Is Original uncured bacon Keto?

The Ingredient Breakdown

As a food scientist, I look past the marketing buzzwords like "uncured" and focus strictly on the chemistry of the ingredients. When we analyze the profile of Original uncured bacon, we find a generally clean list, but with one significant exception for the Keto dieter.

The primary ingredient is pork, which is the gold standard for Keto. It provides high-quality animal fats and protein without carbohydrates. The water is standard for processing, and sea salt is not only acceptable but necessary on Keto to maintain electrolyte balance.

The trouble begins with turbinado sugar. Unlike some cured bacons that might use zero-calorie celery powder for nitrates, this recipe uses actual sugar. Turbinado is a raw, cane sugar that is chemically identical to table sugar (sucrose). On Keto, even a small amount of added sugar is a red flag because it spikes insulin and halts fat burning.

Finally, the seasoning includes cultured celery juice powder. This is often used to label the product "uncured" because celery powder contains natural nitrates. While this is a cleaner preservative, it does not negate the metabolic impact of the added sugar.

Nutritional Value

When you break down the nutritional data, the conflict becomes clear. A standard serving of this bacon contains roughly 130 calories, with 12g of fat and 11g of protein. These numbers are excellent for a high-fat diet. However, you must look at the carbohydrate line.

The sugar content is the deciding factor. Even if the label lists less than 1g of sugar per serving, that number is rounded down. If you eat a typical portion of 3-4 slices, you are likely consuming 2-3g of net carbs purely from the turbinado sugar.

For a strict Keto diet, which usually limits total daily carbohydrates to 20g, spending 3g on bacon sugar is inefficient. It leaves less room for nutrient-dense vegetables or nuts. While this bacon fits within a low-carb diet, it is risky for strict ketosis.