Nutrition experts reveal how to make your bacon sandwich HEALTHIER… after nitrate-rich meat is linked to slew of cancers

One of Britain’s most underrated national dishes is the humble bacon sandwich, with millions of the salty rashers squeezed between thickly sliced and overly buttered bread every morning. 

Regardless of if you adorn your bacon sarnie with ketchup or brown sauce—or enjoy it as part of a hearty full English breakfast, experts urge moderation, or even abstinence.

For years, campaigners have warned of that a diet high in red and processed meats, including bacon, has the potential to wreak havoc on your health. 

Processed meats have been linked to chronic health conditions including high blood pressure, migraines, asthma, heart failure, kidney disease and even certain cancers.

While some scientists urge people to forgo all forms of processed meat completely, some experts suggests not eating it more frequently than every couple of weeks. 

If you’re not willing to give it up, a few simple tweaks can make it slightly healthier. 

‘The occasional bit of processed meat isn’t likely to pose a major risk as part of an overall balanced diet, but it’s wise to limit it to a weekend treat rather than eat it every day,’ Rob Hobson, a registered nutritionist and author of Unprocess Your Life, told the Daily Mail. 

It’s worth cutting away any remaining excess fat and grilling rather than frying, experts say.

Patting your cooked bacon dry with a kitchen towel after cooking can also absorb any excess fat. 

‘This reduces the overall fat content and limits the formation of potentially harmful compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs),’ Rhiannon Lambert, a Harley Street nutritionist and author of The Fibre Formula, adds. 

‘These can occur when meat is cooked at high temperatures or over an open flame.’ 

Opting for leaner cuts like back bacon or also further lowers saturated fat intake, and where possible, buy nitrate and nitrite free bacon that’s lower in fat, salt and sugar. 

‘If you’re going to have a bacon sandwich, wholemeal bread, tomato, avocado and lettuce are smart additions,’ Mr Hobon adds.  

‘They provide antioxidants and fibre that may help mitigate some oxidative and inflammatory effects.’

Professor Sarah Berry, chief scientist at ZOE, agrees. She told us: ‘Always opt for wholemeal bread rather than white.

‘As 95 per cent of us don’t get enough fibre, this can help reduce the risk of other chronic health conditions.’ 

Having a diet high in fibre, especially wholegrains, found in foods like wholemeal bread or brown rice is associated with lower risk of bowel cancer. 

Fibre helps us produce stools more often, reducing the amount of time harmful chemicals, including those in processed and red meat, spend in the gut. 

But, experts say, it’s not as simple as balancing out something that increases risk with something that reduces it. 

‘While these additions contribute to a healthier overall diet, they don’t remove the potential health risks associated with regularly eating processed meats such as bacon,’ Ms Lambert says.     

So what exactly is bacon?

Bacon is classed as a processed red meat, meaning it has been preserved through curing, smoking, salting or by adding chemical preservatives such as nitrites or nitrates. 

‘These processes help extend shelf life and maintain bacon’s pink colour and distinctive flavour,’ Ms Lambert says.  

Per two rashers, unsmoked back bacon has around 125 calories, 8g of fat, 2.5g of saturated fat and 1.2g of salt. 

Smoked, meanwhile, contains around the same level of saturated fat (2.8g) but slightly more salt (1.7g). 

Streaky bacon contains more fat (10.2g) and saturated fat (3.9g) than back bacon but less salt (1.2g). 

Why is bacon linked to cancer?  

Most notably, a 2015 study from the World Health Organization (WHO) found that every daily portion (about 2 ounces) of processed meat raises colorectal cancer risk by 18 per cent. 

While the study was unable to determine exactly why this link exists, scientists suspect that nitrates and nitrites are at least partially to blame.

‘This doesn’t mean occasional bacon consumption causes cancer, but that regular, high intakes can increase long-term bowel cancer risk,’ Ms Lambert says. 

‘This association is based on a large body of epidemiological evidence,’ Mr Hobson adds. 

‘Even small amounts consumed regularly, as little as 50g per day—about two rashers of bacon, have been linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer.’

The mechanism is thought to involve nitrites and nitrates used in curing, which can form N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) in the gut. 

‘These are chemicals shown to damage DNA and promote carcinogenesis — when normal cells are transformed into cancer cells, leading to the development of cancer,’ Mr Hobson says.

‘In addition, bacon is often high in saturated fat and salt, which can contribute to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease if consumed frequently.’

The WHO lists processed meat as a ‘known human carcinogen’ along with smoking, alcohol and asbestos, but clearly these substances don’t all carry the same risk. 

So how bad are nitrates? 

Nitrates and nitrites are routinely added to bacon to increase its shelf life, add flavour and enhance its pink-like hue.

But the issue arises when they form NOCs. 

‘It’s worth noting that nitrates also occur naturally in vegetables such as spinach and beetroot,’ Mr Hobson says. 

‘These, however, come packaged with antioxidants like vitamin C and polyphenols that inhibit NOC formation. 

‘In processed meats, those protective compounds aren’t present so the same nitrates behave differently in the body.’

Some human nutrition experts, also go as far as to say they never buy so-called nitro-meats. 

Last month, a coalition of scientists last claimed that the refusal to ban nitrites has come at a devastating human and financial cost, with the NHS footing an estimated £3 billion bill to treat preventable cancers over the past decade.

Their analysis, based on figures from Cancer Research UK and the British Journal of Cancer, estimates that around 5,400 bowel cancer cases each year in the UK are caused by eating processed meats. 

Treatment costs for each patient average £59,000.

Currently, up to 90 per cent of bacon sold in the UK is thought to contain nitrites, which have been linked not only to bowel cancer but also breast and prostate cancers. 

Is turkey bacon healthier?

Turkey bacon is often viewed as a healthier alternative because it contains fewer calories and saturated fat than pork bacon.

However, nutritionally it’s not necessarily a better choice, experts say.

‘It is lower in saturated fat than pork bacon, but it also tends to be higher in salt, so not great for you’, says Professor Berry.

‘Many brands of turkey bacon are still processed meats and contain added nitrates or nitrites for preservation and flavour, meaning they carry similar potential risks if you eat them all the time,’ Mr Hobson adds. 

‘From a health perspective, the small reduction in saturated fat doesn’t offset the risks associated with processing. 

‘If you want to enjoy a leaner option occasionally, it’s fine but it’s still not something I would recommend eating daily — you’re better off cooking fresh turkey or chicken breast and slicing it up.’