My skinny 8yo and Bacon

[Carrie75]

My very skinny and very tall 8 year old boy wants bacon and eggs every day for breakfast. I have no problem cooking breakfast for him, but is this unhealthy to do every day? I usually give him 2 pieces of the Costco bacon and 2 organic scrammbled eggs. He's thin and can use the calories because overall he is not a huge eater. He likes sugary stuff rather then real food, so it can be a struggle for him to eat his dinner, ect. I have to bribe him to eat fruit.

[bettyandbob]

Not scientific. My brother, sister and I ate bacon and eggs daily most of our childhoods. I'm the only one with a cholesterol problem and that only started a couple years ago and probably is not related to bacon and eggs since I have not eaten that regularly in a very long time. IOW, I wasn't affected by it as a child.

[Desert Strawberry]

There is nothing wrong with bacon and eggs for breakfast. For a tall , skinny kid, it sounds perfect.

[Crimson Wife]

I'd be more concerned about the nitrates in regular bacon than the fat. Can you get uncured bacon somewhere?

[momto10blessings]

I think it's fine. I want to come to your house for breakfast- hold the eggs!

[sbgrace]

Two concerns I would have (I'm the mom of a skinny 10 year old):

egg (white and yolks) are pretty potent for inhibiting iron absorption. If he has iron rich food or supplemental iron several hours away from the eggs, it should be ok. But if he has tended toward anemia or low iron, keep an eye on it. Otherwise, eggs are great!

 

Cured and preserved meats are bad for you. I used uncured turkey bacon for mine. I'm not sure it's ideal....but he likes it and he's not a huge meat fan generally.

 

 

[Laura Corin]

There's some research suggesting that too much meats is not a good idea.  For my skinny children, breakfasts are a cycle of:

 

Left over mashed potato mixed with left over little bits of meat and fried in patties in olive oil, served with orange juice and fruit

Left over potato and veg, fried in olive oil, with eggs poured over them to make a quick spanish omelette

Wraps with whatever cold meat we have around plus tomato/cucumber and a little mayonnaise or olive oil

Omelette with cheese filling, whole grain toast and fruit

Fruit smoothie with whole grain toast.

Bacon and whole grain toast

 

FWIW, skinny is not necessarily a bad thing.  Calvin has fallen off the bottom of the charts again - he's at the 0 percentile for BMI.  He's healthy but that's just his body type.  You might want to get some tests run on your child just to set your mind at rest and remove some of the stress.

 

L

 

[Seasider]

Trader Joe's sells yummy nitrate free bacon.

 

Bacon every day would kill my grocery budget.

[KungFuPanda]

Two slices of bacon just isn't a lot of meat. If he ate a BLT with half a pound of bacon each morning, I'd wonder if it's healthy, but two measly (or even thick) slices of bacon? I think it sounds like a decent breakfast, and very likely a phase that will pass eventually.

[Ellie]

My very skinny and very tall 8 year old boy wants bacon and eggs every day for breakfast. I have no problem cooking breakfast for him, but is this unhealthy to do every day? I usually give him 2 pieces of the Costco bacon and 2 organic scrammbled eggs. He's thin and can use the calories because overall he is not a huge eater. He likes sugary stuff rather then real food, so it can be a struggle for him to eat his dinner, ect. I have to bribe him to eat fruit.

 

Nope, not unhealthy at all. It would be better if you could find bacon that doesn't have nitrites/nitrates, but no, not unhealthy at all.

[J-rap]

I think the eggs are fine (especially since you have organic), but I'd feel uncomfortable about the nitrates in the bacon every day.  I'd substitute for something without nitrates.  (Uncured.)

 

Has he tried black beans?  My daughter who lives in Central America has eggs and black beans every morning for breakfast.  The black beans are rich and meaty, almost like meat.  And much cheaper than bacon.  :)

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I don't consider bacon a healthy food, certainly not for daily consumption. But that is just my personal feelings. As for cholesterol, I have no idea if anything significant has changed in the bacon of today vs. the bacon of other people's childhoods. That is nice to hear that others didn't have an issue, though.

 

Honestly just to switch it up a bit I would try to get him to eat something else once in a while. Cereal? Yogurt? Parfait? We have a habit of eating cereal in the morning and I know we should switch it up more often.

 

Here's a link you might want to read, but others have addressed the nitrates. Bacon is considered a red meat and no, I don't think it's advised to eat red meat daily (even though it's a small portion). http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/can-bacon-be-part-of-a-healthy-diet

See, and I would eat nitrate free bacon everyday before I would eat cereal everyday.

 

Cereal is so unhealthy. It's nothing but sugar! As a borderline diabetic, I can't eat it at all- especially for breakfast.

 

I won't eat bacon with nitrates in it- but the good stuff? We eat it regularly :)

[LibraryLover]

Don't forget:  research is growing  that it is not good fat which causes problems,  but sugar and refined carbs, which includes the cheap corn in so many processed foods.  I would say real meat and real eggs is better for many  (not all) than the insulin surge (which can cause disease)  that might come from waffles and orange juice, fi.  (Although some folks can handle foods like rice very well.) There is some suggestion, too, that nitrate-free bacon is just as high in nitrates as....nitrates.

 

if you are worried about the bacon, maybe substitute different meats, or get him on board with having bacon less frequently?  He may need a hearty breakfast. Lots of people do, and there are other good fats/foods.

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFyg4_5targ  (on sugar and fat) 

 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/seasoningflavoring/a/nitrates.htm  (on sodium nitrate substitutes)

http://healthychild.org/easy-steps/avoid-nitrates-and-nitrites-in-food/

 

[catz]

I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with that regularly for breakfast. Especially if you were using organic, free range eggs and nitrate free bacon.  That was actually our lunch today.  The problem I have is no fiber.  I'd be pairing it with some fruit or maybe making a veggie omelet or possibly throwing some ground flax into scrambled eggs.  I do think it is better than highly processed garbage.

[LibraryLover]

You can add a piece of whole fruit, or perhaps a piece of whole wheat toast for that fiber. Maybe a little quacamole for a festive touch.  ;)  I agree that flax is great as well.  Even if he doesn't want the fiber for breakfast (bacon does have some fiber, although eggs do not), maybe he could have it as part of a late morning snack or with lunch. Maybe he's a dinner for breakfast sort of person?  Some people like light breakfasts and some don't.  Does he prefer a hearty dinner as well?

[unsinkable]

My kids eat 2 pieces of bacon before they even sit down to breakfast! :lol:

[Berta]

There are more nitrites in your spit then in your bacon.

 

http://chriskresser.com/the-nitrate-and-nitrite-myth-another-reason-not-to-fear-bacon

 

I eat bacon every day.

[lotsofpumpkins]

There are more nitrites in your spit then in your bacon.

 

http://chriskresser.com/the-nitrate-and-nitrite-myth-another-reason-not-to-fear-bacon

 

I eat bacon every day.

 

Wow. That was eye-opening. Is it true??? (Please, say it's true. Regular ole bacon is a lot more affordable than the nitrate-free stuff.)

[LibraryLover]

I'm not anti-bacon. :)  But variety is good.

[Berta]

Lotsofpumpkins, here are more interesting links for you to read:

 

http://www.artandscienceoflowcarb.com/the-sad-saga-of-saturated-fat/

http://authoritynutrition.com/top-9-biggest-lies-about-dietary-fat-and-cholesterol/

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/study-questions-fat-and-heart-disease-link/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303678404579533760760481486?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303678404579533760760481486.html

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2014/05/surprise-fat-is-good-for-you/

 

I don't eat any sugar, rice, potatoes or grains of any kind. I lost 60 lbs by eating high fat and low carb. 

[Katy]

Bacon's expensive.  I'd try and switch it up with a couple ounces of steak from time to time. 

[lotsofpumpkins]

I just got back from the store. I bought some bacon. It has nitrates in it. And I decided not to worry about it. :tongue_smilie:  (I'm still planning on eventually reading some more articles on the subject, but for now, I'm going to eat some regular bacon and enjoy it.)

