As we age, maintaining a healthy metabolism in order to stay fit and slim becomes more difficult. This is due to a number of factors, including hormone changes. However, there are a few changes you can make to your daily habits in order to keep your metabolic rate in the best shape possible so that you’re able to lose weight (and keep it off) even as you get older. One such change is cutting out certain foods and prioritizing a well-balanced diet. As it turns out, there are tons of foods that can help support a healthy metabolism—but there are also many that can throw a wrench in your weight loss goals by slowing it down. Unfortunately, that includes one extremely popular breakfast food: bacon.
To learn more about how bacon could be holding you back from shedding those pounds, we spoke to Lisa Richards, nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet. She explained that the high amount of unhealthy fats, along with the whopping calorie count, could lead to weight gain and heart disease. Find all of her insight below.
Bacon
We hate to say it, because it's so undeniably delicious, but many health experts agree that processed meats like bacon are some of the worst foods out there when it comes to your overall health, and should especially be avoided if you're trying to lose weight.
Fat content of bacon
Richards tells us that bacon in particular is extremely high in fat. And while some of these fats, known as monosaturated fats, are actually good for you (they're the same heart-healthy fats found in fish) the other half can take a serious toll on your health, including your waistline. "Unfortunately, the remaining 50% of the fat in bacon is from saturated (40%) and polyunsaturated fats (10%)," she explains.
And it isn't the fat alone that can lead to weight gain; bacon is also extremely high in calories, which we all know can cause you to put on some extra pounds over time. "This combination of unhealthy fats and high calorie count will wreak havoc internally and externally by slowing metabolism," Richards warns.
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Bacon and heart disease
In addition to weight gain, there's another major health risk that all that fat in bacon poses: heart disease. "Dietary cholesterol is no longer as concerning to heart health as it was once thought to be, but a significant amount of saturated fat in the diet can lead to heart disease," Richards says.
Of course, eating bacon in moderation is always an option. However, she points out that this is unrealistic for most people, as standard serving size is just 1 slice—and who can have just 1 slice of bacon?! At the end of the day, though, indulging in a few pieces along with your eggs and toast won't kill you. However, limiting your consumption of processed meats as much as possible is always the best way to go for weight loss—and for your all-around wellness.
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