Bacon only once a week?

[Flashsa]

Hi all

Newly registered here but have been following the board during my 2 weeks induction and decided to register now that I am progressing with Atkins.

I read on this site ( 10 Atkins Breakfast Ideas - Low Carb ) that Atkins said we should only have bacon once a week.

Now I have read the New book cover to cover and nowhere does it say that! It simply stated that bacon is cured with nitrates which is not the healthiest thing for our bodies and we should treat bacon as 1 carb for about 3 rashes!

Can anyone confirm? I have 2 scrambled eggs and 3 rashers of bacon daily for breakfast and continue to lose eight.

[EverLosing]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

I eat bacon most days and it has not been a problem. Try to find bacon that says NO SUGAR, very important!! I'll have to get some more at the store as I've run out but I don't think mine has nitrates. Read every label. I eat bacon and eggs every single day, Monday through Friday.

[deerfu39]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

Every brand that I've tried has sugar and nitrates. Got to find a butcher that cuts it fresh!

[Flashsa]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

All the bacon I eat has a carb breakdown on the nutritional label - always less than 1 carb per 250g!

[Georgiana]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

Welcome to the Board!

Dr. Atkins did not set a specific limit on bacon in DANDR, but he did say it is better to avoid meats cured with sugar and nitrates. I have seen folks who were "snacking" on 1 lbs of bacon or on half a dozen bags of pork rinds per day and then were wondering why they haven't lost weight or why their blood pressure has gone up, for example. So while there is no limit on bacon, overeating it is not a healthy habit. In fact, overeating anything is not a healthy habit, which is why Dr. Atkins explains that one does not have a license to gorge.

If you email Atkins Nutritionals asking exactly how much bacon you may eat, they will tell you not more than approx. 2 slices 3x a week, although they did not publish this "officially" on atkins.com. The only thing appearing on the Atkins website, in a section where they are discussing high cholesterol, is:

High cholesterol that has a genetic component usually responds to changes in diet, but may be difficult to address with diet alone. You may still need to take supplements such as pantethine, essential oils, garlic and fiber. For a detailed discussion of cholesterol-lowering nutrients, see Dr. Atkins Vita-Nutrient Solutions. Exercise is also an important component, as is cutting back on processed meats, such as bacon, sausage and cold cuts and limiting intake of hard cheese.

That's about it.

The "once a week" rule I believe was literally invented by Dr. Scott Lear. But this is the same doctor who said:

Over the short-term, people using the Atkins diet will lose weight, but the weight that they lose isn't necessarily fat loss.

A lot of it is through water, and through energy stores in muscles. If somebody was actually active, they could not survive on the Atkins diet, because they wouldn't be getting the energy to continue to be active.

If you're doing moderate or vigorous activity exercise, you use glycogen, which is stored in the muscle. On the Atkins diet, a lot of the initial weight loss comes from breaking down that glycogen and using it up. The glycogen is basically your carbohydrate energy stores, that are both in the muscle and the liver. For somebody who's running a few times a week, you're going to be using those energy stores more predominately. When you're on something like the Atkins diet, it's going to be hard for you, you're going to feel sluggish. If you were doing something like leisure walking, it's not going to be as much of a problem.

Dr. Lear's statements are partial BS. What he forgets to mention is the conditions under which his logic is valid, which is that the body uses glycogen only when that glycogen is available, but if you are in ketosis, dietary and body fat will be your main sources of energy even when exercising. Obviously someone who decides to do Atkins has some body fat to lose when he/she starts the program, or otherwise they wouldn't be doing Atkins in the first place. It is also obvious that Dr. Lear is unaware of the fact that Induction is not the only phase of the Atkins diet and that one may feel sluggish only in the first few days.

Personally, I wouldn't trust someone who is so knowledgeable and unbiased (not!) when it comes to the Atkins diet.

If you are losing weight while eating bacon more often than once a week, good for you.

[Tricon7]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

Every brand that I've tried has sugar and nitrates. Got to find a butcher that cuts it fresh!

