Can Bacon & Eggs Be Healthy For Your Body?

The all-American bacon-and-egg breakfast is a diner and home-cooking classic. While this high-fat meal may be a tasty start to the day, you may wonder whether it has any place in a healthy diet. Making healthier choices when you have bacon and eggs is one option, but you may be surprised to learn that this savory start to your day isn't as bad for your body as you might think.

Calories

If you opt for a standard breakfast serving of two eggs and three slices of bacon, you'll consume around 296 calories, assuming both the eggs and bacon are cooked with nonstick cooking spray. Add a slice of whole-wheat toast with jam, rather than butter, and you're still under 500 calories for a filling breakfast. Breakfast should supply one-quarter to one-third of your daily calorie intake, making a 300- to 500-calorie breakfast appropriate for most people.

Fat and Cholesterol

High fat and high cholesterol have given the bacon-and-egg breakfast its bad reputation. Each egg and each slice of bacon contains approximately 4.5 g fat, with about 1.5 g in the form of saturated fat. Both eggs and bacon are high in cholesterol, and bacon adds a significant amount of sodium.

Lighten Up

If you want to include bacon and eggs in your diet, some simple changes can make this favorite meal a healthier choice for a low-fat diet. Replace the eggs with a reduced-fat or fat-free egg product, or simply reduce the number of yolks you consume, replacing one or both yolks with an additional egg white. Turkey or soy bacon offers a lower-fat and lower-calorie alternative to pork bacon.

Considerations

If you love bacon and eggs, you can enjoy them as long as you factor the fat, cholesterol, sodium and saturated fat into your daily food intake. While the bacon-and-egg breakfast may be high in fat, a 2010 report in the "International Journal of Obesity" suggests that higher-fat meals in the morning may be a smart nutritional choice, resulting in less weight gain than a high-carbohydrate breakfast. Be smart about your bacon and eggs, whether you allow for the saturated fat in the morning by planning your diet for the rest of the day or cutting the fat with substitutes.