Bacon & Heart Disease

American breakfasts often include two or three slices of bacon, a couple of eggs, fruit juice, buttered toast and coffee. If you eat this every day, however, you are putting yourself at risk for heart disease.

Heart Disease

• According to the Mayo Clinic, heart disease is the clogging of the arteries with plaque. This causes atherosclerosis that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans.

Bacon

• Bacon is meat that is cut from the sides, belly or back of a pig. It consists of fat interspersed with strands of meat. It has been processed and cured with salt, then smoked. Bacon is 40 percent saturated fat.

Causes of Heart Disease

• Heart disease is caused by poor eating habits that include the consumption of excess amounts of fat and cholesterol. Cholesterol comes from processed animal products, such as bacon and sausage, and dairy products, such as butter and eggs.

Dailly Fat and Chlesterol Intake

• The American Heart Association recommends that less than 7 percent of your daily fat intake come from saturated fat and 300 mg from cholesterol. Three slices of bacon contain 27 g saturated fat, more than you need all day.

Avoid Bacon

• The American Institute of Cancer Research reports a definite relationship between eating processed animal protein and the potential for developing heart disease and cancer. It recommends avoiding bacon and other processed meat.

Expert Insight

• The Mayo Clinic says by reducing the intake of foods high in cholesterol and saturated fat, you will reduce your risk of developing heart disease. It suggests avoiding bacon, lard and butter, or limiting them in your diet.