What is turkey bacon and can you eat it raw? Turkey bacon is turkey meat that is usually served with minced turkey as an alternative to pork. The turkey bacon is usually smoked, minced and topped with seasonings and this is a great alternative for pork bacon but in in low-fat meal.
Turkey cannot be used in high-fat dishes or recipes. For Muslims it is not allowed to eat pork with reasonable reasons, you can see here why don’t Muslim eat pork. So, turkey is made but for a low-fat recipe as the substitute for pork. If you want a high-fat recipe like the one that comes with pork, this is only possible in low fat. So, it can be said that turkey bacon is a substitute for pork bacon.
For Muslims, it should be noted that restaurants that provide Turkey bacon do not also provide pork bacon. It is important that the equipment is sterile. This means that the equipment used to cook halal food is not used to cook haram food. So, for Muslims who want to enjoy turkey bacon, check out this recipe at a halal restaurant.
OK, no matter what your turkey bacon recipe is. What we want to explain here is can you eat raw turkey? Yes, you can eat it because raw turkey is smoked as well as deli ham, so you don’t have to cook it anymore. Turkey bacon that you buy in the market is actually meat that can be eaten, smoked, and preserved. Only need to be cooked if you want to serve it in a certain recipe.
Also see: What Cannot Be Used To Dry Utensils?
Is Eating Turkey Bacon Raw Bad for Me?
Well, although it can be eaten, is eating turkey bacon bad for our health or not? Maybe for some people it’s okay to eat raw turkey bacon, but for others sometimes this becomes a problem in itself.
So, sometimes consuming turkey bacon is also not good for health, besides being less tasty, it also contains some bad values for health, including:
- Turkey bacon contains more carbohydrates, this is only about 20% when you compare it to pork bacon. Better you eat regular turkey meat that you catch yourself.
- Turkey bacon is high in sugar, the purpose of adding sugar by meat producers is to improve the taste of the meat because it is low in fat. That’s why we recommend eating turkey meat not a turkey bacon. You can also look for turkey bacon which does not contain sugar on the packaging, look at sugar free ones because there are also those that are produced like that.
- Turkey bacon is rich in sodium content which is not good for heart health. It is added as a preservative and flavor enhancer. Just two turkey slices contain 336 mg of sodium. To be healthier, you can consume turkey which is free of sodium. Check the label of the turkey bacon you buy.
- Turkey bacon sometimes also contains preservatives from chemicals so it is very bad for consumption considerations. Nitrates and nitrites are chemical-based preservatives found in some turkey bacon. The content of these nutrients is synthetic and can turn into dangerous compounds called nitrosamines. These ingredients can increase the risk of throat and stomach cancer. Unlike the case with natural nitrites that are in certain fruits and vegetables.
- Turkey bacon is a processed product, meaning it’s no longer the natural, nutrient-dense turkey meat (which is why, if you want to eat turkey it’s best to order from a traditional chicken baker). Processed foods like this can only be consumed in limited quantities, if you often consume processed meat can increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Also read: Foods That Contain Complex Carbs VS Simple Carbs, Which Is Better?
What is the nutritional value of Turkey Bacon?
Bacon is a food made from various meats, some from pork, turkey and so on. If you want lower fat, then Turkey bacon is your choice, it’s lower in calories too.
You need to know that consuming bacon has a higher health risk. So, if you are concerned about your health, choose turkey bacon which may be less risky. Turkey bacon is lower in calories, and lower in saturated fat than pork bacon. But turkey bacon is a food that also contains sodium, nitrates, preservatives, because it is included in processed meat. If you want to eat turkey bacon, then just eat it in moderation.
How is the complete nutrition of turkey bacon? For turkey bacon with a total of 16 grams, then you can find the following nutrients:
- Calories 60
- Carbohydrates 0.7 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Fat 4.2 g
- Protein 4.8 g
- Sodium 328 mg
- Sugar 0.7 g
In addition, turkey bacon also contains preservatives and flavours, this food is also classified as rich in carbohydrates which are not good for health. Some products are listed on the packaging, there are about 1 or 2 grams of carbohydrates that come from sugar, this addition is said to add flavor.
In turkey bacon there are two types of fat, saturated fat and unsaturated fat. Consuming turkey bacon, you can add your daily protein intake, but it must be in moderation because this meat also contains harmful ingredients that have been used during the preservation process.
The nutritional content of turkey bacon also varies depending on the different parts of the turkey.
What are the Benefits of Eating Turkey Bacon?
Are there any benefits of consuming Turkey bacon? Mentioned that turkey bacon has benefits in weight loss, perhaps because it is low in fat and calories compared to other bacon. So, apart from the disadvantages of consuming turkey bacon, there are also some benefits of eating turkey bacon, including the following:
- One of the benefits of turkey bacon is as a weight loss food because it is low in calories and saturated fat. It is 25% lower in saturated fat compared to pork bacon.
- Turkey Bacon is the best choice for those who don’t eat pork, it could be for reasons of religious prohibition or because of various bad effects of pork such as allergies and others. So, they can eat turkey bacon instead of pork bacon. But the taste won’t be 100% the same as turkey is low in fat, so it’s less crunchy like pork. Turkey bacon is a processed, pickled and smoked product.
- Suitable for cooking as most people cook pork. With turkey bacon, people who don’t eat pork can enjoy it and cook it in the same recipe. Among the ways to cook Turkey bacon are frying, grilling, using the microwave, but the time it takes will be different like cooking pork bacon.
However, turkey bacon is not a perfect substitute for pork bacon. The meat is said to be crispier than turkey because it is rich in fat. But be careful because pork is worse for health. That’s why you should try turkey bacon as an alternative.
Another benefit of turkey bacon is that it is easy to include in any recipe you like. You can include turkey bacon in broccoli, shrimp and chicken gumbo, quinoa, spinach, chicken or other shrimp dishes.
Also see: Honey vs Sugar: Differences, Benefits and Disadvantages
The Bottom Line
The Turkey bacon is a processed meat that has less protein and is also rich in several ingredients that are harmful to health. These include preservatives, artificial flavours, and added sugar to enhance the taste. Apart from that, turkey bacon also contains sodium and it is a processed product which of course has a lot of chemicals that may be present, so consuming turkey bacon in large quantities is not healthy.
A healthy alternative for turkey meat lovers is to order chicken from a traditional trader and cook it at home with the recipe you like. However, the presence of turkey bacon is to replace pork bacon for people who cannot eat pork for various reasons. So, you can eat turkey bacon but only in moderation and not every day.
