Most people think that bacon is lard, just cooked in some clever way. Or having an alternative name. Not at all! The differences begin with the cultivation of “suppliers” of this product. Pigs undergo special selection (and some producers even groom a special breed) and live in truly royal conditions. Otherwise you won't get quality bacon. That this is so is confirmed by the high percentage of culling animals that have reached the required age. The piglets destined for its production mature very quickly, have long backs and eat better than many people. Their diet certainly includes whole grain cereals, milk and legumes. No waste or garbage, only quality products. The living conditions are as close as possible to natural and harmonious; the pigs are carefully protected from stress and excessive loads, and are slaughtered only at a young age. Otherwise, you will end up with primitive meat, not bacon. What does this give? There is not much fat in the product. It only interlayers the meat veins, and in smaller quantities.

Signs of quality bacon

The consumer receives three varieties of delicacy based on appearance, taste, and smell.

1. High-quality bacon is red-pink without dark spots.
2. The fibers of fat and meat are dense and do not spread.
3. There are no foreign odors, including the smell of salt.
4. The taste is lightly salted, delicate, without an “aftertaste”.

The generally accepted marking of a first-class product is full branded. The second grade is designated by the term “half branded”. The third grade is designated as “unbrand or cuts.” This variety is cut into pieces, which we purchase in the retail chain. The first two varieties are supplied to consumers in pieces “sealed” in cling film. A top-class product is sold at exorbitant prices, packaged in canvas, and available to gourmets.

This is interesting: Russian meat processing plants pass off raw smoked brisket as bacon. “Real” bacon is made from the side of a purebred animal. In stores you can find “turkey bacon” - the tenderloin from the thigh of a dietary bird is not a traditional delicacy of lard with a proportional layer.

Product Description

The consumer purchases salted or smoked bacon - a cut from the side of the back of a pig, fed using a special technology. When cut, a piece looks like alternating uniform strips of meat and lard up to 1.5 centimeters wide. This is what traditional bacon, called English, looks like. Other “national” products are known:

1. Canadian bacon is produced from the loin portion of the carcass. Represents lean ham and is expensive. In Russia it is sold only in premium stores.
2. Italian Bacon Pancetta – fatty pork belly with herbs and spices.
3. Danish bacon has more layers of meat than fat. Exported to Russia, Europe. It has gained worldwide fame, just like Copenhagen, recognized as the gastronomic capital of the world.
4. Irish bacon - lean lard predominates in the layers. It is rare in our country.
5. “Bacon in Russian” - salted, smoked, dried brisket and lard with meat. Sold everywhere at a price acceptable to most consumers, in slices and pieces.

How to cook carbonara

Basically, carbonara with bacon is pasta with it and a special sauce. So we boil the pasta according to all the rules in parallel with other culinary chores, fry the bacon (if using raw smoked bacon, you may need to add oil during frying) and pay close attention to the sauce. For it, pour a slightly beaten egg into slightly warmed cream (a little over half a glass) and add a couple of tablespoons of grated cheese. After it has dissolved, season the sauce with crushed garlic and pepper and mix thoroughly. Now we combine all three components - bacon, pasta, sauce - and place the ready-to-eat carbonara on plates. The recipe with bacon, by the way, is very suitable for experimentation. So you can “play around” at least with spices; the result can only be spoiled by their excess. A very interesting option is when bacon is complemented with ham. Only when frying them will you need oil; the fat that the bacon produces will obviously not be enough. And the garlic can be pre-cooked in a frying pan in a spoon of olive oil. Then its smell will lose its sharpness. Some cooks even throw away the “scraps” of garlic, using only the oil flavored with it.

And many also recommend sprinkling portioned carbonara with grated Parmesan while it is still hot. So what if there is already cheese in the sauce - you can’t have too much of it! At least, that's what the Italians (or at least lovers of Italian cuisine) say.

Useful properties and composition

No matter what “nationality” bacon is, the basis is subcutaneous pork fat. It has been proven that beneficial, biologically active substances are preserved in lard. Contains:

• vitamins A, D, E, B – are responsible for the functioning of the heart muscle, skin elasticity, visual acuity;
• protein is the building material of the muscle corset, important for an athletic figure;
• unsaturated amino acids regulate the functioning of the liver, brain, kidneys;

The main value of lard: vitamin F - arachidonic polyunsaturated acid. Contained in peanut and olive oil, but lard contains 10 times more unsaturated amino acids. It combines with cholesterol, making it “good”: it prevents the formation of cholesteric plaques on the walls of blood vessels. Bacon prevents the development of atherosclerosis. The melting point of bacon approaches the temperature of the human body; the usefulness of the product is based on this parameter, as opposed to palm oil, which does not melt and “settles” on the walls of the esophagus and stomach. Bacon benefits weakened people, athletes who want to quickly gain weight, and pregnant women.

What are the benefits of bacon?

If you consume the delicacy in small quantities, it will have a beneficial effect on the body. Meat product:

• rejuvenates the skin and slows down the aging process;
• normalizes the functioning of the nervous system and helps cope with stress;
• strengthens the cardiovascular system and prevents the development of dangerous diseases;
• improves liver function;
• strengthens bones and joints, and also helps build muscle mass;
• reduces blood cholesterol levels;
• improves the condition of connective tissue;
• balances hormonal levels;
• has a beneficial effect on the reproductive system.

