The saying goes, “Have you ever seen a pig run if you haven’t eaten pork?”
How important is pork to the Chinese people? Clearly, we also have chicken, lamb, beef, and other types of meat for consumption, so why is pork always associated with meat when thinking about it?
Chinese people love eating pork, which is related to the food culture that has been around for thousands of years. Since ancient times with documented history, the pig is one of the earliest domesticated animals by the Chinese people.
Although pork is commonly consumed in diets, certain parts of pork are not edible, as they could have adverse effects on the body.
Consuming pork frequently brings the following 5 major benefits:
1. Skincare
In fact, consuming pork in moderation can have skincare benefits, which may confuse many people. Pork contains various vitamins, with high vitamin C content that helps inhibit melanin growth, leading to skin whitening.
Additionally, some substances in pork can promote collagen synthesis, and collagen is essential for skin nourishment.
2. Improving Anemia
Individuals who are weak or ill are suitable for consuming pork as it can provide a significant amount of heme iron, preventing iron-deficiency anemia, and improving symptoms caused by anemia such as dizziness and fatigue.
During menstruation, women may experience anemia due to a lack of protein and iron, both of which are abundant in pork. Consuming more pork can help improve anemia.
3. Providing Quality Protein
If pork is prepared and cooked properly, it can also act as a “longevity medicine.” After prolonged stewing, pork can reduce fat by 30% to 50%, increase unsaturated fatty acids, significantly lower cholesterol content, and provide humans with quality protein and essential fatty acids.
4. Protecting Vision
Pork contains rich vitamin A, which is known to protect vision and promote vision restoration. It also helps maintain skin transparency, so consuming pork appropriately can enhance eyesight.
5. Nourishing the Kidney and Yin
Pork is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, with the ability to moisten the intestines, promote saliva production, nourish the kidney’s essence, and dispel heat toxins.
It is used to treat conditions such as deficiency heat, thirst, emaciation, kidney deficiency, postpartum blood deficiency, dry cough, constipation, tonifying deficiency, nourishing yin, moistening dryness, nourishing liver yin, moisturizing the skin, promoting urination, and stopping thirst.
There are 7 parts on a pig that doctors suggest consuming less of, with the large intestine being at the end, although it is a favorite for many.
From a health perspective, it is advisable to consume as little as possible from the 7 parts on a pig, including the large intestine, as excessive consumption is detrimental to the body.
The first part: Pig Liver
Pig liver contains nutrients such as protein, iron, copper, and vitamin A. Proper intake can supplement iron and vitamins, aiding in blood replenishment. It can regulate and improve the physiological function of hematopoiesis in anemic patients, preventing dryness and fatigue in the eyes.
However, pig liver has a high cholesterol content. Overconsumption could lead to atherosclerosis, exacerbate cardiovascular diseases, and increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Therefore, individuals with high cholesterol should avoid pig liver. Note: Pig liver has a high copper content, which can neutralize vitamin C, diminishing its original function.
The second part: Pig Brain
In daily life, many people enjoy eating pig brains, especially in hot pot dishes. They taste great, but prolonged consumption can be harmful to the body.
Due to the high cholesterol content in pig brains, excessive intake can elevate blood cholesterol levels, predisposing individuals to cardiovascular diseases.
Furthermore, pig brains also contain purine substances, frequent consumption of which can lead to increased uric acid levels, causing gout and affecting personal health.
Therefore, consuming pig brains regularly is also detrimental, and it is recommended to consume less.
The third part: Pig Kidneys
Pig kidneys, also known as pig kidneys, are favored by many males to improve kidney function and address kidney deficiency issues.
However, this practice is incorrect. Regular consumption of pig kidneys not only fails to improve kidney function but also accumulates heavy metal elements in the body, causing cerebral thrombosis and cardiovascular diseases.
When cooking pig kidneys, the original fishy taste or excessive seasoning to mask the taste may increase the body’s burden.
The fourth part: Pig Skin
Many people enjoy eating pig skin because they believe it contains a lot of collagen, which can whiten the skin and delay aging.
However, multiple research studies have proven that while pig skin does contain some collagen, it mostly consists of cholesterol and fat. Prolonged consumption of pig skin can lead to fat accumulation in the body before any skin improvement occurs, adding pressure to the digestive system and increasing the presence of cholesterol and fat in the blood, affecting liver detoxification.
The fifth part: Pig Lungs
Pig lungs, as the pig’s respiratory organs and air filters, can suffer from lung diseases. Lung alveoli may contain parasites, bacteria, and viruses, posing a threat to the human body if left untreated.
Moreover, the lifestyle habits of pigs can lead to increased dust intake, adding to the dust in pig lungs, which is easily concealed. Heavy metals in the dust can pose risks after human consumption, threatening human health.
Most importantly, pig lung alveoli are numerous, small in volume, and vast in total area, making them difficult to clear out. In particular, the pig lungs sold in markets, once consumed, can introduce bacteria, viruses, dust, heavy metals, etc., threatening human health.
The sixth part: Pig Neck
Pig neck is quite common in daily life, and this part of the meat is relatively inexpensive. However, pig neck contains many lymph nodes and lymphatic systems, with lymph serving as an intermediary for filtering toxins in the body, also known as a waste disposal site.
It is rich in harmful substances such as bacterial toxins. Regular consumption of pig neck can cause thyroid diseases, leading to enlarged lymph nodes, resulting in lymph node swelling, damaging overall health.
The seventh part: Pig Large Intestine
Pig large intestine is rich in carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients, providing energy and nutrition to the body. Moderate intake will not cause significant damage to the stomach.
If consumed in excess beyond the stomach’s digestion capacity, it can lead to stomach bloating and pain, burdening the stomach, and the cholesterol content in pig intestines is not suitable for individuals with diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Extension: Pork should not be eaten with two types of food
1. Beef
Pork and beef are not compatible. Pork is considered a cold food, while beef is sweet and warm. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the combination of the two is not recommended. Historical records also mention the conflict between the cold and warm properties of the two, recommending against consuming pork along with beef.
Many people overlook this when eating hotpot, combining pork and beef, which can lead to internal heat, excessive internal heat, and other reactions, so it is advisable to avoid combining them.
2. Sheep Liver
Traditional Chinese medicine says, “Eating pork with sheep liver causes a feeling of oppression in the chest.”
This is mainly because sheep liver has a bitter and cold nature, tonifying the liver, improving vision, and treating liver wind vacuity and heat. Pork is greasy and dampening to the stomach, leading to damp heat. From a perspective of the food’s nature and properties, they are not a suitable combination. Sheep liver has a strong smell that, when cooked with pork, can result in a peculiar taste, which is also not advisable from a culinary perspective.
