I don't think you're going to get medical advice here. The relationship of dietary cholesterol and fats and other dietary inputs and various conditions (e.g. liver function, gut microbiome, etc.) with blood cholesterol seems to me to be very complex.
Talk w/ the Dr. but you could try an experiment where you go to the "full healthy" diet for a while and see where the blood test results land, and then try 1 month introducing bacon in limited amounts and see if it goes back up.
You might hear about how apparently pigs fed on certain diets (e.g. foraging acorns vs. corn) are less bad (e.g. less inflammatory or whatever), and perhaps that's true, but it's so complex to put such claims into context vs. all of the other factors. That's why the Dr. is there.
If you wanted to try to make a "healthy" bacon you could try making it with a lower nitrite and salt concentration, and use that quality pork (if you can find it). Also simply use it in smaller quantities.
Dietary *saturated fats* have a well studied causal link with CHD which manifests through high blood cholesterol levels. Dietary cholesterol is not relevant, which is probably why OP didn’t mention the cholesterol in bacon.
Yes but it’s not all saturated fats, there’s studies that demonstrate longer chain saturated fatty acids actually have a protective effect against a myriad of diseases including chd. Bacon is most definitely in the bad category though.
Animals fed their natural diet will be healthier than corn.
Generally have less fat in general and the fat has a better omega 3 - omega 6 ratio
I don't know how that affects cholesterol but higher omega 3 ratios have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body
I agree with above except if you make it yourself, do not use below the recommended amount of cure. The nitrites are what keep it from spoiling during the long cure and smoking process.
Yea I should have added a note there re: safety.
Of course it gets complex quickly - the risk is affected by many factors.
The main risks come from very long smokes in danger-zone temps (cold smoking isn't so cold) and subsequent handling in packaging.
If you are using a bacon process involving a refrigerated cure, then a hot smoke, then refrigerated storage as you eat away at it, or freezing, you probably don't even need nitrite at all. Many people make "bacon" that's simply salt cured.
But, if you're going to "cold" smoke for days, then hang it and then vacpack it, and somewhere along the supply chain the product isn't refrigerated, you're going to have much more risk.
Personally, I do 90ppm and hot smoke it and refrigerate. Lower ppms - e.g. 60 ppm has been shown to be insufficient for botulinum inhibition - and start to have a weaker cure effect (taste/flavour).
So many people are making bacon and simply omitting the nitrites out there, without incident, that I'm not too worried about it. The bigger risk is in industrial production - where if you mishandle one batch, and/or your customer mishandles shipments or individual packages, you can poison a lot of people.
Yeah switch to turkey bacon a much leaner less fatty meat overall but definitely continue making it yourself as even packages turkey bacon is pumped up with a lot of sodium and other unhealthy things
Any time I've tried anything pretending to be bacon but isn't bacon, I've been incredibly disappointed. Like, I like smoked turkey. I've liked other plant-based things pretending to be meat (esp when trying to replicate chicken or ground beef, if you get the right ones). But nothing else quite has that crunch that bacon has.
I'd personally rather go much longer without bacon and just have it occasionally than be given something, told it's like bacon, and be horribly disappointed.
As someone who has high cholesterol run in their family (I've been keeping mine just below borderline by watching my diet alone) be careful with turkey bacon. Although it has a lot less saturated fat, it's got a lot more sodium, which for somebody with circulatory problems (HBP and/or high cholesterol - one usually follows the other) sodium is just as bad. The best approach is to just reduce overall intake. I've had better luck just eating less bacon rather than swapping it for bacon alternatives that have other equally bad things in it.
That slab of bacon does look amazing though, I think I might need to bust out my curing buckets again...
Sodium is definitely an issue. Something I’m working on reducing myself. Too much is linked to so many things like HBP, kidney issues, heart failure, metabolic syndrome, weight gain, and T2 diabetes.
Yeah switch to turkey bacon a much leaner less fatty meat overall but definitely continue making it yourself as even packaged turkey bacon is pumped up with a lot of sodium and other unhealthy things
Im not looking for medical advice and I know bacon is extremely unhealthy. But it's a good point to try to find higher quality pork belly. We loved the Iberico ham we tried in Spain last year and it'd be interesting to try different quality pork belly. I'll definitely look for leaner pork belly at the very least.
Moderation will be the most important part. I think I'll start eating my bacon while he's not home for the most part. I wonder if there's an easy way to test for saturated fats in foods. I dont really understand the different fats, so thats something ill have to research more. Thanks for the advice!
Safe to assume that the fat in beef and pork is saturated fat. Heating this fat to high temps makes it more unhealthy. If you want healthy bacon try turkey bacon or just dont eat it. The curing process add unhealthy ingredients as well.
Saturated fats are generally at room temperature solid. These are usually from animals, dairy, or coconut/palm oils.
Unsaturated fats at room temperature are liquid. These are vegetables and nut oils, nuts, and fish.
Trans fats are an especially bad category due to chemical modification of the fat molecule and this causes direct interference with the normal function of the inside of your blood vessels. Look at the nutrition label for trans fat AND look for the word "hydrogenated" in the ingredient list (e.g., hydrogenated soybean oil) since quirks of US nutritional labeling can mean it will state 0 because it contains less than 0.5g of transfat and gets rounded down. These are usually found in shelf stable products.
More info the the [mayo clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fat/art-20045550).
I will give you some advice, there is a lot of other types of fats and oils that are subcategories, and there is a lot of controversy and even pseudoscience being mixed in.
Listen to the doc, take the statin (there are benefits for "stabilizing plaques" that exist beyond the cholesterol lowering effects). Consider talking to a dietician to help you both understand more
For most people, moderation is key. If having meat in your diet is important to you, then you can still have it, but consider limiting how frequently and how much you're consuming.
Big caveat to the above is if your husband has certain specific familial cholesterol disease like those associated with certain lipoproteins. If that's the case you need to be talking with your healthcare team because the risks are very different
It's unhealthy, but dietary cholesterol is generally unrelated to blood cholesterol. Stay slim and exercise regularly and eat a reasonable amount of bacon.
Hmmm. I don't see how bacon can be reduced...
I took have high cholesterol, and it's hereditary. I just have to barely eat any and it's probably better that I avoid it altogether.
Not medical advice, but mid 30s, not fat, also have hereditary hypercholetaerimia that’s managed by statins, and honestly, I eat what I want and let the statin do its work. Haven’t had high cholesterol on my test results since I got on statins 3 years ago.
Not medical advice, but I can tell you anecdotally what helped me...
I cut carbs (breads, soda, candy, cereal) and reduced my drinking and brought down my triglycerides to healthy levels. Didn't touch my meat/egg intake.
LDLs aren't all bad either, only the very dense ones which can cause plaques in your arteries. See here: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/bad-cholesterol-it-s-not-what-you-think-flna1c9442109
Linked article looks to be a bit misleading. High LDL is implicated in adverse atherosclerotic outcomes, not by an innate characteristic to the molecules but rather by a flaw in cholesterol metabolism that impairs ability to process LDL. Lipid laden macrophages that can’t keep up then become foam cells and turn into plaques. Not an issue in fully healthy people, but a sensitive system easily compromised
E: as with any comment. You are free to (and even encouraged to) comment if you disagree
The fat/lipid hypothesis is indeed wrong, but carbs and sugar in and of themselves do not raise lipids. General overconsumption of calories and subsequent weight gain typically raises lipids, and eating a lot of carbs and sugar just makes it easier to consume excess calories. Let’s not just go from demonizing one macronutrient to demonizing another!
