Pork - A healthy and nutritional meat

Grilled Pork ChopsNutritional Benefits of Pork


Pork is naturally low in salt and a rich source of good quality protein. It is also a good source of several vitamins and minerals needed for good health including iron, zinc, some of the B group vitamins, selenium and phosphorus.

Protein

• Lean pork is a great source of protein in your diet. A 100g portion of pork provides you with about half of the protein you need in the day.

Fat

• There are many different cuts of pork with varying fat contents. The leanest of these contain in the region of 6% fat (6g per 100g meat).
• When trimmed, pork contains more unsaturated fat than saturated fat.
• There are small amounts of the heart protective n3 fatty acids in meat. In people who do not eat oily fish, the source from meat may be particularly useful.
• Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is another type of fat found in meat. Scientists are interested in its potential health benefits in the areas of cancer and heart health.
• Choose the leanest cuts of pork and trim away any visible outside fat before cooking.
• Use low-fat cooking methods such as roasting, grilling, stir-frying or barbecuing.
• Eat reasonable portion sizes. One serving of pork, 100g, is the size of a deck of cards or a computer mouse.

Pork Facts!


Iron

• Pork is a good source of the easily absorbed form of dietary iron.
• A 100g portion of pork provides you with 15% of your daily requirement of iron.

This is important because:

• 48% of women in Ireland, aged 18-50 years, don’t eat enough dietary iron.
• 1 in 3 Irish women have inadequate iron stores.
• 1 in 30 exhibit iron deficiency anaemia.


B12

• Lean pork is a rich source of B12. A 100g portion of pork provides you with 70% of your daily requirement of the vitamin!

Zinc

• A 100g portion of pork provides you with more than 30% of your daily requirement of zinc.
• Most non meat eaters consume less zinc than recommended and most meat eaters consume enough.
• Iron, zinc and vitamin D in red meat are more efficiently absorbed than from other foods.


Red meat, such as beef, pork and lamb, is an important part of a balanced diet and contains many of the nutrients essential for good health and wellbeing, as well as for healthy growth and development in children.

In recent years, meat has been produced withconsiderably lower levels of fat. New butcherytechniques remove most of the fat and providecuts of meat that are ideal for stir frying, barbecuing, grilling, casseroling and stewing.

The leanest form of pork, beef and lamb today contains less than 10% fat, compared to at least 25% in the 1970s.

All the essential nutrients in meat are found in the lean parts.

Lean red meat when eaten with starchy carbohydrates and fruit and vegetables, form part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Bord Bia








There are currently no comments

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to leave a comment
Not a member? Register for your free membership now!
Or leave a comment by logging in with: