Because Some of the Best Things Come From Bacon

In high school most of us could not wait to be seniors. We had an open campus and were allowed to leave for lunch. I remember going to McDonalds. I would have what was generally my go to indulgence. Fries. Not just any fries. Fresh from the fryer, crispy and hot enough to just about burn my tongue with the perfect coating of salt. The perfect marriage of fat and salt. Yes. I am a savory indulger. Yes I liked sweets but really the fat and salt fed my soul much better than anything. This brings me to the topic of bacon.

Beloved bacon. In the early 90's the trend was the low fat diet. Yes. I did that too. Funny I can still tell you how many fat grams are in various foods. Like 11 animal crackers have 2. However, this period of time demonized my beloved bacon. High in fat and salt and not felt to carry much in the way of nutrition. In fact it was just about deemed the devil's food. I learned to eat turkey bacon. Ok and on that topic. Turkey bacon. Ever tried it?  It is dry. It is chewy....as in flossing for days chewy and in no way resembles the real deal. That is why I say "learned to eat". Definitely an acquired taste and in no way fed my urges for savory salty fried food.

Fast forward to the good Dr Atkins. A pioneer in the low carb movement. He suggested bacon was our friend. This notion immediately made me a fan. As I moved my way through better fitting low carb diets, as I currently am a big fan of a modified paleo. It is all the paleo plus dairy for me. I am a cheese lover from way back. This type of eating allows for bacon and lots of it. What was once the greatest demon in dieting is now my hero.

I have learned to do all kinds of things with bacon. My current passion is combining it with natural sweeteners. For example wrapping carrots in bacon, roasting it, and putting pure maple syrup on as a glaze or like I did last night, doing a similar thing with spiralized butternut squash. I put bacon on my romaine heart lettuce wraps, and as I learned in Haiti, bacon marries perfectly with fresh avocado.  More on the spiralizer and my love for it to come. For me, bacon has soothed my savage french fry loving soul, however there are lots of other foods I have given up that I still hunt for a replacement for. Take crackers for example. Nothing crunches like crackers or even chips. Yes I know raw vegetables are crunchy but it just is not the same. I have played around with using coconut flour and almond flour in things but the consistency is not the same. Will just have to keep looking. For now, I will rest in my love of bacon and be grateful it is no longer the demon it was made out to be.