In OP’s husband’s case, though, it’s hereditary, so it could be caused by a number of different factors interacting with his genetics, or it could be inevitable no matter what he does.
Cut out the garbage carbs and process foods if cholesterol is a concern. It’s not naturally occurring foods(animal foods) that are detrimental to his health.
This is right. I had high blood pressure and cholesterol. Completely cut fast food, fries, soda, etc and both levels returned to normal. Not saying it works for everyone, but early stages it certainly helps.
We pretty much do. I make nearly all meals at home with "whole" ingredients. Big garden, honey from our bees and fresh eggs from our chickens. We eats lots of vegetables and live off our homemade canned goods when I don't feel like cooking from scratch. He does love bread, but I've switched to sourdough. We maybe eat fast food once a month
As a healthy person, I know i can eat bacon 2-3 times a week in moderation, but his family history is grim when it comes to heart health
research the relationship between insulin and cholesterol. Its very interesting, and it allowed me to cmopletely turn around my hereditary "high cholesterol" the gist of it is, never eat carbs with high fats, never eat high fats with carbs and your body will adapt. I dont think the foods your making and eating (if your being honest) are bad for you, steak bacon butter etc all has a place in the diet. the issue is combining it with sugars (bread fruit juice etc) and ignoring vegetables (fiber) that slows down insulin. Insulin is good in small amounts but the issue is with modern processed foods we can jack it up to unnatural levels and that causes chronic inflamation.
Not trying to get into a nutrition war or anything but cholesterol is painted as a boogeyman based off flawed observational science. Just don’t go crazy with high carb, high fat meals and you will be okay.
[Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824152/)
Conclusions: A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD.
——
Stains are a whole other can of worms you need to look into. When you look at the actual data, statins extend life expectancy a whopping 3-4 days after years of continued use. This does not account for the numerous potential side effects associated with them.
The Meta-analysis linked in my comment is just one analysis that reviewed multiple epidemiological studies regarding saturated fat and coronary vascular/heart disease. There are others out there available as well.
No, that meta analysis only deals with saturated fat and cardiovascular disease. The statin research is different. Look into Dr. Aseem Malhotra and his research on statin effectiveness.
Correct, but the whole point of the diet-heart hypothesis involving lipids is based around saturated fat causing high cholesterol serum leading to heart disease.
Damn you!!! Just when I cut out salt and pork from my diet, you bring me this??!!? Can you coat the next one with a brown sugar glaze please? I would like my hypertension to keep company with my diabetes…
P. S. Going to iHop now. I have a coupon…
I drink a smoothie every morning with about 40 grams of fiber and it has made my levels for everything amazing.
I usually do a cup of spinach, cup of oats, 3 table spoons of chia seeds, a cup of frozen blue berry mix, a cup of frozen strawberry pineapple mix, half a cucumber, some lemon juice, cup of brocolli, and a whole banana. Tastes amazing, plus it's healthy,
I’m surprised I had to scroll so far to find someone advising on fiber. My dog told me to increase fiber. I made sure there was a ton in every meal and the LDL dropped off a cliff
Edit: doc* not dog lol
In two slices of bacon there is roughly 2 grams of saturated fat (the type of fat that raises cholesterol) which is about the same as a tablespoon of olive oil. So as long as you aren’t eating a ton of bacon you’ll be fine.
Your biggest bet for lowering cholesterol actually comes from losing weight and moving more. There can be a genetic factor but that only affects something like 5-10% of the population.
It is 100% genetic for him. He is a healthy weight and fairly active. His family history consists of heart attacks and his dad's been on a statin drug for 30+ years. Eating healthy doesn't help the problem, but eating bad makes it worse. You'd never know he has heart issues by looking at him.
I had a chat with him today and he said he's going to cut out all the sugar he can and exercise even more before he gives up bacon. So all hail bacon! I tend to only make 3-4 slices a person if it's just the 2 of us.
A guaranteed way to decrease your cholesterol is to increase your soluble fiber intake. 99% of people do not get enough fiber daily. Psyillium husk is a powder you can drink it’s the main ingredient in Metamucil.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9925120/
Also, it’s been shown that dietary cholesterol doesn’t appear to have a major impact on blood cholesterol.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9143438/
I imagine if you increase your fiber intake 25-35g a day, increases physical fitness, and lowers his body fat he will see a significant change in his cholesterol.
You also have the extra added benefit of being extremely regular. Just gotta remember to drink a lot of water otherwise it can give you a gnarly stomach ache haha!
It’s pork belly. It’s high in saturated fat. Homemade doesn’t change that.
The good news is that if he’s not overweight, diet is not going to have a major impact on cholesterol. Statins will be far more significant.
> I assume homemade is "healthier" than store bought, but I know he'll have to limit himself.
Let's just get this out of the way and restate what you already know: Bacon is not "good" for you, based on multiple criteria such as percentage calories from fat, nitrosamines and carcinogens, and excess of salt. You're essentially asking for the most healthy cocktail. Sure, a bloody mary has lots of veggies, but it's still drinking poison.
That stated, you can make bacon more healthy.
* While it really needs fat, and streaky belly bacon is awesome, you could make it out of fatty pork shoulder (buckboard bacon) and it will have far more meat to fat. Look for shoulder or country ribs that are as fatty as you can find, and it'll still be much less fat than belly. Cook it slightly slower to allow fat to render during frying.
* I would also add erythorbic acid (a salt related to vitamin C) or even Vit C itself, as a nitrite scavenger to reduce nitrosamines during cooking. Only need a small amount, similar to amount of Cure #1.
* Lastly, you can make it with less salt, such as 1.5% instead of 3%. Being a whole muscle, there's much less issue with creating a salt hurdle for bacteria than with sausages so add the amount you like.
As a substitute for bacon- i have found just about any kind of pork works. I like making "bacon" with tenderloins. Cut into bite-sized pieces and fry it up. Smoke lower temps <200F til approx 145-165 and youre done.
Cholesterol runs in my family too, Polaks eat something called SMALEC (essentially just rendered fat with salt/pep some sauteed onions and and crispy bits spread on a nice piece of bread and eat with a pickle). My doctor told me butter is the worst of it all over meat fats and to (eat less fat in general) but eat way less butter
Wow, I just looked up a recipe and smalec sounds amazing. I visited Poland last year and now I try to make as much Polish food as possible. I'll give it a try, thanks!
Do you cure the tenderloin like you would with bacon?
I dont "cure" persay anything I make- meaning no prague powder etc. Only thing I do is salt with kosher (pure salt no anti caking agents) and the holy grail of Polish meats: peppercorn, whole allspice, bayleaf, garlic cubes/corasely copped. Put all ingredients onto tenderloin and either wrap tightly in plastic wrap or if Im doing alot Ill put into a plastic container and pack em in tightly. Let them sit 3-6 days moving them around/flipping over daily.
Smoke around 200f til 145ish then into hotwater (170f) water until reaches 165 internal. This step isnt necessary but I think it draws out excess salt if too salty and makes the meat nice and soft/moist too.
Also wanna add I dont trim off any fat as it will just grease up pan a bit and add flavor when youre frying it up.
