Show Me The Bacon!

Show Me The Bacon!

There are a number of people teaching that bacon added into our diets is a valuable Macro that is very beneficial for muscle growth and development. Of course most guys, and many girls, are embracing this with cheers and applause, and then consuming vast amounts on a weekly basis as part of their Health & Fitness programs! Three cheers for the bacon!!

But I would like to pause for a moment and consider if this is the best option and mindset for us.  As a health and wellness consultant with a focus on Nutrition for Athletes, my job is to help people understand that fitness and health are not always the same things.  I want people to be able to continue to do the things that they love for years to come and to accomplish this goal, they must maintain their health as well as their fitness and lean muscle mass. I see too many athletes who have amazing fitness, endurance, speed, and power, but end up crashing because their health was compromised. Most of them struggle to ever recover the energy or fitness levels that they previously had and many end up living with various autoimmune diseases. 

What does bacon have to do with all of this? I am not arguing that it doesn’t qualify as a good Macro, my concern is on the rest of our health. What about the impact on our heart health? How about affecting negatively the acid/alkaline balance in our bodies? When we are too acidic we have increased inflammation, which causes pain, increases recovery time, and interferes with testosterone and human growth hormone releases. Being too acidic also dramatically increases our risk factors for cancer, stroke, and many autoimmune concerns.

And what about finding clean sources of bacon? How many people are looking at the additives such as nitrates and nitrites that are put in most bacon products? Many of us are not even aware of these additives and the impact on our health. We have been blinded by the siren song and sweet aroma that calls to us.

My advice is for your long-term fun and vitality. Treat bacon like a treat! In the same way that you are careful about the amounts of dessert and how often you add those in to your diet, treat bacon in the same way. Do not view it as an important and essential part of your daily fuel or you run the risk of losing much of your hard earned awesomeness! And for some of us the risk factors are enough that we just say no. Remember that the thrill of being the best version of you is worth far more than that moment of temporary enjoyment.

Here’s to living life with no regrets!

Brandt Roney