I wrote about bacon the other day, a recipe for a lower-fat method of cooking by baking it on a rack.  Lots of folks responded, and I’m so happy about that.

One reader, Joe, blasted me: “hey doctor norris, how can you offer up a “recipe” for bacon on a
health and weight-loss site? have you no shame? what possible redeeming
health attributes does this product have? are you that clueless? some
food products just don’t belong in a healthy diet and i would put soda,
processed junk food right up there with bacon. my two cents. have a
blessed day.”

Hey Joe, I hear what you are saying, of course, about health attributes. But hey, no body is perfect, and I think having bacon occasionally offers some emotional benefits for some people, and that’s part of being healthy.  My food plan includes everything, emphasizing healthier foods, eating less or eliminating others.  I’ve learned the moment you “criminalize” a food, “Forbidden Food Syndrome” can creep in — we crave what we’re not allowed to have.  If you read me regularly, you know I advocate lots of healthy foods and minimizing foods and behaviors that are not so healthy.  Oh, and I do not have any “shame,” I gave that up many years ago, through the grace of God and a lot of therapeutic work. I know I have a lot of “clues,” too.  Thanks for posting your comment, even though it wasn’t so kind to me personally in your choice of wording, but I forgive you and hope all your days are blessed.  Mine are!

Many readers came to my defense, and bacon’s rationale.  Emily wrote, “Don’t worry about the earlier comment slamming you for healthy bacon cooking methods. Of Course, I don’t eat bacon on a daily basis, but I do like it occasionally…”  Lisa said, “hey Joe — take a chill pill! if eating bacon is not for you then
that’s fine but don’t slam the doctor for offering an alternative for
people who are fat/calorie conscious and might have yearning to eat a
little of it.”

As I wrote in the original recipe (to see it click here):  “Bacon, however, is one of those foods that isn’t so healthy, let me just
say.  However, if you’re craving it, you can minimize the damage with
this recipe.”

I know, and you readers know, that eating bacon and meat in general is not so healthy.  If you must have it, don’t have a lot!  I do know about this, I eat lots of vegetables and fruits, and advocate for them too — I wrote three recipes for fruits and vegetables last week alone!  I have red meats once a week, and bacon maybe once a month (and only 2 slices).  Actually, i was completely vegetarian for 17 years, but due to health reasons, I broke it with a cheeseburger. I needed meat — I knew it, my physician agreed, and it felt emotionally and spiritually necessary for me.

If you need a reminder that red meat is not so healthy for you, and to minimize consumption, take a look at this New York Times article by Jane Brody.

It features a summary of a recent study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine. “The study, directed by Rashmi Sinha, a nutritional epidemiologist at the National Cancer Institute, involved 322,263 men and 223,390 women ages 50 to 71 who participated in the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study.”

OK — here’s the sad news from the study that we all need to be aware of:

• Eating red meat can increase your risk of mortality from 20 -40%
• To prevent or lessen this risk of premature death, and heart-disease and cancer, “people should eat a hamburger only once or twice a week instead of
  every day, a small steak once a week instead of every other day, and a
  hot dog every month and a half instead of once a week.”
• Even better, we should have 1-2 servings of fish daily, and poultry instead of red meats.
• “those who ate the most fruits and vegetables also tended to live longer.”

There are also major ecological and environment problems connected with raising animals for meat.

• The article says, “Anyone who worries about global well-being has yet another reason to
  consume less red meat. Dr. Popkin, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina,
  said that a reduced dependence on livestock for food could help to save
  the planet from the ravaging effects of environmental pollution, global warming and the depletion of potable water. “In the United States,” Dr. Popkin wrote, “livestock production accounts for 55 percent of the erosion process, 37 percent of pesticides applied, 50 percent of antibiotics consumed, and a third of total discharge of nitrogen and phosphorus to surface water.”

SO — what are you having for lunch or dinner today?  VEGETABLES, FISH, FRUIT, right?

Save the bacon for later.  Much later!