Most bacon you can find in the store is unhealthy because it’s highly processed and made from grain-fed pigs. Some of the issues associated with bacon are nitrates (see above), N-nitroso compounds (i.e., nitrosamines and nitrosamides), ochratoxin A (a mold toxin and storage fungi). Studies have shown that pigs that were fed corn oil had significantly higher levels of nitrosamines in their meat. As a result, I recommend consuming only bacon made from pastured pigs. Ochratoxin A is a storage fungus that grows in grain storage silos. When pigs consume contaminated feed (usually corn or soy), the fungi transfer to the meat. That’s another reason to stick with bacon made from pasture-raised pigs. If you really want to get the healthiest bacon possible, you probably have to cure it yourself using a combination of curing salts, powdered versions of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E). The latter two are antioxidants that can protect the meat and prevent the formation of nitrosamines.