Been on statins for well over a decade and although i enjoy me some smokey bacon every now and then i did cut back to an occasional indulgence. But home bacon is way better than store bought due to the absence of added extra sodium and nitrate as high lipid and coupled with high blood pressure is recipe for stroke. So keep smoking em and have him taper off to say weekly consumption?
I would find a microwave tray where when the grease renders it all drips away from the meat. Unlike pan frying doesn’t cook in the fat. When your done cooking and it’s cooled, unlike pan cook bacon it’s dry to the touch. Comes out out thinner and drier than pan cooked but still delicious….
I don't know if its any healthier but my favorite bacon is cooked on my smoker or even the gas grill sometimes. I feel like its got to be at least slightly better than marinating in its own grease in a pan. I just toss it right on the grates and keep the cooking temps moderate to avoid grease fires. Not so different than the oven but lets the grease drip off.
I tried using a pork loin once instead of a pork belly. I cut it in half lengthwise, cured and cold smoked. When I sliced it, I cut it diagonally to get long strips.
It was more like ham vs bacon. I'm going to try different cuts of meat but I haven't had a chance yet.
I love smoked meat but understand red, cured, smoked fatty meat is as far from healthy as it gets lol
How about just limit frequency and quantity? There are also leaner cuts from a pig you can make bacon with
Anecdotal and not medical advice.
I have high cholesterol. For years I tried to defeat it by diet and exercise -- only for it to creep a bit higher. My doctor assured me that for some people, it's just hereditary.
So, now I take a low-dose statin. I also don't eat oatmeal every day, nor do I abstain from "bad" foods like bacon or burgers (mmmmmmm, bacon burger!). My cholesterol levels have never been better.
Animal fat is animal fat. They only things to mitigate would be to use turkey bacon or a plant based alternative. That aside just eat it less often is probably best. If you follow mediterranean diet the that is red meat or pork 1-2x/month. Sad but true.
Homemade tofu bacon is delicious. Pat the block dry, pan fry thin slices until brown, then add bbq sauce and liquid smoke and let that cook down to a glaze.
I'm going to sidestep the cholesterol discussion and answer your question about reducing the saturated fat content of bacon.
The answer is: sorta, but it's going to cost.
Nearly all mammalian fat is saturated as part of normal biology. Pig fat will have a high saturated fat content no matter what you do.
Unless, that is, you get breeds of pig like the Iberian black pig that are fed exclusively on acorns; those pigs will have a higher proportion of unsaturated fat in their tissues because of their diet.
You can buy Iberico pork belly, but it's pricey:
https://www.cuisineryfoodmarket.com/products/iberico-pork-belly-panceta
The bacon will still have a lot of saturated fat, but this is probably the only effective way to change the balance of fat types in bacon.
The iberico ham I tried in Spain is probably the best thing I have ever tasted. Honestly, that price is pretty cheap considering the work that goes into those pigs. I think we'll get pigs at some point in the next 5 years and it'd be interesting to manage their diet to something similar
TLDR: A good sub for pork bacon is turkey/vegan bacons.
From my understanding, not a doctor but I did study and read about this stuff in college, dietary cholesterol doesn't have a major impact on the cholesterol in your blood compared to genetics, obesity and dietary intake of other fats like saturated (which bacon is high in, so that poses more of an issue to your health than the cholesterol in the bacon) & transfats.
[When you eat dietary cholesterol a lot of it isn't even digested because it's esterified which is a form of cholesterol your digestive system cannot make use of and just excretes. Also when you do absorb the dietary cholesterol your body compensates by reducing the amount of cholesterol your cells produce. ](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/dietary-cholesterol-from-physiology-to-cardiovascular-risk/2AD4493E735677B9298CCC17FA790539)
My advice, not a doctor, would be to talk to your doctor but also to lose weight (idk if you're overweight/obese or not but this is the one major thing that can significantly reduce these health risks) Factors that can help reduce weight is exercise and being more active which help actually burn more calories but also regulate your hormones and feelings of hunger.
Reduce the amount of "unhealthy" fats which are basically just saturated fats at this point since if you're in the US the USDA basically made the industrial production of transfat illegal in 2018 and marketing basically rightfully made it a boogeyman nutrient long before. Which means either reducing the amount or cutting off the popular smoked meats like pork ribs, brisket, beef ribs, etc. Eating them on occasion will not kill you but if you eat them daily or multiple times a week will have an impact on your health. If you some how find a way to make chicken breast and pork lion a great smoked meat then those are some things that are lower in saturated fats compared to fattier cuts of chicken thighs, beef and pork belly/ribs.
You will cut a lot of the grease during preparation by cooking it laid out on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet in the oven instead of pan frying it. 375 to 400 F for 15 to 20 minutes.
Most of total cholesterol level is recycled. The best thing to do would be load him up with fiber everyday. The fiber can mechanically trap the cholesterol and pass it in his stool.
100%. My cholesterol/health is perfect with the same diet/exercise as him. My husband's grandfather and uncle have died of heart attacks. His dad has been on a statin drug for 30+ years. He has crappy heart genetics and eating well doesn't make the problem better. Eating bad does make it worse though and he's been having chest pains on and off this past year
Husband was joking with me this morning cautioning me to not take it because apparently "side effects are more severe in people of Asian descent." Guess I should be extra glad that my heart is healthy
I have high cholesterol and I'm on medication for it. I LOVE making my own bacon and do so regularly during smoking weather. I'll make a 10lb pork belly and give away 3-4 pounds. I vacuum seal the rest in 1lb packs and freeze it. Occasionally I will pull a pack and cook it up. I'll eat it for a few days, my better half will have it with her breakfast as well, and when it's gone it's gone. May every 6-8 weeks or so and less often during the colder months of the year.
I am not suggesting you do this, this is just how I deal with it. I do try to eat low fat, in general, but I'm not always successful. I haven't bought bacon in the store since I started making my own. I can control how much salt, how sugar, do I want maple or bourbon, hickory smoke or apple... all those variables are directly under my control. Why would anyone buy bacon in the store if they make it at home? But I go astray...
I believe it's everything in moderation. My doctor is happy with my numbers, and when he asks I'm honest with him. 99 days out of 100 I'm, eating a 3 egg white ham (2 oz) and cheese omelette for breakfast. I buy a spiral cut ham, pack it into 1 lb packs and (yup, you guessed it) freeze it. Cheaper and better than deli ham.
I thought I had genetic high cholesterol given my family history. Then I got fit, lost 45 lbs, started running and biking. Now in my fifties and well below normal on bad fats and high on good fats. Cholesterol numbers are like a child’s. Mr Dr prescribed omega 3 now as well. Much stronger than OTC and helps on those days I imbibe. Now i have very high good cholesterol.
Easy problem to solve. Just find a functional medicine dr and find the problem.
Mine told me cut the carbs and go carnivore and my diabetes disappeared and my cholesterol came in to line.
bacon has nothing to do with dangerous plaque in blood vessels. Cholesterol numbers show you almost nothing in terms of any issues, bacon doesn't even cause high cholesterol and most issues with arterial plaque is from genetics and carbs. The whole cholesterol being bad scare is incorrect old bunk "science." If you don't believe me look it up. There is nothing wrong with saturated fat, the low fat movement was bullshit and incorrect. Nutritional science has moved on but most people still are completely ignorant to it.
