pork - is it good or bad?

2

Replies

  • slideaway1
    slideaway1 Posts: 1,006 Member
    glevinso wrote: »
    The pig is a magical animal. So many delicious things (bacon) come from the pig.

    Ribs, bacon, shoulder (smoked and pulled or made into sausage), bacon, belly, bacon, bacon, pork chops, tenderloin, ham... and bacon

    If health is a concern, pork chops, tenderloins and ham are some of the lowest-fat* animal proteins you can find. It is flavorful and versatile. Lots of great things you can do. Bacon

    *By low-fat I am only implying it is lower in calories than other choices, not that fat is bad


    Did I mention bacon?

    I completely agree and eat all of those things. However, bacon and ham are probably considered processed foods. I tried to avoid Deli ham etc and bacon a few times a week is fine. I'm not scaremongering as I love all kinds of pork and regulary eat bacon, however I've read a few medical reports where doctors have said that processed and cured meats are seriously damaging our health (carcinogenic and heart problems). I'll take my chances though (within moderation).



  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    slideaway1 wrote: »
    glevinso wrote: »
    The pig is a magical animal. So many delicious things (bacon) come from the pig.

    Ribs, bacon, shoulder (smoked and pulled or made into sausage), bacon, belly, bacon, bacon, pork chops, tenderloin, ham... and bacon

    If health is a concern, pork chops, tenderloins and ham are some of the lowest-fat* animal proteins you can find. It is flavorful and versatile. Lots of great things you can do. Bacon

    *By low-fat I am only implying it is lower in calories than other choices, not that fat is bad


    Did I mention bacon?

    I completely agree and eat all of those things. However, bacon and ham are probably considered processed foods. I tried to avoid Deli ham etc and bacon a few times a week is fine. I'm not scaremongering as I love all kinds of pork and regulary eat bacon, however I've read a few medical reports where doctors have said that processed and cured meats are seriously damaging our health (carcinogenic and heart problems). I'll take my chances though (within moderation).



    Too many confounding variables to pinpoint processed meats as the cause of heart problems. However if you want to avoid nitrated meats there are uncured versions of these things. I buy an uncured, hickory smoked bacon, so no worries about nitrates there. There are ways to make ham without the nitrate cure as well, but those are a little more rare. Regardless, as you say in moderation there is unlikely to be any long term health effect.
  • slideaway1
    slideaway1 Posts: 1,006 Member
    glevinso wrote: »
    slideaway1 wrote: »
    glevinso wrote: »
    The pig is a magical animal. So many delicious things (bacon) come from the pig.

    Ribs, bacon, shoulder (smoked and pulled or made into sausage), bacon, belly, bacon, bacon, pork chops, tenderloin, ham... and bacon

    If health is a concern, pork chops, tenderloins and ham are some of the lowest-fat* animal proteins you can find. It is flavorful and versatile. Lots of great things you can do. Bacon

    *By low-fat I am only implying it is lower in calories than other choices, not that fat is bad


    Did I mention bacon?

    I completely agree and eat all of those things. However, bacon and ham are probably considered processed foods. I tried to avoid Deli ham etc and bacon a few times a week is fine. I'm not scaremongering as I love all kinds of pork and regulary eat bacon, however I've read a few medical reports where doctors have said that processed and cured meats are seriously damaging our health (carcinogenic and heart problems). I'll take my chances though (within moderation).



    Too many confounding variables to pinpoint processed meats as the cause of heart problems. However if you want to avoid nitrated meats there are uncured versions of these things. I buy an uncured, hickory smoked bacon, so no worries about nitrates there. There are ways to make ham without the nitrate cure as well, but those are a little more rare. Regardless, as you say in moderation there is unlikely to be any long term health effect.

    Thanks mate. I'll look in to some of those alternatives. Some people in the UK eat bacon sandwiches every morning for breakfast and I'm not sure that it's a great idea (although tastes and smells great). I've been eating a bit of Turkey bacon on the George Forman grill recently which is probably just as risky, but the macros are a little better on it for my needs.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Another pork lover here. I am trying to lower sodium so I generally stay away from ham and bacon as regular foods but I do use boneless center cut chops and pork loins and roasts regularly.

    One of my favorite recipes:

    Slow Cooker Pork Loin

    1/4 c., Lite Soy Sauce
    1 Tablespoon Dry Mustard Powder
    1/4 c., Maple Syrup
    2.00 tablespoon, Oil - Olive
    1 white onion, chopped
    3.00 cloves Garlic, minced
    2.00 Tsp, Ginger Paste
    1 and 1/2 lb. Fresh Pork Tenderloin, cut into bite sized pieces, or left whole ans shredded after cooking
    1 c. instant brown rice, dry
    water as needed, up to 1 cup

    Put the pork in the bottom of a slow cooker and pour the onion and garlic over. Mix the remaining ingredients except the rice and water and pour over top. Cook on low 6-8 hours until the pork is done and can be shredded if cooked whole. 30-60 minutes before serving, check liquid level. Add dry rice and enough water to bring liquid level to about 1-1/2 cup. Stir. Put cover on and cook until rice is tender.

  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    For what its worth, check out the list of ingredients on "real" bacon and turkey bacon. If you have decent "real" bacon you will see only two, sometimes three ingredients. Pork, salt, sugar and sometimes nitrates for the cure.

    The ingredient list for "turkey bacon" is a mile long
  • KeepTheFaith9
    KeepTheFaith9 Posts: 80 Member
    I love to pig out on pork :smile:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I'm restarting my lose weight goal, and have had many questions pop up in my miND, but the one that really pops right now is Is Pork Good Or Bad Meat? I have very little red meats in my diet, mostly seafood and chicken,

    i like pork, so for me, its good!
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  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    I had two bacon, egg, and cheese toasted sandwiches with miracle whip last night. It was glorious. Only the cool people love bacon.

