Want a Smarter Baby? Eat Bacon and Eggs
By Barbara Lock, MDJanuary 05, 2010
When I read the summary headline in the UK's Telegraph that Bacon and Eggs fed to mothers should make babies smarter, I wasn't surprised at all. The conclusion is a bit of a stretch, because the study that it referred to was done in mice, not in people, and they were supplemented with the nutrient choline found in bacon and eggs, not the bacon and eggs themselves, but I still believe it.
Ever since Time magazine's famous cover appeared of two eggs and a strip of bacon fashioned into a frowny face in 1984, bacon and eggs have gotten a bad rap. Eggs are an excellent food. They are an excellent source of protein, and contain iron, vitamin A, essential fatty acids required for healty brain development, choline, and all kinds of other important nutrients. Pork fat (especially lard) also contains essential fatty acids, and lean pork contains choline, selenium, and other important nutrients. A single slice of bacon only contains about 10 mg of choline, but we'll take what we can get.
Choline has been recognized by the Institute of Medicine as an essential nutrient since 1998. Adults and older children rarely get enough choline in their diet. Eggs are the most important source of choline in the diet, but all kinds of liver (beef, veal, pork, chicken) contain choline, as do salmon, soy protein and soy flour, beef, veal, lamb and pork products (including bacon). Soy is a reasonable source of choline for vegans.
Pregnant women have far more to fear from drinking soft drinks like soda, which are truly empty calories, even liquid candy, than they have to fear from eating actual food that contains actual nutrients. Persons watching their total calorie intake can skip the bacon but should definitely eat the eggs: a single large hard-boiled egg contains only about 70 calories.
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