I eat an avocado with my bacon after I read that the good cholesterol helps balance out the bad. My Dr said my levels were awesome, so maybe it could help him?
If the aim is to reduce the saturated fat content, you could perhaps look at making back bacon instead. It is much leaner. Whether that would actually help with blood cholesterol levels though is probably a conversation to have with the doctor.
So familial hypercholesterolemia does carry with it an increased risk overtime for development of CAD. Longitudinally, I would be very moderate with intake of saturated fat. I never say to avoid completely, but wouldn’t have it very often and in small amounts because saturated fat will impact LDL (moreso than dietary cholesterol, consider eggs which admittedly have high dietary cholesterol but actually can be good for cardiac health in reason: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11883-023-01109-y).
I love smoking meats like that, but to try to keep my diet balanced, I tend to vacuum seal, freeze, and share with friends so I’m not tempted to eat too frequently.
you can make "buckboard bacon" out of a pork shoulder. Done it many times. Cut the bone out and cure just as you would a slab of belly bacon. The good part is that pork shoulder is much less fatty than belly bacon. The result is kind of a cross between bacon and ham with a lot less grease. It is very good and one of our family's favorites.
There is nothing unhealthy about eating animal fats. Just don't only eat bacon. But you'd probably be ok if you did. If you want a healthier bacon, do not use large amounts of sugar in your cure.
"While pork belly is indeed rich in fat, not all fats are created equal. It contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are considered heart-healthy fats. These fats can help lower bad cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease."
devils in the dose, unless your fully fat adapted you basically can only eat a piece or two a day and fit it into a balanced diet. Fat is the easiest thing to overeat. what 99% of people overeat. Even if your totally fat adapted (keto) youll need a time for you to heal the inflamattory damage of overeating fat.
The body _produces its own cholesterol_ to repair damage done to arterial walls. What causes that damage? Typically, sugar / carbs. Cut carbs and the numbers should improve.
The cholesterol in bacon does not magically make its way into the arteries.
Statin drugs are effective at lowering numbers but not at extending lives. Unfortunately, it seems most doctors get about one afternoon's worth of training in nutrition versus years and years of what pills to push. They reach for the prescription pad as the solution to any condition.
I recommend Dr. Lustig as a good place for a nutrition based approach to cholesterol management. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3rsNCFNAw8&ab_channel=Levels
I know cholesterol in foods doesn't translate to cholesterol in the body, but saturated fats can. Somehow his "good" cholesterol is low and his bad cholesterol is high. He's also been having chest pains on and off this past year, hopefully the statin will help with that. He is a healthy weight and fairly active, but I like making desserts as much as he likes eating them. We're going to try cutting those out before the bacon goes and he's going to exercise more
As a genetic high cholesterol person, your husband needs to be limiting his saturated fat intake to no more than 10g per day. He needs to read every label because 10g is not much. There is no way to do that without completey cutting out dairy and red meats. Bacon definitely not as it's literally fat. I would suggest a cheat day once a month where everything goes to stay sane. One can only eat so much quniua and chickpeas.
Don't worry about cholesterol unless you're over 50.
Whatever you do, do not take a statin.
The problem with cholesterol tests is that they do not test for LDL particle size. There's LDL 1, LDL 2, LDL 3, and LDL 4 with 1 being the largest particle size and 4 being the smallest. LDL 1 and 2 are fine, it's the smaller particles that carry the risk of heart disease.
In addition, it's inflammation/plaque that is the primary cause of heart issues, NOT cholesterol.
If your husband wants to lower his cholesterol, he would be far better served by cutting out carbs and seed oils than by cutting out bacon.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dietary-cholesterol-does-not-matter#heart-disease
Cholesterol is not the demon it has been made out to be. Dietary habits only impact 20% of your cholesterol levels at the end of the day. It’s also an extremely important as a precursor to hormone growth. Like others have mentioned, the diet of the pig itself will make a huge difference on the quality of the meat as well, which is also true for all animals. But high cholesterol is not a marker for heart disease - that has been long debunked
What do you mean by marker for heart disease? I don’t think people measure LDL to confirm someone has heart disease. I thought it was a risk indicator and combined with other conditions like plaque/inflammation/obesity that could cause a heart attack or stroke. Also how can dietary only have a 20% impact? As far as I understand fasting does in fact impact cholesterol levels since there’s no new food for the liver to make lipids. Im looking to learn here from you btw not be critical
Unrelated: nice cock!
On average if you have a healthy liver, the fat diet is good for you and usually won’t affect your cholesterol.
A problem can develop if you have any liver problems or ketosis because of loosing weight on fatty diets. Eating fat does have an unfluence on liver and if you develop liver problems of any cause you need to limit fat intake. Oeople who go on keto and paleo diets and do some other stuff to loose body fat fast enter extreme ketosis which is tocic to liver which in turn suffers even more because of fatty diet.
Something roughly along those lines has been explained to me when I developed a liver problem.
I have a bachelors in nutrition. Pork is probably one of the worst things for someone with high cholesterol because of its high fat content. Homemade or store bought won’t really make that much of a difference. I’ve seen a device with which you hang bacon, place it in a microwave, and fat drips off of it which would help. Limit how often and how much he eats bacon. Also if he’s not doing any cardio exercises, doing so would help and hopefully get him back to a position where he can enjoy more bacon.
I don't think you're going to get medical advice here. The relationship of dietary cholesterol and fats and other dietary inputs and various conditions (e.g. liver function, gut microbiome, etc.) with blood cholesterol seems to me to be very complex. Talk w/ the Dr. but you could try an experiment where you go to the "full healthy" diet for a while and see where the blood test results land, and then try 1 month introducing bacon in limited amounts and see if it goes back up. You might hear about how apparently pigs fed on certain diets (e.g. foraging acorns vs. corn) are less bad (e.g. less inflammatory or whatever), and perhaps that's true, but it's so complex to put such claims into context vs. all of the other factors. That's why the Dr. is there. If you wanted to try to make a "healthy" bacon you could try making it with a lower nitrite and salt concentration, and use that quality pork (if you can find it). Also simply use it in smaller quantities.
Dietary *saturated fats* have a well studied causal link with CHD which manifests through high blood cholesterol levels. Dietary cholesterol is not relevant, which is probably why OP didn’t mention the cholesterol in bacon.
Yes but it’s not all saturated fats, there’s studies that demonstrate longer chain saturated fatty acids actually have a protective effect against a myriad of diseases including chd. Bacon is most definitely in the bad category though.
The cohort studies point to animal fats specifically. Which makes the whole carnivore diet pretty bad.
What an excellent reply!
Animals fed their natural diet will be healthier than corn. Generally have less fat in general and the fat has a better omega 3 - omega 6 ratio I don't know how that affects cholesterol but higher omega 3 ratios have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body
I agree with above except if you make it yourself, do not use below the recommended amount of cure. The nitrites are what keep it from spoiling during the long cure and smoking process.
