Bacon. There. We said it. We know you were thinking it, because in our larger Paleo community, pork is often considered synonymous with bacon. In fact, in our bounce-back from the low-fat craze, people are more than a little bacon-crazy.
Except you won’t find any bacon in this section of our recipe book. In fact, you won’t find bacon in here at all, except for an explanation of our favorite bacon cooking technique. We suspect this makes you sad, and maybe even a little angry. But we’re not here to be popular—we’re here to give you our best recommendations for being healthy while eating real food. And while bacon is real food, it’s not even close to the most nutritious part of the pig, and it’s all too easy to overindulge, leading to the eviction of other nutrients off your plate.
First, it’s really hard to find Whole30-compliant bacon. We’ve given you our favorite brands, but if you’re in small-town America shopping at your local grocery store, you’re simply not going to find bacon that wasn’t cured with sugar (and likely contains lots of other nasty ingredients). We didn’t want to give you recipes that three-quarters of you wouldn’t be able to make as directed, so this book is basically a bacon-free zone.
In addition, news flash: pork is more than just bacon, sausage, and pork chops. There are a number of cost-effective, delicious cuts that are often overlooked, and including them as part of your meal rotation means you’re getting a variety of nutrients and flavors without breaking the bank. Many of these cuts are perfect for slow-cooking (like our Carnitas) making for easy dinners with way less clean up.
Okay, you’re starting to like us again.
Finally, there are some Whole30 Approved foods that are so close to the sweet, fatty, salty stuff you used to eat that they can become problematic too, promoting unintended overconsumption. Nut butters, dried fruit, and bacon are three common examples—all foods that can promote less-than-desired health effects when overeaten, and all too easy to overeat.
So for those of you who can find Whole30-compliant bacon, let’s keep it in its place. Use it as a condiment, sprinkled over salads, soups, or stews, or as the occasional protein side at one of your meals. Feel free to keep it in the general rotation, but don’t rely on it too much, because to be honest, it’s not really a very good source of protein. (In fact, a slice of bacon contains just as much fat as protein.)
And if you can’t find approved bacon, don’t worry—there are more than enough delicious cuts of pork in this section to make you forget all about the crispy, salty, fatty belly you’re craving for the next 30 days. That last thing probably isn’t true, but you’ll survive.