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Pork, Bacon, Ham, Sausage and Gammon Recipes from thePigSite.com

Pork Nutritional Facts

Summarised by thePigSite

Introduction

When it comes to good health and good eating, pork gets top marks! Pork contains many of the nutrients recommended by many Health Organisations to build and maintain a healthy body, including six essential vitamins, four important minerals, protein and energy. And making pork a regular part of your diet makes good sense, especially when you consider that Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommends two to three servings of Meat and Alternatives every day.

The following information provides the amount of various nutrients available in a 100-gram cooked serving of lean Canadian pork.

Vitamins

Thiamin (Vitamin B1): Provides 65% of Recommended Daily Intake.
One of the best sources of thiamin is pork. Thiamin is necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates. It's also essential for the growth and repair of nerve and muscle tissues and helps maintain appetite.

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): Provides 22% of Recommended Daily Intake.
Pork rivals milk as your best source of riboflavin. Riboflavin plays an essential role in the release of energy from food and in cell division. This vitamin also promotes the growth and repair of tissues and maintains healthy skin and eyes.

Niacin (Vitamin B3): Provides 47% of Recommended Daily Intake.
Pork is chock-full of niacin, which is essential for the release of energy from carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It's also required to maintain healthy skin, the digestive tract and nervous system.

Vitamin B6: Provides 24% of Recommended Daily Intake.
Choose pork as a good source of vitamin B6, which is essential for the metabolism of protein, carbohydrate and fat. Vitamin B6 also promotes normal functioning of the central nervous system. Vitamin B12 38% Pork is an excellent source of vitamin B12, which is only found in animal products. Vitamin B12 helps build red blood cells and ensures healthy nervous tissue. it is essential for the normal function and metabolism of all cells, and is also involved in the synthesis of genetic material.

Pantothenate: Provides 10% of Recommended Daily Intake.
Pantothenate is necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrate, fat and protein. Pantothenate is also required to synthesize hemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that transports oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Minerals

Phosphorus: Provides 22% of Recommended Daily Intake.
Pork is a good source of phosphorus, which strengthens bones and teeth and maintains energy balance.

Magnesium: Provides 10% of Recommended Daily Intake.
Magnesium is essential for the formation of strong bones and teeth. It also transports nutrients in the body and regulates energy balance.

Iron: Provides 9% of Recommended Daily Intake.
For optimal physical and mental performance, choose pork as a source of iron. Iron is critical for energy production. Heme iron (found in meat) is absorbed more readily than non-heme iron (found in vegetables, breads, cereals, fruits, eggs and supplements.

Zinc: Provides 36% of Recommended Daily Intake.
Pork is rich in zinc, which is essential for the healthy development and maintenance of the immune system and bone structure. Adequate zinc status improves resistance to infections, enhances bone formation in children and young adults, and appears to protect against bone loss in older adults.

Protein

There are 29 grams of protien per 100 grams of cooked lean pork.
Choose pork for protein. Protein is critical for building and repairing body tissues and producing antibodies which fight off infection. Pork contains high quality complete protein with all nine essential amino acids.

Fat

There are 7.5 grams of fat per 100 grams of cooked lean pork.
It may come as some surprise, but it is important to include fat as part of you daily diet. Fat supplies energy and provides essential fatty acids necessary for normal growth and healthy skin. Fat also carries the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Pork is a source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which may provide protection against cancer and heart disease due to its antioxidant properties.

Energy

There are 191 calories per 100 grams of cooked lean pork.
Food provides energy for all body processes and muscle movement, and pork is an ideal source of food energy. Chock-full of nutrients, pork is especially important for growing children and teenagers, women, people on low calorie diets, and older adults.

Source: Canadian Pork Industry, via Alberta Pork.

How Pork Compares To Other Meats

How does pork compare to other meats for fat, calories and cholesterol?
Pork today compares favorably for fat, calories and cholesterol with many other meats and poultry. Many cuts of pork are as lean or leaner than chicken. Any cuts from the loin - like pork chops and pork roast - are leaner than skinless chicken thigh, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Pork steaks or roasts from the leg ("fresh ham") are also lean choices.

Serving Sizes and Nutritional Profiles of Lean Meats
3-ounce cooked serving: Calories Total Fat
(g) 		Saturated
Fat (g) 		Cholesterol
(mg)
LEAN CHICKEN
Skinless chicken breast* 140 3.1 0.9 73
Skinless chicken leg* 162 7.1 2.0 80
Skinless chicken thigh* 178 9.3 2.6 81
LEAN CUTS OF PORK
Pork Tenderloin* 139 4.1 1.4 67
Pork boneless sirloin chop** 164 5.7 1.9 78
Pork boneless loin roast* 165 6.1 2.2 66
Pork boneless top loin chop** 173 6.6 2.3 68
Pork loin chop** 171 6.9 2.5 70
Pork boneless sirloin roast* 168 7.0 2.5 73
Pork rib chop** 186 8.3 2.9 69
Pork boneless rib roast* 182 8.6 3.0 70
LEAN CUTS OF BEEF
Beef eye of round * 141 4.0 1.5 59
Beef top round*** 169 4.3 1.5 76
Beef tip round* 149 5.0 1.8 69
Beef top sirloin** 162 8 2.2 76
Beef top loin** 168 7.1 2.7 65
Beef tenderloin** 175 8.1 3.0 71
FISH (*dry heat,**moist heat)
Cod* 89 0.7 0.1 40
Flounder* 99 1.3 0.3 58
Halibut* 119 2.5 0.4 35
Orange Roughy* 75 0.8 0.0 22
Salmon* 175 11.0 2.1 54
Shrimp** 84 0.9 0.2 166
* Roasted,  ** Broiled,   *** Braised

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 8 series, via the Pork Board

Further Information

For further information on the Nutritional Benefits of Pork see the web pages below:

»  Nutritional Facts on over 200 Pork, Ham, Bacon cuts - Diet-Data.com

»  Nutrition Facts - Manitoba Pork Council

»  Pork Health and Nutrition - Armour Fresh Pork

»  Pork ? A Powerhouse of Nutrition (pdf) - Ontario Pork.

»  Nutrition Information for Canadian Pork - Ontario Pork.


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