IARN — As we continue celebrating Pork Month, the team at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is reminding Iowans of the benefits that pork offers.
Pork is a very versatile meat and can be prepared many different ways. Barb Fuller is a nutrition and wellness expert for ISU Extension and Outreach in southwest Iowa. She says pork can absolutely be a healthy addition to your diet.
“It’s a great source of protein and has several of the B vitamins that we need every day,” Fuller said. “Some people may have been told that ‘pork is too fatty, you shouldn’t eat it, or it raises your cholesterol.’ Well, the feeding and breeding techniques have changed a lot, even in the last 10 to 20 years. The pork producers have responded to the consumer demand for leaner pork. Even since 1991, pork is 16 percent less fat and 27 percent less saturated fat.”
“Pork is safely cooked at 145 degrees,” she said. “The color may still be pink in the middle. It doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through or really dried out. Ground pork like sausage should be cooked a little higher at 160 degrees. It’s a lot lower than people used to think of in the past. You may remember that is always had to be 180 degrees. That’s a pretty dried out pork chop. Cooking it a little lower and having it a little pink is fine. It’s a lot juicier and more favorable if it’s not so dried out.”
Many pork recipes can be found on the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s website.
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
Photo source: Wikimedia Commons
