Miller County Newsletters
Haley's Comment
Today's Pork is Good for Any Diet
March 12, 2008
At one time, pork was considered taboo if you were watching what you ate.
Good news…today's pork can fit into almost any diet. Pork is low in calories and
has a relatively high nutrient density level. (Nutrient density refers to the
ratio of nutrients to calories.)
We all know nutrients are needed to keep your body healthy. A 3-ounce cooked
serving of pork provides 53 percent of the daily value (DV) of thiamin; 33
percent DV of vitamin B12; 20 percent DV of niacin; 15 percent DV of zinc; and 7
percent DV of iron.
As you can see, pork definitely has nutrition our bodies need. It can be a
healthy part of our diet while we enjoy its taste, variety and versatility. Like
other favorite foods, it just takes a little practice and changing of habits.
Portion control is one of the greatest challenges we face in our diets. We
want to eat the entire portion of meat at one setting when in reality most
adults need between 5 and 6 ounces from the meat group daily. One easy way to
remember this is that a 3-ounce serving is about the size of a deck of cards.
If we trim all visible fat before eating, it will also help us have a leaner
finished product. Although fat contributes flavor, too much fat adds calories
and fat grams to your diet.
The healthiest options for cooking lean are broiling, grilling, stir-frying
(in a small amount of water or broth) or roasting. When roasting, be sure to
roast the meat on a rack so that all the fat can drain away from the meat.
With time a precious commodity for all of us, choose to prepare a smaller
cut, like pork chops or stir-fry strips, which cook quickly and are still
healthy. On the other hand, if you are entertaining and have several other
dishes to prepare, you may want to choose a roast or pork loin, which can be put
in the oven or slow cooker and will require very little attention.
Most of the loin or leg cuts contain between 6 and 8 grams of fat per 3-ounce
cooked serving. Pork tenderloin—the leanest choice—has only 4 grams of fat per
serving. These choices would fit easily into a healthy diet.
When making your next shopping list, be sure to include pork. Start by making
a menu for a week and use the advertised food selections, utilizing the specials
in the food section of the paper.
Using that list, look for pork cuts that are on sale; buy several packages
and freeze them for later use. However, you will want to repackage them if they
are stored on foam trays to ensure a quality food product when you retrieve it
from the freezer.
As you make your menu for next week, why not add a boneless pork loin? You
can make a Cajun Garlic Pork Roast, which has only 163 calories per 3-ounce
serving. As an added bonus, it has only 195 mg of sodium and 24 grams of
protein, and it will make your kitchen smell great!
If you would like to receive more information on cooking with pork, contact
my office at 870-779-3609, e-mail me at
Chaley@uaex.edu or visit our office at 400 Laurel, Suite 215, in Texarkana, Ark.
Cajun Garlic Pork Roast
3 - 4 pounds boneless pork loin
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon oregano leaves, crushed
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Blend all seasonings well and rub mixture
over all surfaces of pork loin. Place pork in shallow roasting pan and roast
until meat thermometer inserted in roast registers 155 to 160 degrees F,
about 60 - 90 minutes. Remove pork from oven; let rest 10 minutes before
slicing.
We appreciate your feedback!
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