Eat To Live: Bacon bad, chicken skin good

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Even my vegetarian friends admit they are seduced by the smell of bacon cooking. There's something hugely gratifying about that smoky, salty, fatty tang. It probably goes back to something primeval, making you feel warm and safe, like the scent of fresh ironing or toast.

My quality of life took a quantum leap forward when I first discovered the toasted BLT sandwich. It was so much more satisfying than a hotel breakfast in taste and texture contrasts.

Part of bacon's pleasure lies in its wickedness: You don't need a degree in nutrition to suspect that it isn't good for you.

But just how bad has just been established by a Harvard team that has been monitoring the health of regular bacon eaters. It discovered that people who eat it at least five times a week are 59 percent more likely to develop cancer of the bladder than people who don't eat it at all.

The team also observed that eaters of bacon and other processed meats often seem to have other unhealthy habits. They are more likely to smoke, to avoid exercise, to eat more fat and fewer vitamins. (Do they also listen to Aerosmith and Black Sabbath and wear buckled boots on their days off? They don't sound like a James Taylor set of people.)

It was a long and large study. Nearly 136,000 bacon eaters were monitored for up to 22 years. Over this period 808 of the volunteers developed bladder cancer.

The research is by no means definitive. But the chemicals to blame appear to be nitrosamines. These are carcinogenic and occur in high levels in bacon. They can also often be found in other processed meats. Further carcinogens are heterocyclic amines that can form when meat is cooked at high temperatures, as is fried bacon.

But another finding came out of this research that will dismay those who are careful about their diet.

Researchers discovered that skinless chicken contains more heterocyclic amines than chicken cooked with the skin on. People who ate skinless chicken regularly, they found, were at a 52-percent greater risk of getting bladder cancer.

Findings like these can deal a dreadful blow to one's faith in nutritional advice.

Remember those research studies that warned us off butter, onto margarine, then back onto butter? Or the continuing argument between which is better or worse -- refined sugar or fructose? Or the doubts some consumers still have over the safety of one popular artificial sweetener? How about those people who counseled against eating eggs more than once a week, then changed their minds? Or the research that found that drinking tea may be healthier than all that bottled water we've become so accustomed to?

Who can believe what?

The best way to eat healthily is to use your intelligence. Eat what you want to eat but in moderation. If you want a bacon sandwich, have one. Just not every day of the week. Cook your chicken in its skin -- which will improve its succulence -- but don't eat the skin.

Use your brain. It's obvious to anyone that French fries are not going to be as good for you as a baked potato.

To add a good bacon-like flavor to a soup without resorting to crumbled bits of fried bacon on top, ask your butcher for an end of ham or buy a smoked ham hock. It will add a forceful burst of porky richness to this classic Dutch pea soup. Make it the day before to allow its flavor to develop.

Dutch pea soup

Serves 8

-- 1 smoked ham hock

-- 3 cups split dried green peas

-- 1 cup leeks, white part only, finely sliced and washed

-- ¼ cup carrot, peeled and finely diced

-- 2 potatoes, peeled and finely cubed

-- 1 bay leaf

-- 2 teaspoons dried Herbes de Provence or thyme

-- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

-- juice half a lemon

-- Put the ham, peas, bay leaf and water into a large heavy pot and bring to a slow simmer, skimming off any impurities, and simmer, stirring once in a while to prevent sticking, with the lid just askew until the peas are soft, about 2 hours.

-- Remove the ham hock and strip off the meat when cool enough to handle.

-- Blend half the soup smooth in a blender, then return to the pot with the vegetables and simmer till soft, about 30 minutes.

-- Return the ham meat to the soup to heat through.

-- Remove the bay leaf, adjust seasoning, stir in the lemon juice and dried herbs and serve in warmed bowls.