11 Reasons We Love Pork
Food brings everyone together, whether you are 10 or 80, enjoying a meal together is plain fun. Not only is pork tasty, but it’s nutritious, too.
“Pork is a user-friendly protein that absorbs flavor well. Almost any method of cooking can be used to achieve your desired outcome. Eight pork cuts are specifically lean* and pork tenderloin is extra lean*, making it a heart-healthy** choice for your family,” says Jenny Jackson, director of communications for the Illinois Pork Producers Association.
Farm Journal’s PORK sought out expert opinions from kids at Illinois Pork Youth Day to find out what their favorite cut of pork is and why.
For Ty Smith, 15, that is an easy question to answer. Hands-down, bacon is his favorite. They enjoy making it for breakfast, he explains.
Pork chops are 8-year-old Jocelyn Oxford’s favorite way to eat pork because they are delicious, she says.
Waylon Paulek, 13, offered an interesting perspective, too. He says most people don’t put a lot of thought into buying a pork chop at the store. Meanwhile, the people in the pork industry spend a lot of time thinking about how they can raise a better product for the consumer.
“For decades, America’s pig farmers have worked closely with their team of pig health professionals reviewing and researching what pigs eat and how they are raised and bred to develop leaner, higher quality pork foods that people continue to prefer,” the National Pork Board says on its website. https://www.pork.org/cooking/pork-nutrition/
It’s no wonder pork has consistently been the number one protein enjoyed worldwide but watch this video to hear it straight from the toughest critics – kids.
*Eight cuts of pork meet the USDA guidelines for “lean,” containing less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams of meat. The popular pork tenderloin is considered “extra lean” and has the same amount of fat as skinless chicken breast.
**Heart-Healthy: Pork is naturally low in sodium and a “good” source of potassium – two nutrients that, together, can help regulate blood pressure.
Source: https://www.pork.org/cooking/pork-nutrition/
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