Radical Regeneration: Neurosurgery Meets Energy Medicine – Marcella Madera, M.D. #582
Should You Really Care About Nitrate-Free Bacon? Here’s Why It’s Not What You Think
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- With sources like the World Health Organization drawing a link between nitrates and cancer, bacon manufacturers offer nitrate-free varieties that cure meats with celery powder.
- Nitrate-free bacon may look more wholesome, but it can still produce carcinogenic compounds in your body.
- With the right approach, you can keep bacon on the table: Cure it yourself or get high-quality pastured varieties from your local farmer, and cook it at a low temperature.
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If there’s one thing keto, paleo, and Bulletproof Diet fans agree on, it’s bacon. Despite its mouthwatering flavor, though, not all bacon is created equal — even bacon that you think might be better for you than your regular pack of store-bought slices.
You may have tried nitrate-free bacon, thinking that you’re doing your health a favor. But what does nitrate-free bacon really mean, and is it actually better for you? Read on to learn why nitrate-free bacon might not live up to the hype, and what you should be looking for instead when choosing this cut of pork.
Click here to download the Bulletproof Diet Roadmap and learn the best sources of clean protein
What are nitrates?
The belief that bacon is bad for you has real science behind it. Instead of worrying about saturated fat and sodium, focus has shifted to the link between processed meats and cancer — all thanks to nitrates and nitrites.
Sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite are common additives used to preserve meat. Sodium nitrate is sold as a salt for curing meats like bacon and jerky, but you can also find naturally occurring in vegetables like celery. Sodium nitrite is also sold as a salt, and acts as an antioxidant that prevents cured meats from browning. Nitrates and nitrites give processed meats their iconic pink color and sharp flavor while preventing harmful bacterial growth during the curing process.
Your body doesn’t do much with nitrates. After consuming them, bacteria in your saliva or enzymes in your body will convert nitrates into nitrites. Depending on the food you ate and how it was cooked, these nitrites can form helpful compounds like nitric oxide (NO) or cancer-causing compounds called nitrosamines.
The scare behind nitrates in bacon comes from sources like the World Health Organization (WHO). New findings show that processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, and salami increase cancer risk (sorry, dirty keto lovers). The leading theory is that added nitrates in meat convert to nitrites after bonding with amines, a component of the meat’s amino acids. These nitrites then produce those harmful nitrosamines in your body.
Is nitrate-free bacon better for you?
With all this concern over nitrates, bacon manufacturers responded with “all-natural” varieties that contain no added nitrates or nitrites. Instead, they use curing agents like celery powder to achieve the same effect. But here’s the thing: Celery powder is naturally high in nitrates, so labeling the bacon as “uncured” or with “no nitrates or nitrites added” is a little misleading.
The reason the WHO hasn’t called them out is because nitrate-rich vegetables like celery and radishes put up natural barriers to keep nitrosamines from forming. They contain antioxidants like vitamin C that prevent nitrosamine formation. The problem with celery powder is that it concentrates the nitrites and removes the antioxidants, so you don’t get the same benefits you would from eating a fresh stick of celery. In fact, lab tests show that using celery powder on bacon creates more nitrites in the meat than curing with sodium nitrite itself — making uncured bacon a not-so-clean option after all.
Nitrate-free bacon is just as dangerous as conventional bacon. Both types of bacon have high protein content, so both contain amines that can become nitrosamines in your body. Bacon from any source tends to get cooked at very high temperatures, too — a method that raises nitrosamine levels in your meat. (It’s also a reason why high-heat cooking is not recommended on the Bulletproof Diet.)
Conventional bacon, nitrate-free or not, creates the perfect conditions for carcinogenic compounds to form. Since there’s not much you can do about nitrates in your bacon, focus instead on where your meat comes from and how you cook it.
Other problems with bacon (and how you eat it)
Nitrates aren’t the only concern when it comes to bacon. Other things to watch out for include:
- What your pig ate matters. Problem is, most of them eat garbage. Since conventional hogs eat moldy grains contaminated with a mycotoxin called ochratoxin A, the quality of your bacon suffers.[ref url=“https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/030098587901600410”][ref url=“https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23984977”]
- Smoked meats have harmful compounds, too. Smoking increases harmful chemicals known as PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and HCA (heterocyclic amines), which are linked to DNA damage and cancer.
- Too much bacon makes you feel foggy. Even pastured pork tends to be higher in histamine and omega-6 fats, which is why the Bulletproof Diet ranks it below other grass-fed meats. Bacon is better in moderation.