I know that Publix sells no-sugar-added bacon - and thick-cut no less.

As far as nitrates, I don't worry about them. Eating them hasn't kept me out of ketosis or from losing weight.

[Gottabringmeback]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

I eat bacon almost 5 times a week and haven't had a problem. The key is to find bacon that has NO SUGAR, carbs and no nitrates.
You'd be suprized at all the stuff that has those things.

[Slapshot]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

I eat bacon almost 5 times a week and haven't had a problem. The key is to find bacon that has NO SUGAR, carbs and no nitrates.
You'd be suprized at all the stuff that has those things.

What brand of bacon have you found that has no sugar/carbs and nitrates? I still haven't found one....

[Miss Phode]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

What brand of bacon have you found that has no sugar/carbs and nitrates? I still haven't found one....

Yes, please tell us what brand. I've only find bacon with either no sugar, or no bacon, but never both simultaneously.

[Slapshot]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

I know that Publix sells no-sugar-added bacon - and thick-cut no less.

As far as nitrates, I don't worry about them. Eating them hasn't kept me out of ketosis or from losing weight.

The issue with nitrates isn't about ketosis or losing weight. Dr. Atkins said to avoid sodium nitrate as he claims they are "known carcinogens."

[Whatsername]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

I was actually going to ask about Bacon too. I am going to look for a butcher to see if I can find fresh bacon. I know we used to have one in the next town, not sure if its still there.

Beyond that, I can not find one that has no sugar! I will check back at the health food store again.

I was just wondering why bacon seems so important? What is it..the fat or protein..or both? And is there something else to substitute?

My weight loss has been slow and I am trying to analyze my food and what I can give up that might help.

Thanks!

[MsUnderstood0000]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

Trader joe's has nitrate/nitrite free bacon. Both pork and turkey. It is more expensive, the turkey bacon is 3.99, its 8 pretty thick slices. I honestly did not look to see if it had sugar in it. I looked, the carbs were zero, bought it. I will have to check actually, now I'm curious.

[LageNomAi]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

Trader joe's has nitrate/nitrite free bacon. Both pork and turkey. It is more expensive, the turkey bacon is 3.99, its 8 pretty thick slices. I honestly did not look to see if it had sugar in it. I looked, the carbs were zero, bought it. I will have to check actually, now I'm curious.

Great to know, I'll be heading to Trader Joe's!

As for sugar-free bacon, our local grocery store's generic version is the only one in the store that is sugar-free (I can even get it in low-sodium form!), so be sure to check all of the brands, including generics.

[joesabido]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

I wouldn't bother searching for bacon that specifies "sodium-nitrite free", it's concentration in food is very low anyway (200ppm at most).

The sodium nitrite ITSELF is not dangerous, the carcinogenic danger comes from sodium nitrite being converted in our bodies to nitrosamines, which are easily neutralized with vitamin c.

Plus, it's necessary to have residual amounts of sodium-nitrite in cured meat because it prevents botulism.

Here's something I found on the www

The food industry responded to concerns about NOCs in the 1970s and 1980s by virtually eliminating the addition of nitrate to foods and reducing residual nitrite (analytically detectable) levels in cured meat products five-fold without compromising antibotulinal effects. Today, cured meats on average have one-fifth the amount of residual nitrite present 20 years ago.

The industry also began using agents to block or inhibit the formation of NOCs from nitrite. Such agents include ascorbate (vitamin C), erythorbate (chemically similar to vitamin C), and tocopherol (vitamin E). Most cured meats produced in the United States contain ascorbate or erythorbate. For bacon, adding one of these inhibitors is mandatory.

So if your bacon is packed in the USA, it already has nitrite inhibitors, which makes the bacon (for digestive purposes) "nitrite-free".

[boonie stomper]

Re: Bacon only once a week?

Re: Bacon only once a week?

ARE YOU CRAZY?!!!!?




mmmmmmmmmm...... bacon!!!