Bacon, Though....

If I had a dime for every time I heard this, I could buy an island so I wouldn't have to hear it anymore. Quite frankly, I'm Jewish so I didn't eat bacon anyways. So I don't really understand the obsession. People want bacon on top of bacon on top of bacon. Yes, I know that sentence to some of you sounds appealing, but to others its revolting. But, here is where your bacon comes from.

As of right now, 97% of pigs in the United States are raised in factory farms. The conditions they live in are less than inhumane. They are cramped in tight cages with one another and have to sleep in their own feces, urine, and vomit. Because of these conditions, over 80% of pigs have pneumonia when they're killed. Every year, 150 billion animals are killed, 100 million of which are pigs. The pigs born are separated from their mothers at about two to three weeks of age (about 15% will die before even reaching this age) and will have their tails cut off so they won't bite them. They will also be conscious at the time of slaughter and their slaughter consist of hanging upside down while having their throats cut and bleeding to death (so much for humane).


Americans consume about 18 pounds of bacon per person a year (gross). It's no surprise that eating bacon has been linked to a greater chance of developing heart disease and stroke. Sixty-eight percent of calories from bacon is from saturated fat and one ounce of bacon contains 30 milligrams of cholesterol (again, I say gross). One slice of bacon also has 190 milligrams of sodium (Nutrition Label). Your daily recommended amount of sodium is 2,300 milligrams (According to Mayo Clinic).


Fun fact: eating processed meats as also been linked to a lower sperm count. I can't help but laugh at this mostly because of the "manly men" (I'm putting this in quotations because gender is something that society creates and is more fluid than just male and female- different post entirely) stereotype. Not saying that having a lower sperm count makes you less of a man. I think you get the joke though.


Eating meat (factory raised animals in particular) had been linked to certain diseases as well. MRSA and obesity are among those listed (The Week). But you can just have free range meats instead, right? I'm afraid not. In the documentary Cowspiracy, Kip Andersen discusses the amount of land that would be required for Americans to eat grass-fed beef (yes, I know it's not pigs, but bare with me). Just to feed the United States population, you would need all the land in the United States and part of Canada, Mexico, and South America. Yes, I mean ALL. No more cities, just grass for cows. Not the most sustainable solution. And it still posses the risks to your health, anyways.


I constantly hear that it's "un-American" to not eat bacon. Or even worse, that if you don't eat it, you should just leave. So I guess if your religion bans pork, you don't belong in America. I think this is supposed to be light-hearted (at least I hope), but it shows how attached Americans are to bacon. Trying to tell people how bad it is for your health and the environment and showing how pigs are treated doesn't seem to do any good when people want to put there hands over their ears. I think this shows a deeply held belief that people have a hard time letting go of. Even a quick Google search of "why you shouldn't eat pork" won't give you many results. In fact, most of what I found was people trying to justify their behavior. But, you can live without bacon. I promise. Plus, just look at this sweet little face.