- Other additives slow your performance. Sugar, MSG, and elusive “natural flavors” will wear you down, too.
No matter how you munch it, nitrate-free bacon still contains ingredients that can harm you. Don’t let the evidence scare you away from all bacon, though. With the right approach, you can still keep all its chewy goodness in your diet.
Related: The Best Healthy Sources of Protein
The better way to eat bacon
Source cleaner pork
Life is too short for bad bacon, so get it from a pastured, humanely-raised hog — ideally from a local farmer. To avoid the issues that come with moldy feed during wet winter months, get bacon from hogs slaughtered in the summer.
Take a close look at your bacon, too. Cheap bacon is injected with water and curing agents that make it look watery and cause splatters in your pan. The best bacon contains only protein and fat, and looks dry.
Cure bacon yourself
For a Bulletproof take on nitrate-free bacon, get a pastured pork belly from a local farmer (or a reputable retailer like U.S. Wellness Meats) and follow these guidelines:
- Use a small amount of sodium nitrate and smoked salt to cure the pork. Yes, you’re directly adding nitrates to the meat, but fewer overall than you would find in celery powder.
- In addition to the curing solution and seasonings of your choice, add a small amount of ascorbic acid and vitamin E to the rub. This technique stops nitrosamine formation and helps the nitrites convert to NO.[ref url=“https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2699323”] Some quality bacon brands use this technique — you’ll see ascorbic acid or ingredients like cherry juice powder on the label.
Cook and eat with care
Don’t burn your bacon to a crisp! Bake or fry at a very low temperature (under 300 degrees) until medium well to avoid creating inflammatory, oxidized fats in your meat.
Take supplements like L-arginine and eat more nitrate-rich veggies like celery with your bacon, too — these will help synthesize NO.
Clutter Makes You Stressed and Depressed. Here’s How to Get Rid of It
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- There’s a growing body of research linking clutter with stress and depression.
- Studies have found that a messy house leads to more life dissatisfaction, especially in older people.
- Clutter can also raise your levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and negatively impact your concentration.
- It’s possible to get a handle on clutter. Read on for tips from a professional home organizer.
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It seems as if everyone is Marie Kondo-ing (yep, the decluttering guru is now a verb) their home. Clearing out clutter is the activity du jour. A tidy and orderly house is nice, sure, but if you need further motivation to throw stuff out, do it for your mental health. There’s a growing body of research linking clutter with stress and depression.
Read on to learn what the science says about clutter and your state mind. Plus, actionable tips from a professional home organizer on how to purge your home of things and gain control of the mess. Download this clutter checklist to start decluttering today.
Tidy house, tidy mind: What the science says
It turns out, more stuff won’t make you happier.
A 2017 study examined the effects of clutter on different age groups: college students, young adults in their 20s and 30s, and older adults over 50.[ref url=”https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12144-017-9679-4″] The report found that procrastination and clutter were closely linked — people put off clearing out their homes because cleaning and organizing can be cumbersome, so they’d rather not do it. But this avoidance impacts your mental health. Clutter problems led to a big drop in life dissatisfaction among the older adults.
Clutter can also raise your levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. An extensive study from the Los Angeles-based Center on Everyday Lives of Families (CELF) looked at 60 families and found that women who described their home as cluttered had higher levels of cortisol throughout the day.[ref url=”https://repettilab.psych.ucla.edu/no%20place%20like%20home.pdf”] They also reported feeling more depressed as the day went on, more tired in the evening, and had more difficulty switching from work to home.
Men, however, weren’t as bothered by the mess, and as a result had lower levels of cortisol. The study suggests that women may feel more responsibility for the home environment, compared to men.
Clutter and brain power
A cluttered space can also negatively impact your concentration. A study from the Princeton Neuroscience Institute looked at clutter’s effect on the brain. It found that having too much visual stimuli makes it difficult for your brain to focus and process information.[ref url=”http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/2/587″] When people look at too much stuff, their brain power and productivity tank.
“I find that my patients with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) start to function better in their lives when their home feels neat and organized, and they’re able to create systems for where they keep certain objects like phone, wallet, and keys,” says Ellen Vora, MD, a holistic psychiatrist.
Related: Feeling Stressed Out? The Definitive Guide to Stress Management
How to get rid of clutter
Here’s the good news — while that giant stack of old magazines may seem insurmountable, you can get a handle on clutter.
There isn’t one way to clear up the mess, and you’ll want to pick an approach that resonates with you. Marie Kondo, for instance, suggests an all-or-nothing approach. You tackle your entire house over the course of a mere few weeks, and keep only those things that “spark joy,” as she puts it. Others may adopt a more modest approach, and recommend starting with something small, like your bathroom cabinet.
Visual clutter versus physical clutter
“Organizing is important because the more organized you are, the less stress you have in your life, and the more time you’ll have to do what you want to do,” says professional organizer Barbara Reich.
Reich distinguishes between two types of clutter: visual (what you see when you look around a room) and physical clutter (the amount of stuff you have).
To reduce visual clutter, she recommends:
- Start with countertops and surfaces. “Having clear countertops and surfaces is one of the easiest ways to reduce visual clutter,” says Reich. “If there’s an area that you tend to dump or drop things, consider placing a tray with a candle or framed picture there.”
- Have uniform hangers in closets to tone down visual noise
- Choose identical containers (even if they’re different sizes)
To cut down on physical clutter:
- Get rid of all toiletries passed their expiration date.
- Eliminate all food that is passed the “use by” date.
- Throw out or give away all clothing that is stained, doesn’t fit, or beyond repair.
And the most obvious strategy — buy less. The fewer things you bring into your home, the less stuff will pile up.
For more home organizing strategies, head over here to start decluttering your life — and your mind — today.
Merchants of Truth and Light: Losing the Nobel Prize – Brian Keating #581
Hold on: Vegan Meat Isn’t Better for You or the Planet. Here’s Why
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- Using plant-based foods and binders, vegan meat brands offer a cruelty-free option for animal protein that tastes and looks similar to the real thing.
- While it avoids the problems of factory-farmed meat, vegan meat still contains a laundry list of ingredients that won’t make you feel your best.
- You don’t have to swear off steaks to help the environment. Supporting organic farms and buying high-quality meat helps, too.
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Waltz up to your grocery store meat case, and you’re more likely than ever to find a new alternative: Vegan meat. These plant-based burger patties and sausages look and, in some cases, even taste just like the real thing, while posing as a sustainable and cruelty-free alternative to beef and pork. Can you really get the same power from this new kind of protein?
Besides getting less satisfaction (and possibly more disaster pants — aka diarrhea) from plant-based meat, these beefed-up alternatives may not be that much better for you — or the planet. Here’s why vegan meat is less mighty than you think, plus better ways to eat for the environment.
Download the Bulletproof Diet Roadmap for a complete list of proteins that keep you full and focused
What is vegan meat made of?
Vegan meat brands advertise their patties, crumbles, and sausages as a complete replacement for animal protein. Using a mix of plant-based foods and binders, you can cook a faux-meat dish that looks and tastes strikingly similar to the real thing. Some of these vegan meat offerings also contain no gluten, soy, or GMOs.
For anyone focused on a cruelty-free diet, vegan meat looks like a viable option because it doesn’t require slaughtering animals. Plus, it eliminates the troublesome issues with factory-farmed meat, such as loading cows with cheap grains and antibiotics that make you feel like trash by the last bite.
We can agree that animals that eat garbage and grow up in confined spaces won’t produce meat that makes you feel amazing — but the vegan alternative isn’t as wholesome as you think, either.
Problems with vegan meat substitutes
Gut-damaging ingredients
Burger patties typically contain one ingredient: Meat. Pick up the vegan version, though, and you’ll find additions like pea protein, canola oil, yeast, and mystery “natural flavors.”
Sure, they’re all technically plant-based ingredients, but not all forms of plants will help you feel your best. Yeast contains mold toxins that will throw your gut health into a tailspin, peas contain lectins that mess with your joints, and canola oil contains inflammatory trans fats. These are only a portion of ingredients you can find in vegan meat — and while they may taste great, they won’t make you feel as good.
Poor nutrition
The nutritional value in vegan meat can’t hold a candle to animal meats, either. Vegan diets are known for causing nutrient deficiencies, as well as increasing your intake of less optimal fats. Grass-fed beef contains more quality saturated fat and protein per serving than the average vegan patty, so you’ll just feel better after eating it.
In addition to those higher-quality fats and protein, pastured meat contains more bioavailable vitamins you can’t easily get from plants — all without the antinutrients that make you weak.
Environmental impact
Is vegan meat really better for the planet? The answer is complicated.
