You should eat pork in moderation, but is it really bad for you? Do you think you will continue to eat pork after reading this? I hope it was helpful and inspiring for you. Everyone who comes to the clinic is given the tools they need to make better decisions about their bodies and long-term health.
Knowing more about the food we eat is a major part of the decision making process.
Our clinic has been around for over 40 years and has helped thousands of people change their lives. Since the beginning our diets have had clients avoid pork. MD Diet has been ahead of the curve on many health and diet trends. Come see what makes us different, call us today to get started! 801-758-2130.
Pork is a versatile meat that shows up in everything from bacon and ham to pork chops and roast. But if you decide to eliminate pork from your diet what changes can you expect? Will cutting out this one meat drastically impact your health and nutrition? Let’s take a closer look at what happens when you stop eating pork.
Why People Choose to Avoid Pork
There are a few key reasons some people decide to cut pork out of their diets completely These include
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Religious restrictions – Certain religions, like Islam and Judaism, prohibit the consumption of pork for religious reasons.
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Health concerns – Some avoid pork due to concerns over potential parasites, as well as pork’s high saturated fat content compared to other meats.
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Animal welfare – Ethics related to factory farming practices may lead some to avoid pork.
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Taste/texture preferences – The unique taste and texture of pork may simply be unappealing to some palates.
While these are common motivations, eliminating one specific meat like pork is still relatively uncommon compared to adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet.
The Nutritional Impact
Pork can be a good source of certain nutrients, so what happens nutritionally when you remove it?
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Protein – Pork provides a high-quality, complete protein containing all the essential amino acids. But other meat sources like beef and poultry also provide complete proteins. You can also find plant-based protein in beans, lentils, nuts and more.
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Fat – Pork contains more saturated fat than other commonly eaten meats. So cutting it may lower your saturated fat intake. However, other meat sources still contain saturated fat.
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Iron – Pork contains highly bioavailable heme iron that is easily absorbed. But iron can also be obtained from spinach, beans, lentils, fortified cereals and more. Taking vitamin C with plant-based iron sources boosts absorption.
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Zinc – Pork provides zinc which supports immunity and wound healing. But zinc is also found in beef, chicken, dairy, eggs, nuts and legumes.
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Vitamin B12 – Pork contains B12 which is only naturally present in animal foods. Without pork you’ll need to eat other animal products like eggs, fish and dairy for B12.
So while pork provides valuable nutrition, you can obtain those same nutrients from other sources when you eliminate pork. It just may take a bit more planning and dietary variety.
Expected Effects of Removing Pork
Beyond nutrition, what other effects might you notice from cutting pork out of your diet? Here are some potential changes:
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No major impact if eating other meats – If you still eat poultry, beef, fish, etc., eliminating pork alone causes few significant effects.
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Possible weight loss – Since pork is high in fat compared to other meats, you may consume fewer calories when you skip pork. This can lead to modest weight loss over time.
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Lower saturated fat intake – Pork contains more saturated fat than other protein sources. Cutting it reduces saturated fats which may improve cholesterol levels.
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Need to replace nutritional value of pork – Be sure to eat a varied diet with other protein sources, iron-rich foods, veggies, healthy fats, etc. to make up for nutrients lost from pork.
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Possible changes in digestion – Some report better digestion when eliminating pork, though evidence is limited. This could be due to fat content or individual intolerances.
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No major illness risk if diet is balanced – Eliminating pork alone doesn’t pose major health risks if you maintain a balanced diet. Deficiencies are only likely with a very restricted diet.
Tips for Cutting Out Pork
If you want to remove pork from your diet, here are some helpful tips:
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Find new go-to proteins like chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, beans, tofu, nuts and seeds. Get creative replacing pork in recipes.
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Add more iron-rich veggies like spinach, broccoli and kale, along with vitamin C foods to boost iron absorption.
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Try new spices, marinades and global flavors to keep chicken, beef and fish exciting.
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Read labels carefully and research restaurant menu items to ensure no hidden pork ingredients like bacon fat or ham broth.
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Consider a multivitamin or iron supplement if fatigue, weakness or other deficiency symptoms occur.
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Introduce pork substitutes like beef or turkey bacon slowly. Don’t force them into recipes as direct pork swaps.
The Takeaway on Pork-Free Diets
Eliminating pork doesn’t have to completely disrupt your diet or nutrition if you take some simple steps to replace its nutritional value through varied whole foods and lean proteins. Focusing on an overall balanced diet matters most. With thoughtful substitutions and considerations for nutrients like protein, iron and zinc, cutting pork out of your diet is very doable.
Ancient vs. conventional wisdom
Let’s talk about the history of this meat. In many ancient and modern religious practices, Pork was banned because they were considered unclean animals to eat. In ancient times, many cultures thought it was common knowledge that eating pork would make you sick. 3 Reasons Why Pork Is Bad For You.
Many things could cause this “uncleanliness,” such as the fact that pigs don’t sweat or that their digestive system works quickly and leaves behind a lot of waste. Now I already told you I would not be biased in this article. I am going to talk about opinions on both sides of the industry. This is especially important to consider the source, when it comes to the cleanliness of pig meat. 3 Reasons Why Pork Is Bad For You.
