Is pork red or white meat?

So, I had this debate some days back on where pork actually lies in terms of red and white meat. Pork is one of the most controversial meats considering most religions are against its consumption for various diverse reasons. Some won’t consume it due to the amount of fat it most often than not contain, and I must agree I lay in the later group for years until my mum introduced it to me some time back. In terms of palatability, pork if well cooked can cause you a serious addiction and I know those of us who can’t have enough of pork chops and bacon will agree with me. Let’s not forget pigs are omnivorous which means they eat basically everything more like scavengers; could this be connected to the awesome taste? Well I’ll leave that to your imagination but if you like pork like me, you might want to ignore that sentence.

Pork is actually in the red meat category. It has less myoglobin (oxygen carrying protein) than beef and other red meats, which is the main cause of the “whitish color” on it that makes most people classify it as a white meat.

Despite all the conflicting information and beliefs about it, pork is actually one of the most nutritious meats out there. First on the list is its high B vitamin content; thiamin, niacin, B6 and B12 which is higher that of most other meats. The B vitamins act as co-enzymes in most metabolic activities hence are very essential in any balance diet.

It also contains Iron, Zinc, Selenium; which is the only anti-oxidant mineral and of course the most obvious, protein. All the nutrients listed are crucial for optimal body functioning hence pork may not be such a bad meat after all. Go for lean pork though to keep the unwanted cholesterol at bay.

One of the lows of pork is the presence of many disease causing parasites in it especially trichinella worms, which can actually be directly related to what pigs eat. This means that pork has to be cooked thoroughly and under high temperatures for it to be safe to eat. The recommended temperature for cooking pork is 145⁰ F for at least 3 minutes for fresh meats and 140⁰ F for pre-cooked meats.

Did you know pigs don’t have sweat glands? This obviously means that most toxins are not well excreted. This has stirred up a lot of controversy on the safety of pork consumption and possible toxicity. As a nutritionist I can without a doubt say that pork is one of the most nutritious meats out there. The safety in terms of toxin levels, cholesterol and parasites are still under research and we hope to hear more on the same in the future from the research institutions.

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