Bacon (nitrites, sugar), which is the lesser of the two evils...

[baguchi1]

What to do about bacon...
Atkins says to stay away from nitrites, get the bacon products made without.
ALL of the bacon products without nitrites contain sugar. Now, sugar registers 0 grams on the nutrition box, but is listed as a third ingredient. Is the sugar content so negligible that I shouldn't worry. I wonder what Atkins would say
about this...

[quotidianlight]

I count 1 gram for every serving and just live with it. I know I am not the norm though. I avoid as many chemicals as possible and actually prefer cane juice or Agave to Sugar or fake sugar. I also eat any sort of sweetener very infrequently so the 1 or 2 grams in bacon is fine with me. I tend to buy more expensive non-nitrite bacon that is cured with cane juice or molasses. The questions for me are: does it cause a blood sugar spike, How do you feel after eating it, and does it cause cravings. For me, I actually have a stronger negative reaction after 5 grams of flour or three doses of Splenda than I do after 5 grams of sugar. Do I eat it a lot? No, none of it is good for you! I probably eat an average of 5 grams of sugar a week if I include the miniscule amounts in bacon and my occasional dark chocolate.

[theredhead]

I don't worry much about nitrites anymore since reading this excellent article: Junkfood Science

[baguchi1]

Wow...
That's excellent! Good to know.
I was duped!

[liv]

Originally Posted by quotidianlight

I count 1 gram for every serving and just live with it. I know I am not the norm though. I avoid as many chemicals as possible and actually prefer cane juice or Agave to Sugar or fake sugar. I also eat any sort of sweetener very infrequently so the 1 or 2 grams in bacon is fine with me. I tend to buy more expensive non-nitrite bacon that is cured with cane juice or molasses. The questions for me are: does it cause a blood sugar spike, How do you feel after eating it, and does it cause cravings. For me, I actually have a stronger negative reaction after 5 grams of flour or three doses of Splenda than I do after 5 grams of sugar. Do I eat it a lot? No, none of it is good for you! I probably eat an average of 5 grams of sugar a week if I include the miniscule amounts in bacon and my occasional dark chocolate.

I read on Eades blog I think that Agave is not really great as it is mostly fructose. But I don't really know much about it.

As for bacon. I avoid the sugar.

[Greeneggs&ham]

As I understand it, nitrites are just used to keep the meat from looking gray in the packaging -- think of it as a food coloring/preservative. Like some artificial sweeteners, it is questionable as to it's link to cancer which is why it is discouraged. IMHO, nitites should not be an issue with blood sugar levels.

As for the nominal amount of sugar in meat products like bacon, there was a post not too long ago (So confused about SUGAR!) about its effect on blood sugar levels. I think it's fair to say that the majority of posts agreed that traditional Atkin's-friendly foods like bacon and sausage, with sugar in the latter half of the ingredient list and a count of <1 gram of carbs in the nutritional info generally pose no threat for the average low carber. Combined with the fat and protein counts, the minimal sugar count has little to no effect on blood sugar levels.

I eat bacon, sausage and pepperoni weekly with no issues. Like Quotidian suggests -- if your carb cravings increase after eating the bacon, cut it out of your diet. Otherwise enjoy the tasty treat!

[Chicklady]

the sugar in bacon is used in the curing process, the brining before the smoking....think of it as a marinade.....it doesn't get too much, especially bacon, which is so high fat that it has no absorbtion ability.
I'd buy nitrate free any day, given a choice. I just have a tinfoil hat on when it comes to believing the FDA has our interests at heart OTOH, I have read that vitamin C will keep nitrates from turning to nitrosamines in your stomach....so maybe some nice jicama with your breakfast bacon is in order

[tracylynn1]

I found some bacon at Costco. The name brand is Coleman's. It is not cured and has no nitrates.

[gbidruglord]

Originally Posted by tracylynn1

I found some bacon at Costco. The name brand is Coleman's. It is not cured and has no nitrates.

But does it have sugar?

[boonie stomper]

The sugar genally is there if the pork is cured - especially if without the nitrate, but right from the butcher, uncured - unlikely. Still, if you're as fanatical about bacon as me, you might be smart to pretend it does, and not go overboard eating it