Is Bacon Hard to Digest? Exploring How the Salty Pork Product Impacts Your Stomach
Crispy savory, and oh-so-tasty is there anything better than sizzling hot bacon? This popular pork product has become a breakfast staple and adds a smoky, salty punch of flavor to everything from sandwiches to salads. However, bacon has developed a reputation as being hard on the digestive system. Is this rumor true or just a lot of hogwash? Let’s find out how America’s beloved bacon really impacts your stomach.
What Makes Some Foods Hard to Digest?
Digestion difficulties can arise from a variety of factors
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High fat content – Foods high in fat like fatty cuts of meat, whole milk dairy, and fried items take longer to break down and can cause indigestion.
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Fibrous foods – Fruits veggies beans, nuts and whole grains contain insoluble fiber that isn’t digested well.
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Spicy foods – Heavily spiced dishes can irritate the stomach lining.
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Gas-producing foods – Foods such as beans, carbonated drinks, artichokes and broccoli can cause gas.
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Acidic foods – Citrus fruits, tomatoes and vinegar may provoke heartburn in sensitive individuals.
Looking at this list, fatty and fried foods seem to be the biggest culprits behind digestive troubles. So where does bacon fall in this lineup? Let’s take a closer look at its nutritional composition.
Examining the Nutrition Facts of Bacon
A typical serving of pan-fried bacon contains:
- 43 grams of fat (65% of it saturated)
- 267 calories
- 24 grams of protein
- 3 grams of carbohydrates
- no fiber
- 977 mg of sodium
Right away, the high fat and sodium content jump out. Pan-fried bacon is around 54% fat, with over a third of the total calories coming from fat alone. That puts bacon squarely in the category of high-fat foods that take longer to digest.
In addition, bacon contains very little fiber, unlike some other unprocessed meats. Fiber aids digestion, while the lack of it allows bacon to sit heavier in the stomach.
Furthermore, bacon is very high in sodium. Consuming too much sodium can lead to bloating as the body retains more water. The high amount of salt may also overwork the kidneys and lead to dehydration, causing constipation.
So with all of these considerations, it’s not surprising that bacon has a reputation for being hard to digest. But just how long does it take to fully digest bacon?
How Long Does Bacon Take to Digest?
Most foods take 24-72 hours to move through the full digestive tract. However, high-fat foods like bacon can take even longer than that. Fat delays stomach emptying and slows down digestion at every stage:
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Stomach: High-fat foods may linger in the stomach for 4-5 hours compared to 1-2 hours for lower fat options.
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Small intestine: Fatty chyme moves more sluggishly through the small intestine, taking up to 8 hours to fully digest and absorb.
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Large intestine: Additional transit time allows more water absorption, leading to harder, drier stools that are difficult to pass.
Overall, a high-fat food like bacon can take 72-96 hours to fully digest, twice as long as low-fat foods. All that extra time allows for more opportunity for digestive discomfort like gas, bloating, constipation and diarrhea.
Tips for Preventing Bacon Indigestion
If you don’t want to give up your bacon habit, here are some tips to make it easier on your stomach:
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Opt for lower-sodium bacon – Look for reduced sodium options or rinse before cooking.
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Incorporate more fiber – Eat bacon as part of a salad or sandwich to add fiber.
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Drink fluids – Chase bacon with water or herbal tea to counter the sodium.
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Limit portion size – Stick to 1-2 strips per serving and avoid eating multiple servings.
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Cook thoroughly – Undercooked bacon is more difficult to digest.
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Avoid eating late night – Don’t eat bacon right before bed to allow proper digestion.
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Take a walk – Light exercise helps move food through the digestive tract.
With some simple precautions, you can still enjoy bacon in moderation without upsetting your stomach. Just be mindful of portion size, sodium content, and making sure the bacon is cooked through. Balancing it out with fluids, fiber, exercise and not overindulging can let you savor the taste without the digestive distress.
The Bottom Line
So is bacon hard to digest? With its high fat content and lack of fiber, bacon does tend to sit heavier in the stomach compared to other protein sources. This can lead to occasional indigestion, especially when eating large servings. However, incorporating some best practices like opting for low-sodium varieties, not overindulging, staying hydrated, and getting fiber from other parts of your diet can help prevent bacon from being too hard on your digestive system. As with most things, enjoying bacon in moderation as part of an overall balanced diet is key to digestive health.
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Bacon is a carcinogen
In 2015 the World Health Organization classified bacon and other processed meats including ham, salami, and hot dogs, as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning theres strong evidence that eating them increases your risk of cancer, particularly bowel and stomach cancer but also pancreatic and prostate cancers. The WHO designation was based on findings of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 22 cancer experts from 10 countries, who analyzed more than 400 studies on processed meat using epidemiological data from hundreds of thousands of people. Reporting in The Lancet Oncology, the IARC estimated that for every 50-gram portion of processed meat eaten daily (roughly 2 strips of bacon), colorectal cancer risk increased by 18%.
Nitrites and nitrates are preservatives that are often found in bacon and other cured meats. When cooked over high heat, they turn into nitrosamines, which are known to cause cancer. Bacon and other processed meats have been added to a list of more than 100 known carcinogens. They are now in Group 1, along with tobacco smoke and asbestos. But that doesn’t mean bacon is as bad as cigarettes. Every year, 34,000 people die of cancer because they eat too much processed meat, while every year, 1 million people die because they smoke cigarettes.
“I would like to see people cut back on eating processed meats,” says physician-scientist William Li, MD, author of Eat to Beat Disease, The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. “The overwhelming evidence shows that heavy consumption of red and processed meat places a burden on health.”
To be clear, the IARC analysis of studies on processed meat consumption did not find causation, but a correlation between eating a lot of processed meat and increased cancer risk. And whats not known is if the meat-eaters studied had other poor eating habits, such as consuming added sugars and refined carbohydrates, which might have impacted their health outcomes. “They certainly arent eating small to moderate amounts of grass-fed or organic meat along with a pile of colorful fruits and veggies,” writes Mark Hyman, MD, author of The Pegan Diet: 21 Practical Principles for Reclaiming Your Health in a Nutritionally Confusing World.
Hyman thinks that red meat is not the bad guy that it’s been portrayed as being. He also thinks that bacon can be a part of our diet, but only if it’s organic, sustainably and humanely raised. “If you opt to eat meat, the most important thing to think about is quality,” writes Hyman. “Overconsumption of processed, factory-farmed meats is absolutely bad for you. Grass-fed meat has much better types of that than grain-fed—more omega-3s and fewer omega-6s. “.
“My philosophy is that all food can fit into a healthy diet,” says nutritionist Jana Mowrer, MPH, RD, founder of HealthWins.org. Even bacon. The danger, she says, is that the more red meat people consume, the less they tend to eat other food groups, particularly those with fiber such as vegetables.
“A diet high in fiber supports gut health and regular bowel movements and gives you a wide range of health benefits,” says Mowrer. “Bacon and other highly processed, fatty meats, kill off healthy gut bacteria. Mowers says, “Take his advice and eat bacon once in a while. Just make sure that real, whole foods are the main focus of every meal.” For more, see The Best Way to Eat for your Microbiome and Improve Gut Health. 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e.
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What If You Eat BACON Every Day For 30 Days?
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