    You had me until the miracle whip part. *gag*
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    Pork is good if you've no dietary restriction for spiritual/religious/ethical reasons. Other than those valid reasons (which of course, would make pork bad), pork is as good as any other meat--it comes in lean cuts, fatty cuts, and various cured versions (bacon, sausage, etc.)--the same can be said for chicken, beef, lamb, etc.
  • slideaway1
    slideaway1 Posts: 1,006 Member
    glevinso wrote: »
    For what its worth, check out the list of ingredients on "real" bacon and turkey bacon. If you have decent "real" bacon you will see only two, sometimes three ingredients. Pork, salt, sugar and sometimes nitrates for the cure.

    The ingredient list for "turkey bacon" is a mile long

    Thanks mate, I'll look into that. With all of the local Butchers going out of business around here we rely on the big Supermarket chains which don't always have our best health interests at heart. I'll look into "real" Bacon. Thanks again.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    edited April 2015
    your word choice started the community reeling.,."good or bad" are not words we use!

    Please don't attack me...keep focused on the op please.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    urloved33 wrote: »
    your word choice started the community reeling.,."good or bad" are not words we use!

    Who is this "we"?

    Good/bad is used for foods/diet choices all the time on MFP.

  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    urloved33 wrote: »
    your word choice started the community reeling.,."good or bad" are not words we use!

    Who is this "we"?

    Good/bad is used for foods/diet choices all the time on MFP.

    lol wow

  • Unknown
    edited April 2015
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  • meeperoon
    meeperoon Posts: 270 Member
    this thread is making me want a roast pork sandwich with gravy on with crackling on the side.... *drools*
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited April 2015
    yogicarl wrote: »
    eating any animal is just weird.

    Dude, that's just as rude as a meat-eater trolling a veggie thread with how delicious bacon is.

    I'm a vegetarian, btw.

    FTR, when I still ate meat, I liked pork a lot. It was also one of the few things my picky husband would eat. He doesn't want me to bother with it any more, though since he only liked roasts.

  • EHisCDN
    EHisCDN Posts: 480 Member
    Delicious!
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    meeperoon wrote: »
    this thread is making me want a roast pork sandwich with gravy on with crackling on the side.... *drools*

    I know right? I'm now craving good pulled pork BBQ with some slaw and hush puppies or maybe some fresh fried pork rinds.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Pork is delicious, versatile, and many cuts are lean. Get some pork on your fork!

    This.

    There are also lots of fun books about pigs and their use for food and historically. Pig Perfect by Peter Kaminsky is just one such example.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    urloved33 wrote: »
    your word choice started the community reeling.,."good or bad" are not words we use!

    Who is this "we"?

    Good/bad is used for foods/diet choices all the time on MFP.

    Just ignore her. Some people make assumptions about what is being said in a thread without actually reading the thread, and this is a good example. Nobody has said anything about the use of the words "good or bad" in this thread. (Well, there was one comment that essentially stated that if pork is forbidden by your religious beliefs it could be considered bad).

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Pork is delicious, versatile, and many cuts are lean. Get some pork on your fork!

    This.

    There are also lots of fun books about pigs and their use for food and historically. Pig Perfect by Peter Kaminsky is just one such example.

    If you enjoyed that book, you would love Mark Kurlansky's book "Salt: A World History". Extremely interesting and I learned lots of things I had no idea, like the fact that the Vikings taught the French how to make sea salt.
  • SconnieCat
    SconnieCat Posts: 770 Member
    Oh my gosh I LOVE cooking pork! Some cuts are fattier than others (just like beef), but when cooked properly, pork is a delicious and wonderful option!

    I'll marinate a tenderloin for at least a day in a garlic/lemon/pepper/olive oil/chive mix, heat a couple tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a nice hot cast iron skillet and sear each side of the pork (I hate 'grey' meat), add enough chicken stock to fill the pan about 1/4 of the way full and then pop it in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes until the internal temperature is about 135.

    I will remove the pan from the oven and let it rest on my stove until the internal temperature is above 140 (about 5-10 minutes) and the juices have a chance to settle down and redistribute in the pork. Since cast iron holds its head for a good amount of time, I'm not too worried about my food getting cold.

    Check the temperature again to ensure the meat is cooked, slice into medallions and serve with some of the sauce in the pan. It's beyond amazing.
  • AlciaMode
    AlciaMode Posts: 421 Member
    I just had easter Ham for breakfast. Regrets = 0. Verdict: GOOD
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
    Bacon, ham, BBQ, pork tenderloin...enough said. I love pork and we eat it about once per week.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    I wish DH were more willing to eat pork as I love me some tenderloin and BBQ pulled pork. I have managed to keep breakfast sausage, bacon, and regular pepperoni on the table so I guess I'll be happy with that. :P
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Pork is delicious, versatile, and many cuts are lean. Get some pork on your fork!

    This.

    There are also lots of fun books about pigs and their use for food and historically. Pig Perfect by Peter Kaminsky is just one such example.

    If you enjoyed that book, you would love Mark Kurlansky's book "Salt: A World History". Extremely interesting and I learned lots of things I had no idea, like the fact that the Vikings taught the French how to make sea salt.

    I have it, although I haven't read it yet. I love books like that!
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    Well.

    Pork cooked well is GOOD.
    Pork that is overcooked, dry, and underseasoned is BAD.

    I have spoken.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    EWJLang wrote: »
    Well.

    PorkFood cooked well is GOOD.
    PorkFood that is overcooked, dry, and underseasoned is BAD.

    I have spoken.

    Fixed...


    (But yes I agree with the original)
This discussion has been closed.