All about pork.

Pork is one of the most consumed meats in the world with evidence showing pig husbandry dating back to about 5000BC. Pigs were used for purposes other than their flesh; their skin for hide, bones as weapons and as they feed looking for roots and food to eat, they churn up the ground quite a bit making it easy for the farmer to plough his land. Plus their sensitive noses are also used in finding underground growing Funghi - Truffles!  Pork can be consumed freshly cooked or preserved – bacon, ham and sausages are an example of preserved pork.

Pork meat is very high in protein and Vitamins B (Thiamine, niacin, B6 and B12). These vitamins play an active role in your body’s metabolism and energy production.

Contrary to what most people think, our bodies do need fat. Fat aids in production of several hormones, provides energy and is essentials in storing Vitamins such as A, D, E & K and pork has a lot of fat. However, having the fat trimmed off your pork is highly recommended! Trimmed pork is leaner than most red meats that we eat but it is much higher in artery - clogging saturated fats and cholesterol.  

This can create health risks that previously did not exist or add on to those that do. If you suffer from chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, osteoporosis or you suffer from certain heart conditions, you must consume leaner cuts such as Tenderloin, Loin chops and Sirloin roasts. They still contain the flavor you seek while being lower in calories too.

Extremely crowded conditions that have poor ventilation shafts are not ideal conditions in which to breed pigs, however, this is how most of our pig farms look like. You should then be careful in choosing where you get your pork from. Pork may contain a species of the roundworm called the Trichina worm that causes the disease known as Trichinosis. Infection has however significantly reduced over the years.  Pork also may contain hookworms, pinworms and tapeworms. If not cooked carefully, these worms can transplant themselves into your intestines from the pig. Swine to human infection has happened – the H1N1 virus is an example.

Pork therefore needs to be cooked very carefully before consumption to kill these worms. It has also been suggested that you could freeze your pork before cooking it to kill the worms. Pigs also have a very fast digestive system and no sweat glands. This combination does not allow the body to release toxins through sweating nor does it’s fast system give the pigs body enough time to sift the toxins from the food consumed, thus are just stored with everything else in its fatty tissues. Even after cooking, if the pork is left exposed for too long, it can get re- contaminated.

How you cook your Pork determines how healthy you are eating. Always go grilled over fried when it comes to meat in general. As mentioned above, pork contains a lot of fat so you need to use very little oil or none at all while cooking it.