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I never said cereal was healthy and did not mean to imply it as #1 choice for breakfast. We happen to be in a cereal rut, but no, it's not a perfect breakfast food by far. Not all cereals are the same as far as sugar content and we do try to pick up some like Chex which at least in the original flavor seem to be lower. :)

 

Sorry. I hope you don't think I was picking on you, I wasn't :) I was just commenting on the cereal because you mentioned being in a rut and eating it daily. That just stuck out to me because I have family members who make comments about the fact that we usually have bacon on Saturday mornings, and "bacon is so unhealthy", but they eat cereal like everyday because it's "whole grain" and "low fat" and therefore "healthy".

 

Even the "healthiest" cereals out there are not good to eat for breakfast, especially for people like me who have insulin resistance (and now diabetes). Cereal is all carbs, hardly any, to no protein. So when eaten in the morning, when you have been fasting all night, it causes your blood sugar to rise very high, very fast. For people with any kind of blood sugar issues, and I suspect for many others, bacon (nitrate free-imo) would always be the better choice when having to choose between bacon or cereal.

 

Chex and other cereals might be lower in added sugar, but it's still nothing but carbs, and turns into sugar once it is broken down inside your body- and without fiber and protein to slow it down, it will cause a blood sugar spike, unlike bacon and eggs. Bacon and eggs would not cause my blood sugar to spike, would give me more vitamins and minerals than cereal and keep me satiated longer- so I consider bacon "better" than cereal. Even though I wouldn't consider either one health food :)

 

Eggs seems to be the best for breakfast, but eating them every day gets. so. old. I wish cocoa puffs were healthy :)

[Berta]

Sorry. I hope you don't think I was picking on you, I wasn't :) I was just commenting on the cereal because you mentioned being in a rut and eating it daily. That just stuck out to me because I have family members who make comments about the fact that we usually have bacon on Saturday mornings, and "bacon is so unhealthy", but they eat cereal like everyday because it's "whole grain" and "low fat" and therefore "healthy".

 

Even the "healthiest" cereals out there are not good to eat for breakfast, especially for people like me who have insulin resistance (and now diabetes). Cereal is all carbs, hardly any, to no protein. So when eaten in the morning, when you have been fasting all night, it causes your blood sugar to rise very high, very fast. For people with any kind of blood sugar issues, and I suspect for many others, bacon (nitrate free-imo) would always be the better choice when having to choose between bacon or cereal.

 

Chex and other cereals might be lower in added sugar, but it's still nothing but carbs, and turns into sugar once it is broken down inside your body- and without fiber and protein to slow it down, it will cause a blood sugar spike, unlike bacon and eggs. Bacon and eggs would not cause my blood sugar to spike, would give me more vitamins and minerals than cereal and keep me satiated longer- so I consider bacon "better" than cereal. Even though I wouldn't consider either one health food :)

 

Eggs seems to be the best for breakfast, but eating them every day gets. so. old. I wish cocoa puffs were healthy :)

 

Exactly.

 

It's been drilled into us that whole grains are good, fat is bad. It's the total opposite. "Low fat" usually means higher sugar or more chemicals. We do not need carbohydrates to live, but we do need fats to live. Carbs are the enemy, not healthy fats. The few carbs I eat (20 or less per day) come mainly from green veggies. When you do not take in carbs your body uses fat as fuel. Fat does not spike your blood sugar, it does not "make you fat". It does the opposite. My mom is diabetic and she stopped eating carbs and starting eating a low carb/high fat diet. She lost 60 lbs, went off ALL her diabetes medication and had the doctor sitting there shaking his head in disbelief when she told him what she was eating. Looking at her labs, there is no denying she was much more healthy.

 

[StaceyinLA]

Well I love bacon, but I wouldn't cook and eat it daily because of the mess alone. I usually fry two yard eggs in a very little bit of coconut oil, and as soon as I take them out of the pan, I throw in a slice of Applegate Farms ham. It only takes about 20 seconds to heat it and then I cut it up with my eggs and, well, the rest is history.

 

If I do scrambled eggs, I just cook them and at the end I top with a little shredded cheese, salsa and avocado slices. Yum!

