For decades, traditional scientific and nutrition professionals have told us to avoid eggs, stop eating red meat and organs, and shy away from full-fat dairy like milk, yogurt, and butter.
What’s one of the biggest common denominators between them? The presence of saturated fat.
So one of the most common questions I get from heart health patients is: is it okay to eat pork? Or does it just put your heart at risk?
I’ll explore all that and more in this article.
Article Overview
- Pork’s reputation as a heart health risk is largely overblown when placed in context with other important nutritional and scientific details.
- Whole, real pork is one of the most nutrient-dense and affordable animal proteins available.
- Adding more pork to your diet could help you lose additional fat, balance your HDL, and more.
The nutritional profile of pork
In the US, pork is one of the cheapest sources of animal protein. It’s also highly satiating and used in a monumental variety of dishes, from soups and casseroles to standalone meals.
The nutrients you can expect from pork depend largely on the individual animal, the cut, and of course, the food you put it in. But generally, it breaks down as follows (using a three-ounce pork tenderloin as the example-Listed as percent of RDA):
- Iron: 6%
- Magnesium: 6%
- Niacin: 34%
- Phosphorus: 15%
- Potassium: 6%
- Riboflavin: 20%
- Thiamin: 50%
- Vitamin B6: 30%
- Vitamin B12: 25%
- Zinc: 25%
- Protein: 46%
Pork also contains plenty of fat, called lard. This was once one of the most predominant and popular fat sources in the United States. It contains fairly moderate levels of saturated fat compared to beef, and is filled with nutrients of its own (such as vitamin A).
All that said, however, pork is still one of the most criticized meats in terms of being ‘heart healthy.’ Just think about Crisco and other margarines supplanting sales of lard, or canned Goya beans with added lard for flavor.
But does this hold up under scrutiny?
Let’s take a closer look.
What does science have to say about pork and heart health?
Despite quite a lot of hearsay to the contrary, there’s a nuanced picture of pork and its effects on the human heart.
But let me not get ahead of myself.
First, let’s take a look at the more traditional viewpoints:
- “Pork has ‘too much’ saturated fat.” Lard, or the animal fat derived from pork, is solid at room temperature. Thus, it’s largely a saturated fat. However, it doesn’t have to contain large amounts of fat: pork tenderloin and sirloin both have less than 5 total grams of fat, and no more than 2 grams of saturated fat, which meet the criteria for the American Heart Association Heart Checkmark. You should also know that saturated fat’s ties to poor heart health are dubious at best. There are also quite a few health benefits to using lard in your cooking: it’s the second-highest source of vitamin A (behind cod liver oil) and may even raise your HDL cholesterol — which lowers your risk of heart disease.
- “Many processed pork products are related to poor metabolic health outcomes.” There is evidence to suggest this is true in heavily processed pork products such as cured ham, bacon, and sausage, and more likely than not because they contain added sugars and preservatives like nitrites. However, I should mention that there’s a very large gap between whole, real pork and processed meat amalgamations, especially in scientific literature. Case in point: you might eat lean ground pork from the farmer’s market and call it ‘meat,’ or eat frozen meatballs and canned SPAM (essentially mechanically separated pork and wheat mash), both highly processed, and call them ‘meat.’ We both know which option will support good metabolic health. But the differences are rarely labeled in scientific literature.
- “There’s too much omega-6 in pork compared to other meats.” This is largely true of factory-farmed pork, which typically feeds a high ratio of corn and other grains. However, this confuses CAFOs with regeneratively farmed animals. Forage-fed and pastured pork typically has a much better ratio, thanks to its higher level of omega-3. You can learn more about the importance of the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio here.
Just hearing these statements on the surface, you can imagine why there would be such an uproar around eating pork. But as you can see from the notes, there’s a lot more to the story than we previously understood.
Here’s what more modern science has to say:
- Pork can help lower high blood sugar and insulin resistance. Studies repeatedly show that eating whole, real pork has the same effect on glucose and insulin as other types of meat. That is to say, lower them. And considering pork is substantially less expensive than beef, it may be a great way to get started on your keto or carnivore journey.
- Pork may result in a greater loss of body fat compared to ‘leaner’ protein like chicken. If you’re currently struggling with obesity and hormone imbalances caused by greater levels of adipose tissue (in other words, body fat), pork may help you get there more quickly. But again, it’s far better to focus on natural outcomes of that, such as getting your type 2 diabetes under control.
- Clinical studies indicate that incorporating pork into your diet has “no harmful effects on cardiovascular risk factors.” Switching your diet to animal-based, protein-heavy options can have a significant impact on arterial plaque.
One more note on the impact of eating a meat-heavy diet.
Just look at the ‘blue zones’ of Okinawa, Sardinia, and Hong Kong. Not only do they boast some of the highest life expectancies in the world, but they also consume some of the highest quantities of meat per capita (including pork). You can learn more about animal-based vs plant-based diets here.
So: should you eat pork?
Only you can make that decision.
But if you’re on the carnivore diet, or if you’re eating truly whole, real foods, there’s no need to cut pork from your diet forever.
Again, remember that whole, real cuts of pork, as well as lard, can offer a far greater nutritional profile than anything you could find in the pre-packaged foods aisle. Bonus points if you support your local farmer and purchase whole, real cuts from a pasture-raised, low-grain-fed animal.
Learn more about the different types of animal proteins and fats and how they affect your heart below: