Bacon and eggs. It’s a power couple that knows no bounds. You can smell the delicious, salty pairing at lazy brunches, lunch, dinners, and school BBQs. People pop this tried-and-tested combo in bagels, toast, salads, and even in porridge!
But is it healthy? It’s a question we’re asked all the time at our corporate taster sessions.
Absolutely eggs and bacon can be healthy!
Food doesn’t have to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Often, people think you can’t have an egg and bacon fry-up for breakfast – that it is a ‘special occasion’ or ‘cheat’ meal. But everything can form part of a healthy diet, we just need to tweak our recipes.
Don’t fear the egg
Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse. They are a vegetarian source of complete protein. Easy to cook, diverse, and delicious. In the past, nutritionists used to be wary of egg consumption because of their cholesterol levels. But it’s largely accepted now that for the everyday population, consuming a varied diet, eating eggs is great for your health. Cook them poached, fried lightly with olive oil, or scrambled with lots of veggies.
On the other hand, bacon can be high in salt and contain nitrates. But the good news is you can buy natural bacon – while it is still high in salt, it doesn’t have nitrates.
Less bacon, more veggies
The key to making bacon and eggs healthy is to use a little less bacon and a lot more veggies. The bacon flavour (ya’ll know what I’m talking about) infuses through veggies to make the entire meal feel decadent. Adding veggies like mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini and spinach increases the amount of fibre and antioxidants, which keeps us full, feeling energized, and can help with maintaining a healthy weight.
Here’s how way we tweak this traditional recipe: Our bacon and (green) eggs
Tweak any meal to maximise health
It’s not just bacon and eggs that can be made into a healthy, everyday meal. You can tweak any of your favourite meals to be healthier! Most of the time, the easiest way to make a meal healthier is to add as many veggies as you can. Other great tips are to switch to wholemeal varieties (pasta, flour, rice) whenever possible, and if you’re using butter or veggie oil, switch it out for extra virgin olive oil.
Check out some of our fake-away recipes that have all of the flavour of a restaurant made meal, but are wonderful for your body.