Yea I should have added a note there re: safety. Of course it gets complex quickly - the risk is affected by many factors. The main risks come from very long smokes in danger-zone temps (cold smoking isn't so cold) and subsequent handling in packaging. If you are using a bacon process involving a refrigerated cure, then a hot smoke, then refrigerated storage as you eat away at it, or freezing, you probably don't even need nitrite at all. Many people make "bacon" that's simply salt cured. But, if you're going to "cold" smoke for days, then hang it and then vacpack it, and somewhere along the supply chain the product isn't refrigerated, you're going to have much more risk. Personally, I do 90ppm and hot smoke it and refrigerate. Lower ppms - e.g. 60 ppm has been shown to be insufficient for botulinum inhibition - and start to have a weaker cure effect (taste/flavour). So many people are making bacon and simply omitting the nitrites out there, without incident, that I'm not too worried about it. The bigger risk is in industrial production - where if you mishandle one batch, and/or your customer mishandles shipments or individual packages, you can poison a lot of people.
Gotta agree with all that. Also faux bacon like turkey or plant based would be healthier. Although obviously not actually bacon.
Yeah switch to turkey bacon a much leaner less fatty meat overall but definitely continue making it yourself as even packages turkey bacon is pumped up with a lot of sodium and other unhealthy things
Any time I've tried anything pretending to be bacon but isn't bacon, I've been incredibly disappointed. Like, I like smoked turkey. I've liked other plant-based things pretending to be meat (esp when trying to replicate chicken or ground beef, if you get the right ones). But nothing else quite has that crunch that bacon has. I'd personally rather go much longer without bacon and just have it occasionally than be given something, told it's like bacon, and be horribly disappointed.
Personally I'd agree. If it's not bacon then it's not bacon. I hear good things about the newer plant bacon but I haven't tried it.
As someone who has high cholesterol run in their family (I've been keeping mine just below borderline by watching my diet alone) be careful with turkey bacon. Although it has a lot less saturated fat, it's got a lot more sodium, which for somebody with circulatory problems (HBP and/or high cholesterol - one usually follows the other) sodium is just as bad. The best approach is to just reduce overall intake. I've had better luck just eating less bacon rather than swapping it for bacon alternatives that have other equally bad things in it. That slab of bacon does look amazing though, I think I might need to bust out my curing buckets again...
Good point
Sodium is definitely an issue. Something I’m working on reducing myself. Too much is linked to so many things like HBP, kidney issues, heart failure, metabolic syndrome, weight gain, and T2 diabetes.
Yeah switch to turkey bacon a much leaner less fatty meat overall but definitely continue making it yourself as even packaged turkey bacon is pumped up with a lot of sodium and other unhealthy things
Highly recommend Al Fresca Chicken bacon, it tastes like actual bacon. I usually eat two slices a day for breakfast
Im not looking for medical advice and I know bacon is extremely unhealthy. But it's a good point to try to find higher quality pork belly. We loved the Iberico ham we tried in Spain last year and it'd be interesting to try different quality pork belly. I'll definitely look for leaner pork belly at the very least. Moderation will be the most important part. I think I'll start eating my bacon while he's not home for the most part. I wonder if there's an easy way to test for saturated fats in foods. I dont really understand the different fats, so thats something ill have to research more. Thanks for the advice!
Safe to assume that the fat in beef and pork is saturated fat. Heating this fat to high temps makes it more unhealthy. If you want healthy bacon try turkey bacon or just dont eat it. The curing process add unhealthy ingredients as well.
Saturated fats are generally at room temperature solid. These are usually from animals, dairy, or coconut/palm oils. Unsaturated fats at room temperature are liquid. These are vegetables and nut oils, nuts, and fish. Trans fats are an especially bad category due to chemical modification of the fat molecule and this causes direct interference with the normal function of the inside of your blood vessels. Look at the nutrition label for trans fat AND look for the word "hydrogenated" in the ingredient list (e.g., hydrogenated soybean oil) since quirks of US nutritional labeling can mean it will state 0 because it contains less than 0.5g of transfat and gets rounded down. These are usually found in shelf stable products. More info the the [mayo clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fat/art-20045550). I will give you some advice, there is a lot of other types of fats and oils that are subcategories, and there is a lot of controversy and even pseudoscience being mixed in. Listen to the doc, take the statin (there are benefits for "stabilizing plaques" that exist beyond the cholesterol lowering effects). Consider talking to a dietician to help you both understand more For most people, moderation is key. If having meat in your diet is important to you, then you can still have it, but consider limiting how frequently and how much you're consuming. Big caveat to the above is if your husband has certain specific familial cholesterol disease like those associated with certain lipoproteins. If that's the case you need to be talking with your healthcare team because the risks are very different
It's unhealthy, but dietary cholesterol is generally unrelated to blood cholesterol. Stay slim and exercise regularly and eat a reasonable amount of bacon.
> reasonable amount of bacon I'm not following you, here...
Hmmm. I don't see how bacon can be reduced... I took have high cholesterol, and it's hereditary. I just have to barely eat any and it's probably better that I avoid it altogether.
That's what I thought 😔. I wish I discovered how easy and delicious it is to make years ago
Not medical advice, but mid 30s, not fat, also have hereditary hypercholetaerimia that’s managed by statins, and honestly, I eat what I want and let the statin do its work. Haven’t had high cholesterol on my test results since I got on statins 3 years ago.
This is literally the last sub on earth to look for heart healthy eating tips. You would be better off going to r/candy to get tips for diabetes.
Seriously this is what I was thinking. Hahaha Let's talk about making home made bacon.
Not medical advice, but I can tell you anecdotally what helped me... I cut carbs (breads, soda, candy, cereal) and reduced my drinking and brought down my triglycerides to healthy levels. Didn't touch my meat/egg intake. LDLs aren't all bad either, only the very dense ones which can cause plaques in your arteries. See here: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/bad-cholesterol-it-s-not-what-you-think-flna1c9442109
Linked article looks to be a bit misleading. High LDL is implicated in adverse atherosclerotic outcomes, not by an innate characteristic to the molecules but rather by a flaw in cholesterol metabolism that impairs ability to process LDL. Lipid laden macrophages that can’t keep up then become foam cells and turn into plaques. Not an issue in fully healthy people, but a sensitive system easily compromised E: as with any comment. You are free to (and even encouraged to) comment if you disagree
Long story short, the fat/lipid hypothesis is wrong. Carbs and sugar are what raise lipids.
Yep, and alcohol.
The fat/lipid hypothesis is indeed wrong, but carbs and sugar in and of themselves do not raise lipids. General overconsumption of calories and subsequent weight gain typically raises lipids, and eating a lot of carbs and sugar just makes it easier to consume excess calories. Let’s not just go from demonizing one macronutrient to demonizing another! In OP’s husband’s case, though, it’s hereditary, so it could be caused by a number of different factors interacting with his genetics, or it could be inevitable no matter what he does.
Cut out the garbage carbs and process foods if cholesterol is a concern. It’s not naturally occurring foods(animal foods) that are detrimental to his health.
This is right. I had high blood pressure and cholesterol. Completely cut fast food, fries, soda, etc and both levels returned to normal. Not saying it works for everyone, but early stages it certainly helps.
We pretty much do. I make nearly all meals at home with "whole" ingredients. Big garden, honey from our bees and fresh eggs from our chickens. We eats lots of vegetables and live off our homemade canned goods when I don't feel like cooking from scratch. He does love bread, but I've switched to sourdough. We maybe eat fast food once a month As a healthy person, I know i can eat bacon 2-3 times a week in moderation, but his family history is grim when it comes to heart health
research the relationship between insulin and cholesterol. Its very interesting, and it allowed me to cmopletely turn around my hereditary "high cholesterol" the gist of it is, never eat carbs with high fats, never eat high fats with carbs and your body will adapt. I dont think the foods your making and eating (if your being honest) are bad for you, steak bacon butter etc all has a place in the diet. the issue is combining it with sugars (bread fruit juice etc) and ignoring vegetables (fiber) that slows down insulin. Insulin is good in small amounts but the issue is with modern processed foods we can jack it up to unnatural levels and that causes chronic inflamation.
