Can you eat bacon on Optavia? If you are new to the Optavia diet, it is natural to have many questions, including what you can or cannot eat.
And inquiring about the status of all types of meat is a common concern.
The Optavia diet is becoming quite popular these days.
Essentially, it achieves weight loss through a mix of home-cooked meals, personalized coaching, and low-calorie packaged foods.
It may be a great choice if you either do not like cooking or do not have enough time to cook three meals per day.
But it is natural to worry about spoiling your chances of losing weight by eating the wrong stuff.
So, can you have bacon on Optavia?
Yes, you can eat bacon on the Optavia diet, as there is no need to restrict lean meat when following this diet.
Can You Eat Bacon on Optavia or Not?
For beginners, it is always hard to crack how the Optavia diet works.
Just like any other diet protocol, you need to avoid certain foods, and the same holds when you are on Optavia.
One of the biggest concerns is about eating bacon. But turns out, you can easily include bacon in your diet without affecting the outcomes.
However, it may be a good idea to consider the meat you choose.
For instance, you will probably be better off using turkey bacon instead of beef bacon to limit your calorie intake.
Fact: The Optavia diet is a low-fat program and requires you to ensure no more than 30% of your daily calories comes from fat.
Why Is It Okay to Eat Turkey Bacon on Optavia?
Turkey bacon can be a healthier alternative to traditional pork bacon due to its lower calorie and fat content.
But, wait, can you eat pork bacon on Optavia? That is not to say you cannot eat pork on Optavia, but turkey bacon is probably going to be a better choice.
Per strip, pork bacon contains about 23g of fat with 290 calories.
On the other hand, turkey bacon has just about 210 calories and 14-20g of fat.
In addition to being healthier than pork bacon, turkey bacon has more protein since it is less fattening (about 19 grams).
Fact: The Optavia is a low-carb diet but unlike the keto diet it allows you to keep your carb intake between 80 and 100 carbs a day.
Is Turkey Bacon a Healthy Option on Optavia?
Yes, it is.
The turkey bacon is a low-fat option yet has a lot of protein, making it a good choice.
For every two slices, you can get roughly 20g of protein, which is more than chicken but less than beef.
Turkey bacon not only provides a high dose of protein but also zinc and iron.
These minerals are critical for the production of red blood cells, the development of muscle, and the maintenance of physical activity.
When compared to pork bacon, turkey bacon contains less cholesterol, sodium, and fat, making it a more suitable choice for the Optavia diet.
What Should You Know about Optavia to Decide on Bacon?
To get a better idea of why or why not one should eat bacon on Optavia, it is essential to learn more about the diet first.
By definition, it is a low-calorie diet. It means you are allowed to have bacon based on how you cook it and how lean the meat is.
But, you also need to learn about Optavia fuelings and the version of the diet you are following to decide on what to eat and what to keep out of your diet.
What is the Optavia Diet?
Optavia helps you to lose weight by combining pre-prepared foods, fresh cooking, and one-on-one coaching.
The goal is to help dieters stick to a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate eating plan to shed pounds.
There are a variety of meal plans in the program.
But they all center around a combination of pre-packaged Optavia Fuelings as well as homemade Lean and Green meals.
As an alternative to Lean and Green meals, the company also offers Flavors of Home, a line of ready-to-eat low-carb dishes.
What Should You Know about Optavia Fuelings?
To decide on adding bacon to your diet and knowing exactly what is allowed, you have to learn more about Optavia fuelings.
Optavia Fuelings is a line of products marketed under the company’s name.
These products are high in protein and low in carbohydrates, with the added benefit of probiotics for digestive health.
You can find different Optavia fuelings comprised of various vitamins and minerals. Each may contain about 3g of gat, 14 carbs, and 11g of protein.
You have to take 5 fuelings a day, with each offering about 100 calories.
You can play around with food groups but eventually, you will get the same number of carbs, protein, and fat.
How Many Optavia Fuelings are Available?
The good thing about Optavia is that it appreciates the fact that no two people have the same taste buds.
Therefore, you can find as many as 60 fuelings on this diet plan.
These fuelings also include shakes, cookies, bars, soups, cereals, puddings, and pastas.
The key is to use smaller portions and sugar substitutes to create high-protein, low-carb versions of popular foods.
What to Know about Versions of the Diet?
Just like getting familiar with Optavia fuelings, you need to understand versions of the diet to decide how to tweak your diet.
The Optavia diet consists of two rapid weight loss plans and a maintenance program.
Optimal Weight 5&1 Plan
It includes five fuelings and a balanced Lean and Green (L & G) meal to include in your diet on a daily basis.
It is the most popular starting point for those interested in losing weight by being on the Optavia diet.
Optimal Weight 4&2&1 Plan
This plan contains a couple of L & G meals, four fuelings, and a snack per day.
It is ideal for those who require a higher calorie intake or more variety in their diet.
Optimal Health 3&3 Plan
This plan is meant to be a maintenance diet, consisting of three meals and three fuelings per day.
When Can You Add Bacon to Your Optavia Diet?
In most cases, there is no issue with including bacon in your diet. But, when you are still in the 5&1 phase, it is better to be more careful and stick to lean meat only.
During this phase, you can go with turkey bacon and avoid pork for a while.
In the next phase, you can include pork in your diet while watching your total calorie intake.
As far as the portions are concerned, it is okay to have 5-7oz of meat on Optavia.
Your meal should consist of baked or grilled lean skinless meat together with a couple of servings of non-starchy veggies.
Fact: The Optavia diet focuses mainly on protein and requires you to get at least 72g of protein from your food.
What Else to Eat or Avoid on Optavia?
When you start the Optavia diet, you will have a complete list of approved foods.
But, it is important to research or work closely with your coach to learn what should be avoided to get better results.
What Can You Eat on the Optavia Diet?
There is a lot you can or cannot eat when following the Optavia diet. For instance:
Meats
In most cases, you do not have to restrict your intake of lean meats. The list includes turkey, chicken, pork, beef, lobster, crab, and scallops.
Eggs and Dairy
There is no need to keep beans, eggs, nuts, and seeds out of your diet either.
In the case of veggies, you need to be a bit careful though.
Veggies
You need to stick to non-starchy veggies, such as asparagus, artichoke, carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, celery, onions, mushrooms, snap peas, salad greens, and zucchini.
And of course, you need to use the right fat to prepare all these meats and veggies.
You will be fine so long as you stick with olives, olive oil, or avocado oil.
What Should Be Avoided on the Optavia Diet?
Anything with high-fat content and loads of calories should not be a part of your Optavia diet.
It means foods like chocolate, butter, coconut oil, and high-fat dairy are all off-limits.
Similarly, you need to avoid any desserts high in calories and sugar. It also includes high-sugar fruits, whole grain products, and starchy veggies.
What Should You Drink or Avoid on the Optavia Diet?
In most cases, you can easily enjoy sparkling water, diet soda, coffee, and unsweetened tea.
It is important to ensure your diet does not contain any alcohol, juices, high-sugar sodas, or drinks laden with sugars.
Fact: The Optavia diet allows you to have 3 condiment servings per day on all plans while limiting the intake of saturated fat.
Takeaway
Getting good results from the Optavia diet depends heavily on how closely you follow its guidelines.
Can you eat bacon on Optavia? It is important to know because it helps you understand the status of meat on this diet.
While you can have bacon, it is important to find the right meat and follow the proper recipe to make it suitable on Optavia.