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When shopping at the grocery store, you've probably noticed a few different kinds of bacon, like candied, cured, and uncured bacon. However, what's the difference between uncured and cured bacon? Well, let's find out!
Cured Bacon VS Uncured Bacon
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Believe it or not, "uncured" bacon is, in fact, cured. That's right! Let's start with the term cured. When you see "cured" on a bacon package, that means the bacon has been wet using a "synthetic sodium nitrate." To do so, sodium nitrate is blended with sugar, salt, more seasoning, and other chemicals used for food preservation. Then, the mixture is pumped into the bacon before smoking. As you can see, the reason cured bacon ends up cheaper than uncured bacon, is because its cheaper to produce!
Okay, so what's the deal with uncured bacon? Instead of using synthetically created nitrites and nitrates, "uncured" bacon uses a mix of natural lactic acid and nitrates from vegetables to cure the bacon. While this process makes it more expensive, it also makes it healthier. Well, at least a little bit healthier. Let's see just how healthier it makes it...
Dose Determines The Poison
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Now, let's get to the really big question: is bacon all that bad for you? Well, of course, everyone has their own answer to that. Some doctors and scientists claim that humans shouldn’t eat nitrate-processed meat like bacon at all. Others say that it's not that dangerous, and people should consume whatever they want. Sadly, there's not even a concrete answer at the bottom of the barrel. In reality, professional research have given some inconsistent results, to say the least. However, food scientist Emily Wagener says theirs a simple explanation for this.
“If you look closely to see how [the tests] are done in animals, they are literally injecting the stuff into their bodies and seeing what happens at a high dosage,” said Wagener. “In the food industry we frequently wave our arms like a used car lot balloon man and shout our mantra: ‘THE DOSE DETERMINES THE POISON.’”
So, while you might love bacon and other processed meats, its probably better to keep them to a simple treat. As long as you don't eat a package bacon every day, you should be okay. “This is not necessarily a license to eat entire bouquets made of bacon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, because at that point you’ll have different gastrointestinal issues,” Wagener added. “Bacon is incredibly high in sodium and saturated fat, so (in excess) that’ll wreak extra havoc on your intestines long before you potentially get cancer.”
When you do have a craving for bacon, pick either cured or uncured bacon, whichever sounds better to you. At the end of the day, it doesn't make much of a difference when it comes to your health. As long as you don't eat it with every meal, that is!
Sources: The Takeout, Tender Belly