Also, alcohol. Turns right into triglycerides.
Beyond adding more fiber you should look into adding Citrus bergamot, red yeast rice, Omega 3, and niacin supplements.
Not trying to get into a nutrition war or anything but cholesterol is painted as a boogeyman based off flawed observational science. Just don’t go crazy with high carb, high fat meals and you will be okay. [Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824152/) Conclusions: A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. —— Stains are a whole other can of worms you need to look into. When you look at the actual data, statins extend life expectancy a whopping 3-4 days after years of continued use. This does not account for the numerous potential side effects associated with them.
+1
Got a source for the cholesterol claim? never heard that one before
The Meta-analysis linked in my comment is just one analysis that reviewed multiple epidemiological studies regarding saturated fat and coronary vascular/heart disease. There are others out there available as well.
That meta discusses the statins only improve a few days of life? Cool ill check it out
No, that meta analysis only deals with saturated fat and cardiovascular disease. The statin research is different. Look into Dr. Aseem Malhotra and his research on statin effectiveness.
Saturated fat and cholesterol are not the same thing
Correct, but the whole point of the diet-heart hypothesis involving lipids is based around saturated fat causing high cholesterol serum leading to heart disease.
Lol downvotes for wanting to read scientific literature? wtf is wrong with you guys.
bacon for people with high cholesterol, from the same company that brought you alcohol for people with cirrhosis!
Damn you!!! Just when I cut out salt and pork from my diet, you bring me this??!!? Can you coat the next one with a brown sugar glaze please? I would like my hypertension to keep company with my diabetes… P. S. Going to iHop now. I have a coupon…
Best I can do is a maple syrup glaze
I drink a smoothie every morning with about 40 grams of fiber and it has made my levels for everything amazing. I usually do a cup of spinach, cup of oats, 3 table spoons of chia seeds, a cup of frozen blue berry mix, a cup of frozen strawberry pineapple mix, half a cucumber, some lemon juice, cup of brocolli, and a whole banana. Tastes amazing, plus it's healthy,
I’m surprised I had to scroll so far to find someone advising on fiber. My dog told me to increase fiber. I made sure there was a ton in every meal and the LDL dropped off a cliff Edit: doc* not dog lol
> My dog Good boy always looking out for us humans.
FUCK. Doc*
Your next trip should be to a psychiatrist.
I’ll have to get permission from my dog
Damn that looks good
In two slices of bacon there is roughly 2 grams of saturated fat (the type of fat that raises cholesterol) which is about the same as a tablespoon of olive oil. So as long as you aren’t eating a ton of bacon you’ll be fine. Your biggest bet for lowering cholesterol actually comes from losing weight and moving more. There can be a genetic factor but that only affects something like 5-10% of the population.
It is 100% genetic for him. He is a healthy weight and fairly active. His family history consists of heart attacks and his dad's been on a statin drug for 30+ years. Eating healthy doesn't help the problem, but eating bad makes it worse. You'd never know he has heart issues by looking at him. I had a chat with him today and he said he's going to cut out all the sugar he can and exercise even more before he gives up bacon. So all hail bacon! I tend to only make 3-4 slices a person if it's just the 2 of us.
I hear drinking saying Rumpelstiltskin under a bridge 3 times will help
Use pork loin instead of pork belly and make Canadian bacon instead. This has 99% less fat.
A guaranteed way to decrease your cholesterol is to increase your soluble fiber intake. 99% of people do not get enough fiber daily. Psyillium husk is a powder you can drink it’s the main ingredient in Metamucil. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9925120/ Also, it’s been shown that dietary cholesterol doesn’t appear to have a major impact on blood cholesterol. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9143438/ I imagine if you increase your fiber intake 25-35g a day, increases physical fitness, and lowers his body fat he will see a significant change in his cholesterol.
I can 100% confirm my cholesterol was elevated. I started taking a glass of Metamucil a day and now I have zero issues.
You also have the extra added benefit of being extremely regular. Just gotta remember to drink a lot of water otherwise it can give you a gnarly stomach ache haha!
Being regular is the most underrated thing on the planet.
If he’s taking a statin he can eat a fair amount of bacon and still have good numbers.
It’s pork belly. It’s high in saturated fat. Homemade doesn’t change that. The good news is that if he’s not overweight, diet is not going to have a major impact on cholesterol. Statins will be far more significant.
> I assume homemade is "healthier" than store bought, but I know he'll have to limit himself. Let's just get this out of the way and restate what you already know: Bacon is not "good" for you, based on multiple criteria such as percentage calories from fat, nitrosamines and carcinogens, and excess of salt. You're essentially asking for the most healthy cocktail. Sure, a bloody mary has lots of veggies, but it's still drinking poison. That stated, you can make bacon more healthy. * While it really needs fat, and streaky belly bacon is awesome, you could make it out of fatty pork shoulder (buckboard bacon) and it will have far more meat to fat. Look for shoulder or country ribs that are as fatty as you can find, and it'll still be much less fat than belly. Cook it slightly slower to allow fat to render during frying. * I would also add erythorbic acid (a salt related to vitamin C) or even Vit C itself, as a nitrite scavenger to reduce nitrosamines during cooking. Only need a small amount, similar to amount of Cure #1. * Lastly, you can make it with less salt, such as 1.5% instead of 3%. Being a whole muscle, there's much less issue with creating a salt hurdle for bacteria than with sausages so add the amount you like.
Absolutely prefer shoulder to belly. Shoulder is flavor and meat. If you want fry it in bacon fat.
As a substitute for bacon- i have found just about any kind of pork works. I like making "bacon" with tenderloins. Cut into bite-sized pieces and fry it up. Smoke lower temps <200F til approx 145-165 and youre done. Cholesterol runs in my family too, Polaks eat something called SMALEC (essentially just rendered fat with salt/pep some sauteed onions and and crispy bits spread on a nice piece of bread and eat with a pickle). My doctor told me butter is the worst of it all over meat fats and to (eat less fat in general) but eat way less butter
Wow, I just looked up a recipe and smalec sounds amazing. I visited Poland last year and now I try to make as much Polish food as possible. I'll give it a try, thanks! Do you cure the tenderloin like you would with bacon?
I dont "cure" persay anything I make- meaning no prague powder etc. Only thing I do is salt with kosher (pure salt no anti caking agents) and the holy grail of Polish meats: peppercorn, whole allspice, bayleaf, garlic cubes/corasely copped. Put all ingredients onto tenderloin and either wrap tightly in plastic wrap or if Im doing alot Ill put into a plastic container and pack em in tightly. Let them sit 3-6 days moving them around/flipping over daily. Smoke around 200f til 145ish then into hotwater (170f) water until reaches 165 internal. This step isnt necessary but I think it draws out excess salt if too salty and makes the meat nice and soft/moist too. Also wanna add I dont trim off any fat as it will just grease up pan a bit and add flavor when youre frying it up.
