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Nutrition

Today's Lean Pork

Canadian pork has shaped up and slimmed down over the past few years! In fact, according to Health Canada's guidelines, all raw, fresh pork cuts, except ribs, qualify as 'lean' when trimmed of visible fat.

How did pork get so lean? Through:

• improved breeding and feeding practices
• a revised grading system which rewards pork producers for producing leaner meat
• better trimming of fat at the processor level and in grocery stores

Today's lean pork qualifies for the Health Check™ program. Health Check™ is a food information program from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada that helps Canadians make healthy food choices at the grocery store. The criteria used for participation in the program are based on Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating and Nutrition Labelling regulations set by Health Canada. For more information, visit Health Check™.

Today's lean pork is naturally nutrient rich. Nutrient density has been the subject of renewed attention in an effort to educate consumers to make their calories count more. Nutrient density is the ratio of the amount of a nutrient in foods to the energy provided by these same foods. Canadian pork provides 12 essential nutrients including high quality protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins. For details, download Nutrient Value of Canadian Pork.

Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating suggests choosing leaner meats, like pork, more often. The Food Guide recommends 2 to 3 servings of meat and alternatives a day.

Tips for healthy eating:

• Enjoy a wide variety of foods.
• Try new foods and new recipes.
• Use little or no fat when cooking and serving food (e.g. butter, margarine, oil, and regular salad dressing).
• Use breading, rich sauces and gravies only occasionally.
• Avoid frying foods in oil. Instead choose low fat cooking methods such as broiling, baking, stir frying, barbecuing, braising or microwaving.
• Balance high and low fat food choices throughout the day or week.
• Roast or broil meat, fish and poultry on a rack so that any fat drains off.
• Trim visible fat from meat and remove skin from poultry before cooking.
• Make soups and stews a day ahead. Chill, and then remove fat from the surface before reheating.
• Choose whole grain cereals, breads, other grain products, vegetables and fruits more often.
• Achieve and maintain a healthy weight by enjoying regular physical activity and healthy eating.
• Make one change at a time; small changes add up.
• Remember that all foods can be enjoyed in a healthy diet - balance is the key.