Pork Facts "Nutrition"

According to the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the United States Department of Agriculture's Nutrition and Your Health, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, healthful, nutritious eating patterns can stem from many combinations of foods from all of the five major food groups including the meat group.

• Less than 50% of the fat in pork, beef and veal is saturated.
• The average fat and cholesterol content of trimmed, lean pork is 31% lower today than it was 20 years ago.
• The amount of cholesterol in pork is no more than that of chicken or turkey. A three ounce serving of cooked lean pork has 78mg of cholesterol compared with 76mg in cooked, skinless chicken.
• Today's pork is so lean that it is important not to overcook it. For fork-tender, juicy pork, the USDA recommends cooking pork to medium-done – an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember to think, "slightly pink".
• In addition to protein, pork is an excellent source of Zinc, Vitamins B12 and B5, Thiamine, and Iron.
• Protein is the building block for the body. It strengthens the immune system and helps maintain the blood. The protein in meat (pork) is "complete" protein – it contains vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
• Growth hormones are NOT used in pork production.
• Pork is the number one consumed meat in the world.
• Pork is the most versatile meat -- it can be marinated, dry rubbed, roasted, microwaved, grilled, skewered, pan-fried, stir-fried, boiled, barbecued, and baked.

Beef Facts "Nutrition"

Three ounces of beef contributes to less than 10 percent of the Daily Value for nine essential nutrients. This is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Beef not only provides an excellent amount of nutrients. There are 19 cuts of beef that are leaner than a skinless chicken thigh and meet the USDA Labeling Guidelines for lean cuts.

Benefits of Beef Consumption

Beef supplies an abundant amount of key nutrients to help children grow up to be strong and healthy. Nutrients that are found in beef contribute to optimal growth, cognitive function, red blood cell development and prevent iron deficiency during the adolescent years.

The American Dietetic Association recognizes beef as a functional food that provides a health benefit beyond basic nutrition because of its Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) content, a fatty acid found naturally in beef. Recent research indicates CLA may play a role in cancer by inhibiting tumor growth and development.

Chicken Facts 

"Nutrition "

Chicken nutrition facts, such as high in proteins, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and low in fat and cholesterol, make chicken a major component of a healthy diet. In fact, dietitians recommend that chicken should make it to your food plate at least thrice a week. In chicken nutrition, protein content plays an important role as a 100 g serving of chicken provides more than half of recommended daily protein intake for humans. If our body is not provided with the required amount of protein daily, it starts using the proteins stored in muscles to generate energy, and hence the protein stores in the body have to be replenished daily. Other than being one of the best source of lean proteins, chicken is also packed with various vitamins, minerals and all nine essential amino acids. It provides you with 40 percent of the daily requirement of selenium. It also has a decent saturated-unsaturated fat ratio. Although fat is required by our body to facilitate energy generation, too much of fat can turn out to be harmful for the body, especially in the long term. Generally, chicken with bone and skin has higher fat content than its boneless or skinless counterpart. However, the fat content in chicken is much lower when compared with other meat. In fact, half of this fat content is unsaturated fat which helps in lowering the cholesterol levels. When it comes to chicken nutrition, iron and zinc content in chicken dark meat is much more higher than that in white meat. Chicken meat also contains significant amounts of phosphorous and potassium, essential for our body. Low calorie count (only 150 calories in a 199 g serving) is yet another important aspect of chicken nutrition. Calories are meant to provide energy, but if they are not utilized properly, they lead to excessive weight gain. Read more on nutritional facts about chicken and nutrition facts.