High blood cholesterol leads you to heart diseases and one of the risk factors of high cholesterol level is being overweight. Overweight might be caused by improper fat disposal by the body, which raises the level of LDL and triglycerides. Hence, losing some extra pounds of the weight will lower cholesterol amount in the bloodstream, which lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases simultaneously. One effective ways of losing weight are choosing the right diets and exercising.

Diets to balance cholesterol

Saturated fats and sugar are the most common culprits of elevated cholesterol level in human body. Thus, cutting down our consumption of these two substances might be helpful in reducing body weight, which does not only contribute to a better physical appearance, but also to the entire health. Diets which are lower in saturated fat and cholesterol are recommended to maintain proper level of cholesterol in the body. Foods with low cholesterol, high fiber, low saturated fat, and high antioxidants are recommended for healthier heart.

Bacon as a daily diet menu

Bacon has been a popular choice of food for years, especially for breakfast. The most common kind of bacon is made of pork—the meat of pigs, although some other kinds of meats, such as turkey, can also be processed as bacons. These meat go through a curing process for preservation by being soaked in solution of salt and other ingredients.

Bacon contains nutrition which is similar to olive oil—50% monosaturated fats with a large part of oleic acid. Commonly, 10% of pork bacon content is polyunsaturated fatty acids, which can be harmful for the heart. This amount will be higher depending on what diets consumed by the animal whose meat processed into bacons. Hence, if you decide to put bacons into your daily menus, choose one which is processed from pastured pigs, instead of commercially-fed ones, as they are fed a large number of soy and corn.

Is turkey bacon bad for cholesterol?

While bacons derived from pork are often associated a cholesterol raising agent, bacon from turkey is considered as “more friendly” to the blood cholesterol. Hence, this kind of bacon is chosen by those people watching the amount of calories and cholesterol in their diets. Compared to pork bacon, turkey bacon is considered healthier, as it contains lower level of bad fats and food-based cholesterol. Some illustrations are as below:

• Pork and turkey bacons contain almost similar amount of protein, which is around 20 gram per serving, while the calorie content between the two is slightly different, with turkey bacon containing the lower one.
• Overall, fat content between the two kinds of bacons is quite distinguishable with turkey bacon containing the lower one. However, both kinds of bacons contain slightly high amount of saturated fats, which may contribute to high cholesterol and heart disease.

Hence, when compared to pork bacons, turkey-made bacons contain lower fats, protein, and calories. Despite this, bacons are highly processed, and highly processed products tend to have higher glycemic index, which means the foods will release sugar to the blood very quickly, heightening the risk of raising cholesterol level.

Salt-preserved foods also add the level of sodium on the bloodstream, which in excessive consumption together with cholesterol will increase the risk of heart diseases. Hence, adding turkey bacons into daily diets—although lower in cholesterol than the pork ones, needs to be thought wisely.

Consuming turkey bacons safely

Whatever foods we decide to consume, moderation is the key point. Avoid consuming certain foods excessively as it may contribute to higher cholesterol level which increases the risk of heart diseases. When consuming turkey bacons—and other meat bacons, you might want to consider some things, such as:

• Avoid adding salt while cooking, as the bacons have been preserved with a large amount of salt.
• Consume the bacon with low-cholesterol diet and combine it with green leafy vegetables to suppress the amount of cholesterol.
• Use only a small amount of oil when frying bacons to reduce the total amount of saturated fats in the menu.
• Drain cooked bacon on a paper towel after cooking to reduce excess grease. This will reduce fat amount in the entire bacon dish.