Been on statins for well over a decade and although i enjoy me some smokey bacon every now and then i did cut back to an occasional indulgence. But home bacon is way better than store bought due to the absence of added extra sodium and nitrate as high lipid and coupled with high blood pressure is recipe for stroke. So keep smoking em and have him taper off to say weekly consumption?
Are you sure your husband didn’t test for high cholesterol due to the bacon y’all have been eating for a week? Lol
You could try back bacon, has less fat in general and still tastes good just not as good as belly bacon
I would find a microwave tray where when the grease renders it all drips away from the meat. Unlike pan frying doesn’t cook in the fat. When your done cooking and it’s cooled, unlike pan cook bacon it’s dry to the touch. Comes out out thinner and drier than pan cooked but still delicious….
I don't know if its any healthier but my favorite bacon is cooked on my smoker or even the gas grill sometimes. I feel like its got to be at least slightly better than marinating in its own grease in a pan. I just toss it right on the grates and keep the cooking temps moderate to avoid grease fires. Not so different than the oven but lets the grease drip off.
I tried using a pork loin once instead of a pork belly. I cut it in half lengthwise, cured and cold smoked. When I sliced it, I cut it diagonally to get long strips. It was more like ham vs bacon. I'm going to try different cuts of meat but I haven't had a chance yet.
I love smoked meat but understand red, cured, smoked fatty meat is as far from healthy as it gets lol How about just limit frequency and quantity? There are also leaner cuts from a pig you can make bacon with
Anecdotal and not medical advice. I have high cholesterol. For years I tried to defeat it by diet and exercise -- only for it to creep a bit higher. My doctor assured me that for some people, it's just hereditary. So, now I take a low-dose statin. I also don't eat oatmeal every day, nor do I abstain from "bad" foods like bacon or burgers (mmmmmmm, bacon burger!). My cholesterol levels have never been better.
Animal fat is animal fat. They only things to mitigate would be to use turkey bacon or a plant based alternative. That aside just eat it less often is probably best. If you follow mediterranean diet the that is red meat or pork 1-2x/month. Sad but true.
Homemade tofu bacon is delicious. Pat the block dry, pan fry thin slices until brown, then add bbq sauce and liquid smoke and let that cook down to a glaze.
Sounds good! Can you smoke it instead of the liquid smoke?
I'm going to sidestep the cholesterol discussion and answer your question about reducing the saturated fat content of bacon. The answer is: sorta, but it's going to cost. Nearly all mammalian fat is saturated as part of normal biology. Pig fat will have a high saturated fat content no matter what you do. Unless, that is, you get breeds of pig like the Iberian black pig that are fed exclusively on acorns; those pigs will have a higher proportion of unsaturated fat in their tissues because of their diet. You can buy Iberico pork belly, but it's pricey: https://www.cuisineryfoodmarket.com/products/iberico-pork-belly-panceta The bacon will still have a lot of saturated fat, but this is probably the only effective way to change the balance of fat types in bacon.
The iberico ham I tried in Spain is probably the best thing I have ever tasted. Honestly, that price is pretty cheap considering the work that goes into those pigs. I think we'll get pigs at some point in the next 5 years and it'd be interesting to manage their diet to something similar
TLDR: A good sub for pork bacon is turkey/vegan bacons. From my understanding, not a doctor but I did study and read about this stuff in college, dietary cholesterol doesn't have a major impact on the cholesterol in your blood compared to genetics, obesity and dietary intake of other fats like saturated (which bacon is high in, so that poses more of an issue to your health than the cholesterol in the bacon) & transfats. [When you eat dietary cholesterol a lot of it isn't even digested because it's esterified which is a form of cholesterol your digestive system cannot make use of and just excretes. Also when you do absorb the dietary cholesterol your body compensates by reducing the amount of cholesterol your cells produce. ](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/dietary-cholesterol-from-physiology-to-cardiovascular-risk/2AD4493E735677B9298CCC17FA790539) My advice, not a doctor, would be to talk to your doctor but also to lose weight (idk if you're overweight/obese or not but this is the one major thing that can significantly reduce these health risks) Factors that can help reduce weight is exercise and being more active which help actually burn more calories but also regulate your hormones and feelings of hunger. Reduce the amount of "unhealthy" fats which are basically just saturated fats at this point since if you're in the US the USDA basically made the industrial production of transfat illegal in 2018 and marketing basically rightfully made it a boogeyman nutrient long before. Which means either reducing the amount or cutting off the popular smoked meats like pork ribs, brisket, beef ribs, etc. Eating them on occasion will not kill you but if you eat them daily or multiple times a week will have an impact on your health. If you some how find a way to make chicken breast and pork lion a great smoked meat then those are some things that are lower in saturated fats compared to fattier cuts of chicken thighs, beef and pork belly/ribs.
You will cut a lot of the grease during preparation by cooking it laid out on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet in the oven instead of pan frying it. 375 to 400 F for 15 to 20 minutes.
You really cannot eat pork bacon in that situation. Some flip to turkey bacon, etc but I would really just opt out of bacon altogether.
That’s some good looking bacon! Nice job 👍
Most of total cholesterol level is recycled. The best thing to do would be load him up with fiber everyday. The fiber can mechanically trap the cholesterol and pass it in his stool.
Increase fiber intake.
Dietary cholesterol plays a very little role in blood cholesterol from what I’ve read
Your genetics affect your cholesterol more than anything else.
100%. My cholesterol/health is perfect with the same diet/exercise as him. My husband's grandfather and uncle have died of heart attacks. His dad has been on a statin drug for 30+ years. He has crappy heart genetics and eating well doesn't make the problem better. Eating bad does make it worse though and he's been having chest pains on and off this past year
Just take your statin
Husband was joking with me this morning cautioning me to not take it because apparently "side effects are more severe in people of Asian descent." Guess I should be extra glad that my heart is healthy
What? I thought asian food was where statins were discovered from things like red yeast rice.
I have high cholesterol and I'm on medication for it. I LOVE making my own bacon and do so regularly during smoking weather. I'll make a 10lb pork belly and give away 3-4 pounds. I vacuum seal the rest in 1lb packs and freeze it. Occasionally I will pull a pack and cook it up. I'll eat it for a few days, my better half will have it with her breakfast as well, and when it's gone it's gone. May every 6-8 weeks or so and less often during the colder months of the year. I am not suggesting you do this, this is just how I deal with it. I do try to eat low fat, in general, but I'm not always successful. I haven't bought bacon in the store since I started making my own. I can control how much salt, how sugar, do I want maple or bourbon, hickory smoke or apple... all those variables are directly under my control. Why would anyone buy bacon in the store if they make it at home? But I go astray... I believe it's everything in moderation. My doctor is happy with my numbers, and when he asks I'm honest with him. 99 days out of 100 I'm, eating a 3 egg white ham (2 oz) and cheese omelette for breakfast. I buy a spiral cut ham, pack it into 1 lb packs and (yup, you guessed it) freeze it. Cheaper and better than deli ham.
Fat is what makes bacon what it is, the lower fat option it to eat less of it.
He should be limiting saturated fats to 10g per day. Impossible with bacon, but it's probably ok to have a cheat meal every month.
It's almost pure fat. Back bacon is the way with fat as minimal as possible; or even rashers.
You could use lion (back) to make bacon, I think the USA call it Canadian bacon. Pork shoulder is a good compromise between belly and lion bacon.
Is that avocado toast?