In studies comparing the environmental impacts of vegan diets against meat eaters, meat does make a larger footprint.[ref url=“https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5522483/”] However, the way you source your food matters. A vegan living off processed soy ice cream and french fries may not serve our soil’s biodiversity as well as an omnivore eating pastured meats and butter from happy cows.
Why? Ruminant animals — especially the happy, pastured kind — help fertilize the soil and maintain its natural nutrient density. Without them, we depend on artificial fertilizers that tilt our soil’s ecosystem out of balance.
Plus, vegan meat may not come cruelty-free. Harvesting crops for these plant patties may include industrial farming practices that harm bees or small animals. Eating a grass-fed burger does sacrifice a cow’s life, but causes the least harm to animals as a whole.[ref url=“https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1025638030686?LI=true”]
Whether you eat meat or not, your diet will do more for the planet if you pay attention to how your food got to your plate.
Better ways to eat meat (or less of it)
- When you eat meat, go grass-fed. It tastes better and improves soil quality. Look for beef from small, local farms whenever possible.
- Eat more fat. Too much meat puts stress on your digestive system, and the protein you don’t use turns to glucose and stores as fat in your body. Instead of going for seconds on bacon, enjoy a heaping scoop of guacamole instead.
- Diversify your protein sources. Don’t just cook beef — enjoy wild-caught fish and eggs from happy chickens, too. Learn more here about the best healthy sources of protein.
- Eat more organic foods, and less processed junk. Organic food makes a difference because it creates healthier soil and more sustainable farms. Prepackaged and prepared foods (even organic ones) use more environmental resources.
Read Next: What to Know Before Going Vegan
9 Ways to Increase Emotional Intelligence (Plus Downloadable Emotions List)
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- Emotional intelligence is being aware of your own emotions and the emotions of others, and the ability to control your own emotions. It also measures how effective you are in close relationships.
- Studies show that high emotional intelligence is associated with better relationships, more successful academics, and better work performance.
- Emotional intelligence also predicts mental performance better than general intelligence measures do.
- Keep reading to learn more about emotional intelligence and how to improve yours to thrive in your work and life.
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Over the last decade or so, emotional intelligence has drawn a lot of attention as a way to improve your success in life. Studies have shown that high emotional intelligence is associated with satisfaction in relationships,[ref url=”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886907004308″] makes for a smoother transition from high school to college,[ref url=”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019188690300076X”] influences success in medical school,[ref url=”https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-39648-001″] and predicts performance on cognitive tasks better than general intelligence measures (knowledge tests and ability to calculate, etc.).[ref url=”https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224540209603891″]
Keep reading to learn more about emotional intelligence and how to improve yours to thrive in your work and life.
Instantly download this emotions list to help you identify your emotions and better control them. (Or, print in grayscale.)
What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence, or EQ, means being aware of your own emotions and the emotions of others, and the ability to control your own emotions. It also measures how you get along in your close relationships. Questionnaires that measure emotional intelligence assess four main things:
- Self-awareness: recognizing your own feelings. For example, “I’m feeling apprehensive or angry.”
- Managing emotions: handling your own feelings with composure and understanding what is causing you to feel the way you feel
- Self-motivation: using your emotions to further your own goals. Self-motivation also involves being able to control your emotions and the ability to step back and think before you act impulsively
- Empathy: sensitivity to the emotions of others and being able to put yourself in others’ shoes
- Relationships: social skills and social appropriateness
Related: How to Deal With Difficult People, According to Science
How do you test emotional intelligence?
To measure emotional intelligence, a person will fill out a self-reported assessment, or a third party who knows the individual well will answer questions about how the other person may behave in certain scenarios. There are also performance-based assessments that have people answer how they reacted in certain scenarios or how they would behave in imagined scenarios.
Some of the more commonly used emotional intelligence assessments include the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso EI Test (MSCEIT) and the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i). Tests are available on the publishers’ websites for purchase, or you can ask your doctor or therapist to administer the test to you. Some employers use emotional intelligence tests as a screening tool.
Why everyone should continually work on mental strength
The ability to control your own emotions has a tremendous impact on how you handle every area of your life. Mentally strong people are more successful at things like work,[ref url=”https://www.redalyc.org/html/727/72709520/”][ref url=”https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/eb028958″] in relationships,[ref url=”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886907004308″] and in academics,[ref url=”https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-39648-001″][ref url=”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019188690300076X”] to name a few.
