One of my goals to reduce my overall carbon footprint this year is to eat less meat. I won’t lie. I grew up eating meat, so transitioning away has been tough.
I want to share a tip I have been using to get more meals out of the bacon I have been eating. Save the fat from cooking your bacon and use it to fry your vegetables instead of using meat and oil. I normally throw bacon fat away, so for me the impacts are 2x. First, I avoid the climate impacts of adding additional meat for that meal. Second, I use what would have otherwise been a waste product and prevented it from going to landfill.
After cooking bacon wait for fat to cool Pour cooled fat into reusable container When ready to cook scoop out a small amount Add to warm pan. This is around 1 Tablespoon Fry veggies in melted fat & enjoy!
One of the main concerns you probably have is the health implications of eating bacon fat. I did a little bit of research before starting this and have a couple of articles about the pros and cons of using bacon/bacon fat:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-bacon-bad-or-good
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/can-bacon-be-part-of-a-healthy-diet#1
I am not a doctor or nutritionist, but I eat bacon in moderation and have not had any adverse health effects from eating bacon fat in moderation as well. One of the best things about bacon fat is that it is so flavorful that you don’t need to use much to add enhance the taste of your dish. Ultimately, you should do what is right for you depending on your health situation.