Dozens of disappointed Wildcats wandered the student parking lot this morning after news spread that Bacon Friday had been canceled. In an official statement, junior senator Michael Zupan explained that “we are taking the week off due to student overload of bacon.” Is there really such a thing as too much bacon? According to WebMd, there sure is.
…68% of bacon’s calories come from fat, almost half of which is saturated. Each ounce of bacon contributes 30 milligrams of cholesterol…
Eating foods rich in saturated fats can raise your cholesterol levels, increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke. And if those saturated fat-rich foods are also high in dietary cholesterol, cholesterol levels tend to rise even higher.
The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat to less than 7% of your total calories (that’s less than 16 daily grams of saturated fat for someone eating 2,000 calories a day). So under those guidelines, it might seem sensible to occasionally enjoy a small amount of bacon, or switch to turkey bacon, which is lower in fat and cholesterol.
But here’s the bad news: When it comes to increasing the risk for certain cancers, things get downright scary for bacon lovers. Not only is bacon considered a red meat, it’s also a member of the dreaded “processed meat” group (even turkey bacon falls into this category. And NO amount of processed meat is considered safe to eat, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Apparently our honorable Student Senate believes that a week long break from bacon is in our best interests. But for everyone having bacon withdrawal and proclaiming, “where’s the meat?”, fear not. They will be back out there selling the infamous pan-fried cured meat on Lumberjack Day.
In the meantime, there’s always the Baconator.