 

I also keep boiled eggs for snacks or for days when I don't want to have to cook.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

Well I love bacon, but I wouldn't cook and eat it daily because of the mess alone. I usually fry two yard eggs in a very little bit of coconut oil, and as soon as I take them out of the pan, I throw in a slice of Applegate Farms ham. It only takes about 20 seconds to heat it and then I cut it up with my eggs and, well, the rest is history.

 

If I do scrambled eggs, I just cook them and at the end I top with a little shredded cheese, salsa and avocado slices. Yum!

 

I also keep boiled eggs for snacks or for days when I don't want to have to cook.

Bacon isn't messy if you cook it in the oven :)

[Berta]

Or..... cook three pounds at one time and store it in the fridge. I just reheat a few slices when I'm ready to eat it.

[umsami]

Just going off on the nitrate thing, we make our own turkey sausage using ground turkey and spices.  Found the recipe on AllRecipes.  I'd still do nitrate free bacon occasionally, but I'd switch it up a bit. :)

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-sausage/

[umsami]

Bacon isn't messy if you cook it in the oven :)

 

I usually nuke it. A few sheets of paper towel, bacon, more paper towel…about 2-3 minutes.

 

nitrates + microwave = quick yumminess

[Woodhaven]

Bacon isn't messy if you cook it in the oven :)

 

That's what I do.  I cook two trays of bacon in the oven (lined with foil).  It comes out much better than when fried!

[RoundAbout]

We buy bulk sausage (nitrate free) from Costco and eat it for breakfast almost every day and save bacon for special occasions just because of the nitrates and expense. But otherwise I think it's fine. We alternate breakfasts of sausage/egg and oatmeal with cream and butter for DS who is super skinny and ways hungry. He gets cold cereal maybe once every 6 months just as a special treat. I'm a huge fan of real unprocessed food!

[Mnemosyne]

That's my breakfast every day! If you can, look at nitrate free bacon, though. Sausage is also an option. Or just plain chicken/steak.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I usually nuke it. A few sheets of paper towel, bacon, more paper towel…about 2-3 minutes.

 

nitrates + microwave = quick yumminess

I'm sure you are not surprised to learn that we don't cook in the microwave ;)

 

It's in the food snob Bible- "Thou shalt not nuke thine vittles."

[umsami]

I'm sure you are not surprised to learn that we don't cook in the microwave ;)

 

It's in the food snob Bible- "Thou shalt not nuke thine vittles."

 

I've made red velvet cupcakes (with an entire bottle of red food dye) enough that I'm already guaranteed a spot in food snob hell. 

 

I know in theory that I could boil beets or something to color them….but…. :)

[Greta]

I'm a firm believer that the whole nitrate/nitrite thing is a canard.  Plant foods are much higher in nitrates than cured meats.  The first methods for curing meats were exposing the meat to concentrated plant matter such as celery seeds, or the powdered juice of beets or spinach.  Remember the nitrogen cycle from middle school science?  Lightening, bacteria, and algae fix atmospheric nitrogen, then plants absorb it from the soil.  If nitrates are really bad for us, then we're all doomed.  (Luckily, they aren't bad for us at all.)

 

I am also a firm believer that sugar should be a far bigger concern than fat or meat.  OP, you mentioned that your son doesn't eat much and is drawn to sugary things.  I'd say let that boy eat all the bacon and eggs he wants!  My daughter ate a breakfast of bacon and scrambled egg yolks with heavy cream, cooked in real butter.  I ate bacon and a handful of blueberries with loads of homemade creme fraiche.  I know from experience that it is sugar and starches, not protein and fat, that make me sick and fat.  

[BarbecueMom]

The problem is nitrites/nitrates as synthetic food preservatives. They are naturally occurring in celery and some other items. I think one would be considered worse.

Clearly it's the celery. Celery is nasty. I've heard you burn more calories chewing it than you get from eating it. As far as calorie burning goes, I'd rather be chased by a bear.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I've made red velvet cupcakes (with an entire bottle of red food dye) enough that I'm already guaranteed a spot in food snob hell.