If you look at what is being published by pig farmers or investors they will say things like “Pigs do not sweat but they are able to rid themselves of heat in other ways such as via their skin and through respiration. Because an animal does not sweat does not mean toxins build up in the body. Most pigs are fed highly balanced, nutritionally fortified diets and are kept in climate controlled facilities.” – Swineextension. org
If you look at what is being published by the health, fitness, science, and medical communities you will see things suggesting that consuming pork can lead to Hepatitis E, Multiple Sclerosis, Liver Cancer, Cirrhosis, Yersinia (worms), and other issues like heart disease associated with red meat consumption. This is due to many reasons, including the pigs physiology, diet, environment, and more.
Even the CDC warns of the risk of eating pork being associated with increased risk of swine flu if handled improperly. They do also say that you won’t get swine flu from the consumption of properly prepared and handled pig meat. So if you plan on having pork, at least make sure it was handled and prepared properly. 3 Reasons Why Pork Is Bad For You
The ancient religious dietary guidelines taught that we should avoid eating pork because the animals were unclean. Conventional modern wisdom argues back and forth. Some ads have even said that pork is a white meat, so people don’t have to worry about the health risks that come with eating red meat. Just a reminder, pork was and always has been red meat.
Up until about the 20th century, pork consumption was much lower (statistically speaking) worldwide than it is today. After industrial farming took the world by storm, people sped up their processes to handle more meat to meet the needs of a bigger and wealthier population. 3 Reasons Why Pork Is Bad For You.
Mass production agricultural farming became the new norm. For better or worse, which will be discussed more in depth at the end of this article. On an interesting note, pork and chicken were the two types of meat that went up the most. This makes sense given how popular and affordable both of them are for the consumer.
Pork has more or less the same macros as beef. It all depends on the cut you get and the sourcing of the animal. The real difference between America’s two most popular red meats is the micronutrient profiles of each. Beef typically has much more nutrients such as Iron, B vitamins, and other essential nutrients than pork. 3 Reasons Why Pork Is Bad For You.
When it comes down to getting the most bang for your buck. It is better to pick a leaner cut of beef that is full of micronutrients than a pork cut that is high in fat and low in nutrients. Some of your leanest options for protein will actually be some of the following. Many of which include much more protein and micronutrients than pork does.
As Americans and others around the world eat an increasingly higher amount of pork. It is alarming to see the correlated increase in obesity and health issues. See Figure 2 and 3. Now this doesn’t mean that one causes another. It would be far too one dimensional to think that pork alone is responsible for the obesity epidemic. You should know from reading other articles that the main thing that determines whether we gain or lose body fat is how many calories we eat. 3 Reasons Why Pork Is Bad For You.
Figure 3: Both the production of pork and the number of obese people have been going up at about the same rate. Similar to many of our increasing deadly diseases such as heart disease, cancer, etc. This might be because of the problems with pork meat we already talked about, or it might be because of the changes in western lifestyles, or it might be a mix of the two.
By now we have all heard of how terrible life is for a factory farm animal. I don’t think I need to describe this business in graphic detail to make this point clear. Instead, I’d like to take this chance to remind and encourage readers to get their animal-based proteins from sources that are moral as much as possible. 3 Reasons Why Pork Is Bad For You.
Preferably source your meat from a small local farmer with a proven ethical track record. Unfortunately, even if you try to buy pork that says “free range” on it. The USDA doesn’t have rules about this label for pigs, so the company that made the food can put that label on it without letting the animal live outside of a cage.
3 Reasons Why Pork Is Bad For You
People in the U.S. are becoming more aware of the effects of a bad diet, so we are taking a closer look at many of our favorite foods. As a result, the next generation may not want to eat something that was a staple for our grandparents because they prefer new superfoods.
Before you click away because you think this is another biased article that criticizes one food over another, I want to let you know that despite the title, this article will teach you about the history of raising pork and give you scientific proof of how good the meat is. You will have to decide for yourself if this is a food you want to keep and eat.
What I will say is this. MD Diet has been around for over 40 years. When people are on the high-protein diet, we always tell them not to eat pork, and the HCG diet does the same. We do allow pork in the keto diet and our lifestyle plans. Pork is obviously not desired in our plant-based diets.
How did pork become so popular? What is the history of America’s favorite meat? Is it good for you? We will briefly talk about the moral and ethical issues that come up when pork is raised for the masses. 3 Reasons Why Pork Is Bad For You.
What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Eating Meat
FAQ
What happens to my body if I stop eating pork?
What are the health benefits of not eating pork?
Is it healthy to avoid pork?
Why should you give up pork?
What happens if you eat undercooked pork?
Eating undercooked or raw pork can result in parasitic infections. Taenia solium, or pork tapeworm, is an intestinal parasite. Most of the time it’s harmless, but it can occasionally cause a disease called cysticercosis, which leads to epilepsy.
Why is pork not recommended to eat?
This is not true, some cuts like sirloin and pork rump steak, for example, are very healthy, even healthier than beef and chicken. Only the fattest cuts like bacon and crackling should be avoided.
What are the pros and cons of eating pork?
The cons outweigh the pros here. Although in small quantities of under 70 grams (2.5 ounces) / day, red meat is not as harmful to your health, consumption of pork is associated with a significant risk of several chronic conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and several types of cancer.
Is it bad to eat pork every day?
Pork often hogs the limelight as one of the most controversial foods, leaving many debating whether or not it’s “bad” for you. While some are strict avoiders due to religious, cultural or health reasons, others may strongly prefer all things bacon-wrapped. This article will explore what happens if you eat pork every day.