Pork: Is It Worth the Health Risk?

Pork. "The other white meat."

Pork has been much used, much loved, and much maligned over the years Some consider pork a healthy alternative to beef, but many also fear that it requires special precautions. If improperly handled pork can make you ill, and possibly kill you. So, what is the truth? Is pork a dangerous item that should be feared?

Pork is a nutritious choice of meat. By choosing chops or loin cuts, you can have a delicious, moist entrees that are low in fat. Besides being low fat, pork is also rich in nutrients without being loaded with calories. It contains high levels of some essential B vitamins like B6, B12, niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin. In addition to the B vitamins, pork also contains high amounts of other nutrients, providing you with iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. And let's not forget the protein. A three ounce portion of pork provides nearly half of the daily requirements for protein.

But is it worth it? Is it worth the risk?

Pigs have a reputation of being dirty animals. Pigs are susceptible to infection by a parasite called Trichinella that lives in the muscles. This poisoning for this parasite is what causes trichinosis, the biggest risk of eating pork

So again, is it worth the risk?

The truth is, in the past decade food borne illness related to pork has decreased dramatically. Last year only 7% of all food borne illness cases reported were related to pork. And trichinosis? The Center for Disease Control reported that between 1997 and 2001 there was an average of only 12 cases of trichinosis per year reported. There are two main reasons for the decreases in cases of illness related to pork.