 

I know in theory that I could boil beets or something to color them….but…. :)

Boil beets! Lol!!! (I think that would work though) haha!

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I never thought of preparing bacon in the oven. We don't use a microwave, either. A whole bottle of red dye?! :svengo:

 

ETA: to the OP, my mom has a health issue where she has trouble putting on/maintaining weight and doesn't eat a lot. My dad buys her Greek yogurt (has to find the right brand so it does NOT say low-fat like most do. I think they buy Chibano brand but I have also read that Fage is high in fat). Perhaps that would help? I don't know the sugar content on those brands but at least greek yogurt is probably a good source of protein.

You put it on a baking sheet, put it in a cold/off oven and turn the heat to 400. Then set the timer for 17* minutes. Comes out perfect! And the grease doesn't overheat/burn either. Perfect for saving! Just pop a coffee filter in a strainer over a jar and pour the grease in :)

 

*that's in my oven- your oven may be different and rest in a slightly shorter or longer cooking time

[LizzyBee]

The latest studies are showing that a hearty breakfast like eggs and bacon is healthy.  As others mentioned, I would be concerned about a daily dose of nitrates, so uncured would be better if you can find it. As for too much meat being unhealthy, this is not a concern if he is eating lots of vegetables. It's the combination of too much meat + too little vegetables that leads to colon cancer, etc. Someone mentioned iron absorption. Eating dairy + meat inhibits iron absorption, and eating tomatoes + meat enhances iron absorption, so I've stopped eating cheese on my burgers and that sort of thing. I don't like milk, but if your kid does, have him drink it separately from iron rich meals.

 

ETA: I read the posts about nitrates. Aren't the nitrates used for preservatives synthetic, not derived from plants? I did some research on diet after my leukemia diagnosis and tried to use reliable sources, and supposedly there's a pretty clear link between nitrates and certain types of cancer.

[LizzyBee]

 

FWIW, skinny is not necessarily a bad thing.  Calvin has fallen off the bottom of the charts again - he's at the 0 percentile for BMI.  He's healthy but that's just his body type.  You might want to get some tests run on your child just to set your mind at rest and remove some of the stress.

 

L

 

There is definitely a downside to being skinny - finding clothes that fit! LOL. My youngest is over 5'4" and weighs almost 80 lbs. She's size 7 in the waist and 16 in length. 

[Laura Corin]

There is definitely a downside to being skinny - finding clothes that fit! LOL. My youngest is over 5'4" and weighs almost 80 lbs. She's size 7 in the waist and 16 in length. 

 

Oh - I know.  Calvin is taking a trip to the US this summer and I am planning on ordering some trousers for him to pick up.  I can't find 28/34 trousers here.

 

L

[ocelotmom]

Just going off on the nitrate thing, we make our own turkey sausage using ground turkey and spices.  Found the recipe on AllRecipes.  I'd still do nitrate free bacon occasionally, but I'd switch it up a bit. :)

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-sausage/

 

We do the same with pork - we get big pork shoulders at Safeway, which are about the cheapest meat per lb, and then grind it up for sausage (we have a meat grinder).

[ScoutTN]

I think eggs and bacon is more healthy than cereal - especially if you choose high quality eggs. Pastured eggs are SO good! We will never go back to store bought eggs!

 

For some variety, try some other meats - sausage without any nitrates ( natural or synthetic) is readily available.

We sometimes have leftover taco or fajita meat (beef or chx) with eggs. Dh and I like leftover grilled salmon with scrambled eggs. Also veggies for variety, if your kids will eat them at breakfast.

 

Add some whole wheat toast or potatoes or savory hot cereal to add some fiber and non-sweet carbs.

My kids love smoked gouda cheese grits or the Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty cereal with butter and bacon in it!

 

We add fresh fruit and whole milk dairy from grass fed cows to make a really big, filling breakfast.

[ocelotmom]

As for the price, look for Daily's bacon ends and pieces. It's very tasty bacon, and much less expensive than strip bacon. We get it at Walmart, but I've seen it elsewhere, too.