Bacon under siege!

[marko]

Let me take another tack on this:
About 30 years ago I was visiting a winery in Napa (you've all heard the name).

The owner's daughter was giving a wine tour for us (free wine!) and went on this short speech about how, while the owner didn't smoke, he was dead set against the PC police who were ostracizing smokers.

His take was that first they would go after the smokers, then eating meat would be 'bad' and eventually, drinking wine would be 'bad for you'. (y'know..."alcohol")

That was 30 years ago...now we're at 2 out of 3...maybe he was on to something.

 

[haha]

That was 30 years ago...now we're at 2 out of 3...maybe he was on to something.

Maybe?

 

[MRG]

There was a big sale on bacon at the grocery, any connection?

 

[Walt34]

I ate a well done 8-oz steak last night at dinner. I'm doomed! Call the doctor, call the nurse, call the lady with the alligator purse.

I'm doomed too. Succumbed to temptation today and bought 1/2 lb. of that big pepperoni in the deli window. Take a couple slices of that, one of ham, one of turkey breast, and some American cheese on my large salad for late lunch. Mmmmm!

 

[W2R]

I'm doomed too. Succumbed to temptation today and bought 1/2 lb. of that big pepperoni in the deli window. Take a couple slices of that, one of ham, one of turkey breast, and some American cheese on my large salad for late lunch. Mmmmm!

Mmmmm!!! Sounds delicious. Today I'm still eating lightly in an attempt to make up for that delicious steak.

 

[timo2]

 

[TromboneAl]

What do you cure it with? AFAIK, it is the nitrates that are the carcinogenic concern. And, AFAIK, most curing involves nitrates (maybe some use only sodium?), even the 'uncured' meats that use some celery derived product.

-ERD50

According to this:

The Nitrate and Nitrite Myth: Another Reason not to Fear Bacon

In fact, the study that originally connected nitrates with cancer risk and caused the scare in the first place has since been discredited after being subjected to a peer review. There have been major reviews of the scientific literature that found no link between nitrates or nitrites and human cancers, or even evidence to suggest that they may be carcinogenic. Further, recent research suggests that nitrates and nitrites may not only be harmless, they may be beneficial, especially for immunity and heart health. Confused yet? Let’s explore this issue further.

 

[audreyh1]

Another interesting related article:

Know Your Risks, but Meat Still Isn’t the Enemy http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/u...nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0

I wrote about red meat here at The Upshot back in March, focusing mostly on the cardiovascular risks, rather than the cancer risks. But I still highlighted and discussed some key studies, including one that found that eating meat, especially processed meat, was associated with increased cancer and mortality in people age 50-65. As I said, it also found that the opposite was true in people over 65 years, but that gets mostly ignored.

And from a reference

Respondents aged 50-65 reporting high protein intake had a 75% increase in overall mortality and a 4-fold increase in cancer death risk during the following 18 years. These associations were either abolished or attenuated if the proteins were plant derived. Conversely, high protein intake was associated with reduced cancer and overall mortality in respondents over 65, but a 5-fold increase in diabetes mortality across all ages. Mouse studies confirmed the effect of high protein intake and GHR-IGF-1 signaling on the incidence and progression of breast and melanoma tumors, but also the detrimental effects of a low protein diet in the very old. These results suggest that low protein intake during middle age followed by moderate to high protein consumption in old adults may optimize healthspan and longevity.

Low protein intake is associated with a major reduction in IGF-1, cancer, and overall mortality in the 65 and younger but not older population. - PubMed - NCBI

So – I'll start binging on bacon after I turn 65, LOL! Oh, wait - what about the diabetes!

 

[meierlde]

I think we need to recall why processed meats were used in the old days. The processed meats were needed because of a lack of refrigeration. Bacon and Hams could be cured and left (at least at winter temps) in cool places until needed. So clearly processing meat is bad for at least some spoilage organisms, as it keeps them from spoiling the meat. In addition to smoking of course you also salted meat such as salt pork.

 

[haha]

My grandparents ran a mixed subsistence farm. Fresh meat consisted of chickens, and fish and game when they had time. But in those years coming out of the war everything was over hunted and over fished. We had fresh pork in the late fall when hogs were being killed, mostly stuff like liver and kidneys that would not keep when cured. The rest of the hog became ham, bacon and sausage, all of which was salted and smoked. There was occasional veal when a dairy cow was freshened. If an old cow was killed the meat was mostly cooked and canned, to later be served in a soup.

Ha

 

[Huston55]

Ain't Afraid of No Nitrates!

In case you're out here for SB50 & didn't get enough...well, nourishment.

https://www.groupon.com/deals/gl-ba...1bc040-e36d-451f-94ef-243ab0735eeb_0_20160128

 

[Nodak]

Let's see, I'm 67 already and cancer free so far (knock on wood).

Statistically, I probably have another 15-20 years left. If anyone thinks I am going to completely eliminate bacon, hot dogs, and red meat for the rest of my life, for fear of getting cancer, then I'd like to sell them a bridge.

I believe that too much of any one food is probably not so good, and conversely getting a variety of different foods in one's diet is a healthy thing to do. And that includes red meat, hot dogs, and bacon, along with many other types of foods. Even the occasional jalapeno once in a blue moon. .

+1 (I'm 69)