While Islam and the Old Testament of the Bible forbid it, this may be a new superfood.
It’s pork fat.
Surprisingly, good old bacon might actually be one of the best you could ever eat.
How in the world is this possible, you wonder?
It’s a legitimate question.
Even in the age of ketogenic diets, we’re told that animal fats are still dangerous, especially fat from pigs.
But as you’ll soon see, pork fat is something everyone (well everyone who’s not religiously opposed to) should include in their diet.
An Important Note about the Safety of Pork Fat
Before getting into the specifics of what makes pork fat a true superfood, we need to make a distinction about pork fat.
The source of pork fat plays a role in how healthy it is.
Feedlot pork, or pork produced in massive commercial farms, is not the kind of fat you want to fill your diet with.
That’s because these animals are treated with all types of pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, and steroids to make them grow larger and resist infections.
Additionally, their diets consist of low-grade corn, soy, and scraps unsuitable for human consumption.
Meaning, everything these pigs eat ends up stored in their fat and ends up on your table.
So the only time pork is a true superfood is when it’s raised free from additives and eating a diet rich in real foods.
Now that we’ve explained this we’ll get into the nuts and bolts of why pork fat is so healthy.
The Science Behind Pork Fat as a Superfood
Pork fat is a superfood not only because of nutrients it delivers but also based on what it doesn’t contain.
The first, and probably the most important reason pork fat is better than most animal fats has to do with the kind of fat it provides.
There are several types of fat.
Trans, Poly, Saturated and Unsaturated fats.
The best and easiest fat for your body to absorb is unsaturated fat.
Pork fat happens to be one of the better animal-based sources of unsaturated fat.
And to make things even better for bacon lovers, pork fat is a source of monounsaturated fat, which is preferable to polyunsaturated fat as it’s easier for the body to absorb and use for energy.
Pork fat also provides high amounts of oleic acid, which is shown to be beneficial for the cardiovascular system, hormone regulation, and skin health.
In addition to that, when you consume pork and pork fat, you’re getting a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals.
Enough so that the BBC ranked pork fat as their 73rd healthiest food (this ranking was out of 1,000 health foods).
Eating 3-5 oz of high-quality pork delivers the following minerals and vitamins in nutritionally significant amounts.
- Vitamin B12: Essential for cellular energy and brain function
- Vitamin B6: Helps with red blood cell formation and needed for circulatory health.
- Niacin: AKA vitamin B3, regulates growth and influences metabolic rate
- Thiamine: A B vitamin necessary for regulating blood sugar, brain health, cardiovascular function and more.
- Iron: The mineral your red blood cells need to carry oxygen to body tissue.
- Zinc: Plays a critical role in immune, sexual and brain health
- Selenium: Needed to regulate thyroid function and keep metabolism in check.
All that in pork fat.
Incredible as it is, this all makes sense.
Our ancestors relied on animal products like feral pigs to help us develop into the modern-era humans we are.
It makes sense that pork fat would be one of the healthiest foods we could ever enjoy.
Don’t let the food lobby determine what you eat, especially now that you know just how healthy pork is.