Advice! You can eat delicacy meat if you are prone to depression, insomnia and increased irritability.

Bacon removes toxins and toxic substances from the body

The benefits of bacon for women

It is useful for women to consume delicacy meat primarily during hormonal imbalances, frequent mood swings and during the period of body restructuring at the beginning of menopause. The product has a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous system, strengthens bones and joints, and prevents the development of osteoporosis. Vitamin B6 in deli meat promotes the production of hormones responsible for a good mood.

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Despite the high calorie content, it is recommended to consume the product in small quantities on a diet. It speeds up metabolism, and if you take more water along with the delicacy, the extra pounds will go away faster.

Benefits of fried bacon

The fried product has a good taste, but its benefits are very limited. During intensive heat treatment, not only vitamins and organic acids decompose, but also carcinogenic substances are formed.

At the same time, frying allows you to reliably eliminate possible pathogenic bacteria from the meat product. Pork delicacy processed in a frying pan does not contain parasites and in this regard is completely safe for the body.

The nutritional value

The calorie content of 100 grams of the delicacy is estimated depending on the fat content: 300 – 500 kcal.

1. Fats are 35-45 grams and “give” up to 400 kcal. This represents one tenth of your daily intake of saturated and polyunsaturated fats.
2. Protein: 20 – 25 grams. A quarter of the daily value for an athlete with pronounced muscles. Half the daily intake of a fragile gymnast.
3. Cholesterol – 60 – 70 mg: 20 percent of the daily value.
4. Carbohydrates 1-2 grams: 8 kcal.
5. Sodium 10 14 grams: half the daily requirement.

Amount of nutrients:

• selenium – 35%;
• phosphorus – 25%;
• zinc - 9.3%;
• magnesium – 4.5%;
• iron – 3.8%;
• vitamin B 1 – 50%;
• B 3 – 30%;
• In 6 – 20%.

Bacon: composition, benefits and harm

A natural product should only contain pork itself and salt. Spicy additives are acceptable - exclusively natural. That is, not a flavor identical to pepper, but ground pepper itself. Otherwise, you are not dealing with bacon, but with a pathetic imitation of it.

As for the benefits. Bacon is healthy to the same extent as lean pork: it includes iron, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, calcium and almost a full range of B vitamins. Bacon has a calming effect and even has antidepressant properties. It is useful for nursing women as it promotes increased milk production. The heart, bones and muscles are strengthened, and the body as a whole is healthier.

But only if bacon is consumed in reasonable quantities. Its excess provokes weight gain, yet 100 grams of the product contains almost 500 kcal. And for kidney patients, bacon can be dangerous due to its high salt content.

In sports nutrition

Knowing the composition of the delicacy and its calorie content, athletes include the product in the diet of “hard” days: intensive training, competitions, marathons. Small portions of bacon are eaten several times on such days. A delicious dish is made from lean chicken breast, in which a slice of bacon is wrapped. Healthy food when your body needs a boost of protein. On other days, bacon is eaten with seasonings and vegetables containing coarse fiber. This diet relieves the load on the liver and increases the beneficial properties of bacon. 100 grams of lightly salted bacon with vegetable salad flavored with vegetable oil will fill the need for fats and proteins during a 2-hour workout.

Bacon-based dishes improve vitality, strengthen the skeleton, and balance hormones. Selenium, magnesium, zinc in the product stabilize potency.

How to select and store a product

Start from the cost of the product: you need to find a middle ground in it. Too cheap bacon should give you some ideas, but there is no need to overpay. Check out the average price and use some simple math and observation to find the perfect option.

The next step (no less important) is the composition. The postulate “the purer the composition, the better the product” works again. What may be in bacon:

• brine (10%);
• meat (90%).

The third step is color. If you decide to buy a vacuum-sealed product, then choose transparent packaging to better see the meat. The shade can vary from light to dark brown, red and white splashes are allowed. Make sure that there is no rot, fungus or other traces of poor quality cut on the surface. The texture of the ingredient should be uniform: the meat should accurately alternate with pieces of lard, without becoming stained or torn.

Next is the skin. It has absolutely no meaning, and the presence of skin is dictated only by your preferences.

The final step is the implementation deadline. Choose the freshest possible meat that is firmly packaged and attractive in appearance.

Harm of a delicacy

Bacon is a salted and smoked product. This is where the danger comes from excessive consumption. Sodium retains water in the body and disrupts the water-salt balance. If you have kidney disease, limit your diet to delicacies: 100 grams twice a week. Hypertensive patients should adhere to the same regimen. In large quantities it causes disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract even in healthy people.

Eat smoked products in smaller quantities - smoking causes a risk of intestinal cancer. Learn to identify natural smoking with sawdust from the use of “liquid smoke” by color. In the first case, the color of the bacon is light brown. Artificial smoking results in a bright, rich color of the fibers.

Bacon made with violations of classical technology is harmful. Unscrupulous manufacturers flavor the “E” product with additives, ammonium nitrate, and flavorings. A product with such filling harms the body and causes intoxication.