Psychotherapist, psychology professor, and licensed social worker Amy Morin is the bestselling author of “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do,” with two more “13 Things” books written specifically for women and parents. She wrote it originally as a note to herself, as she noticed over years of her psychotherapy practice that there were certain things mentally strong people consistently did not do.
On an episode of Bulletproof Radio, (iTunes) psychotherapist Amy Morin shares the inspiration behind her books, including the bestselling “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do.”
“I realized that people who were stronger than others, there were certain things that they just didn’t do, so that no matter what they went through, no matter what sort of practices they were doing, as long as they didn’t do certain things, they came out mentally stronger,” she says.
Related: Unexpected Ways to Build Resilience in 7 Days
How to improve your emotional intelligence
Practice labeling your emotions
Labeling your emotions brings to light how your feelings might be impacting your thoughts around a situation.
“Although feelings affect every decision you make, most people don’t spend much time thinking about how they’re feeling,” says Morin. “In fact, they’re often more comfortable saying things like, ‘I had butterflies in my stomach,’ or ‘There was a lump in my throat,’ rather than saying, ‘I felt anxious,’ or ‘I felt sad.’”
Bonus: when you’re in an emotional situation with another person, label their emotion, too. In most cases, you’ll want to keep that to yourself.
Limit your screen time
Studies have shown that screen time makes it more difficult to read emotions.
Morin advises, “Staring at your laptop or smartphone for countless hours can impair your ability to read other people’s feelings. Consider doing a digital detox every once in a while. Going a few days without your electronics could do wonders for your ability to read other people’s emotions.”
Here’s how to do our own digital detox experiment.
Spend a few minutes thinking about how another person is likely to feel
Morin also suggests reframing a situation to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
“Rather than jump into an argument or interrupt someone you disagree with, put your focus on developing a better understanding of how the other person is feeling.
“Start paying close attention to other people’s emotional states. See if you can recognize how someone is feeling and how that emotion is likely to influence that individual’s perception and behavior,” she says.
Take full responsibility for how you feel
Another thing Morin strongly advocates for is not giving away your power. You are in control of how you feel and how you react to things.
“Rather than blame your boss for making you mad, consider what steps you can take to calm yourself down. Instead of saying your mother makes you feel bad about yourself, focus on repairing your own self-esteem,” says Morin.
Learn to accept your emotions
Whether at school, in the workplace, or even in your own family, too often people are either directly or indirectly taught to suppress their emotions or to be ashamed of them. There’s a societal attitude that appropriate emotional reactions indicate weakness.
Reject that idea. There’s a difference between having an appropriate emotional reaction and an inappropriate one, like lashing out at a co-worker. There’s a difference between a public display of emotion, and honoring and processing how you’re feeling, either privately or with trusted friends or loved ones. When you have an emotional response, like overwhelming resentment or embarrassment, acknowledge them and move through them appropriately for the situation.
Manage your fears
When you want a certain outcome, it’s easy to get into an all-or-none mindset: I’ll be so happy if I get into Firstchoice University, and my future is ruined if I don’t.
Especially when certain aspects are beyond your control, reduce your fears by imagining alternate outcomes: It will feel like a letdown at first, but I know that my second and third choice colleges will open up so many doors for me.
Put some space between the scenario and your reaction
When you’re in a difficult conversation, don’t feel the need to come to a resolution right away. Politely excuse yourself to collect your thoughts. Things to try:
- Take a walk
- Call someone for advice, as long as the matter is not private
- Splash some water on your face or get outside to cool off, literally and figuratively (cooling your body temperature reduces stress)[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1326118″]
- Write out the scenario to organize your feelings
- Rehearse a calm response
- Do a breathing exercise
When you’re panicked, fight-or-flight activates and rational thought takes a back seat. The goal is to create enough distance that you can get out of fight-or-flight mode and regain rational thought.
Start a meditation practice
There’s lots of evidence that meditation increases emotional intelligence.[ref url=”https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19349637.2014.925364″][ref url=”https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smi.1289″]
Meditation reduces overall stress and helps you learn to recognize thoughts as outside yourself. It takes some practice. Here’s how to get started with meditation.
Practice gratitude
Gratitude can reframe your thoughts and help you see the positive in every scenario. If you practice gratitude when you’re feeling neutral, you’ll be better at it when emotions run high. Here’s how to practice gratitude.
You don’t need to overhaul your life and take on every single new practice. You’ll notice a difference just by increasing your awareness and intentionally incorporating one or two new practices. Use every difficult situation as an opportunity to get better at managing your emotions.