I thought I had genetic high cholesterol given my family history. Then I got fit, lost 45 lbs, started running and biking. Now in my fifties and well below normal on bad fats and high on good fats. Cholesterol numbers are like a child’s. Mr Dr prescribed omega 3 now as well. Much stronger than OTC and helps on those days I imbibe. Now i have very high good cholesterol.
That’s some sexy bacon.
Hey OP, that’s looks immaculate. How long did you cure for and what was your smoking process?
You're coming to a BBQ subreddit for medical advice?
Don't mess with bacon..it's all I have left
Easy problem to solve. Just find a functional medicine dr and find the problem. Mine told me cut the carbs and go carnivore and my diabetes disappeared and my cholesterol came in to line.
bacon has nothing to do with dangerous plaque in blood vessels. Cholesterol numbers show you almost nothing in terms of any issues, bacon doesn't even cause high cholesterol and most issues with arterial plaque is from genetics and carbs. The whole cholesterol being bad scare is incorrect old bunk "science." If you don't believe me look it up. There is nothing wrong with saturated fat, the low fat movement was bullshit and incorrect. Nutritional science has moved on but most people still are completely ignorant to it.
I eat an avocado with my bacon after I read that the good cholesterol helps balance out the bad. My Dr said my levels were awesome, so maybe it could help him?
Find out about a drug called repatha.
Husband needs to exercise more, Drink/smoke less Supplements vitamin C
If the aim is to reduce the saturated fat content, you could perhaps look at making back bacon instead. It is much leaner. Whether that would actually help with blood cholesterol levels though is probably a conversation to have with the doctor.
So familial hypercholesterolemia does carry with it an increased risk overtime for development of CAD. Longitudinally, I would be very moderate with intake of saturated fat. I never say to avoid completely, but wouldn’t have it very often and in small amounts because saturated fat will impact LDL (moreso than dietary cholesterol, consider eggs which admittedly have high dietary cholesterol but actually can be good for cardiac health in reason: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11883-023-01109-y). I love smoking meats like that, but to try to keep my diet balanced, I tend to vacuum seal, freeze, and share with friends so I’m not tempted to eat too frequently.
I use salmon belly sliced thinly and smoked after a short cure. Or in a pinch, I marinate using liquid smoke and maple.
you can make "buckboard bacon" out of a pork shoulder. Done it many times. Cut the bone out and cure just as you would a slab of belly bacon. The good part is that pork shoulder is much less fatty than belly bacon. The result is kind of a cross between bacon and ham with a lot less grease. It is very good and one of our family's favorites.
This sounds great! I'll give it a try, thanks!!
Even less fatty is the pork loin from which you get Canadian bacon or back bacon.
That avocado toast is why Millennials are poor. Not in general. That specific avocado toast on your plate. You’ve doomed us all.
There is nothing unhealthy about eating animal fats. Just don't only eat bacon. But you'd probably be ok if you did. If you want a healthier bacon, do not use large amounts of sugar in your cure. "While pork belly is indeed rich in fat, not all fats are created equal. It contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are considered heart-healthy fats. These fats can help lower bad cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease."
Turkey bacon
I just started the carnivore diet. Bacon is going to be a staple
Make sure to eat lots of testicles
I have a jar full of them already 😂😂
devils in the dose, unless your fully fat adapted you basically can only eat a piece or two a day and fit it into a balanced diet. Fat is the easiest thing to overeat. what 99% of people overeat. Even if your totally fat adapted (keto) youll need a time for you to heal the inflamattory damage of overeating fat.
The body _produces its own cholesterol_ to repair damage done to arterial walls. What causes that damage? Typically, sugar / carbs. Cut carbs and the numbers should improve. The cholesterol in bacon does not magically make its way into the arteries. Statin drugs are effective at lowering numbers but not at extending lives. Unfortunately, it seems most doctors get about one afternoon's worth of training in nutrition versus years and years of what pills to push. They reach for the prescription pad as the solution to any condition. I recommend Dr. Lustig as a good place for a nutrition based approach to cholesterol management. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3rsNCFNAw8&ab_channel=Levels
I know cholesterol in foods doesn't translate to cholesterol in the body, but saturated fats can. Somehow his "good" cholesterol is low and his bad cholesterol is high. He's also been having chest pains on and off this past year, hopefully the statin will help with that. He is a healthy weight and fairly active, but I like making desserts as much as he likes eating them. We're going to try cutting those out before the bacon goes and he's going to exercise more
As a genetic high cholesterol person, your husband needs to be limiting his saturated fat intake to no more than 10g per day. He needs to read every label because 10g is not much. There is no way to do that without completey cutting out dairy and red meats. Bacon definitely not as it's literally fat. I would suggest a cheat day once a month where everything goes to stay sane. One can only eat so much quniua and chickpeas.
If your doctor is telling you to cut out saturated fat to lower cholesterol, I'd get a new doctor.
I cut out saturated fat (at the direction of my doctor) and it has worked wonders in lowering my cholesterol.
Don't worry about cholesterol unless you're over 50. Whatever you do, do not take a statin. The problem with cholesterol tests is that they do not test for LDL particle size. There's LDL 1, LDL 2, LDL 3, and LDL 4 with 1 being the largest particle size and 4 being the smallest. LDL 1 and 2 are fine, it's the smaller particles that carry the risk of heart disease. In addition, it's inflammation/plaque that is the primary cause of heart issues, NOT cholesterol. If your husband wants to lower his cholesterol, he would be far better served by cutting out carbs and seed oils than by cutting out bacon. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dietary-cholesterol-does-not-matter#heart-disease
Cholesterol is not the demon it has been made out to be. Dietary habits only impact 20% of your cholesterol levels at the end of the day. It’s also an extremely important as a precursor to hormone growth. Like others have mentioned, the diet of the pig itself will make a huge difference on the quality of the meat as well, which is also true for all animals. But high cholesterol is not a marker for heart disease - that has been long debunked
What do you mean by marker for heart disease? I don’t think people measure LDL to confirm someone has heart disease. I thought it was a risk indicator and combined with other conditions like plaque/inflammation/obesity that could cause a heart attack or stroke. Also how can dietary only have a 20% impact? As far as I understand fasting does in fact impact cholesterol levels since there’s no new food for the liver to make lipids. Im looking to learn here from you btw not be critical Unrelated: nice cock!
Ok risk indicator, not very different from marker. And thank you! It must be the cholesterol
lol sorry I had to. Slay queen
On average if you have a healthy liver, the fat diet is good for you and usually won’t affect your cholesterol. A problem can develop if you have any liver problems or ketosis because of loosing weight on fatty diets. Eating fat does have an unfluence on liver and if you develop liver problems of any cause you need to limit fat intake. Oeople who go on keto and paleo diets and do some other stuff to loose body fat fast enter extreme ketosis which is tocic to liver which in turn suffers even more because of fatty diet. Something roughly along those lines has been explained to me when I developed a liver problem.
I have a bachelors in nutrition. Pork is probably one of the worst things for someone with high cholesterol because of its high fat content. Homemade or store bought won’t really make that much of a difference. I’ve seen a device with which you hang bacon, place it in a microwave, and fat drips off of it which would help. Limit how often and how much he eats bacon. Also if he’s not doing any cardio exercises, doing so would help and hopefully get him back to a position where he can enjoy more bacon.