Pork Nutrition Benefits and Facts

Nutritional summary

Pork is classified as a red meat by major health organizations, including the USDA, which groups it with beef, lamb, and veal for nutritional guidance .
Pork provides high-quality protein containing all essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein that the body cannot produce on its own) .
While red meat consumption is frequently associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, some systematic reviews suggest these associations may be weak or influenced by other lifestyle habits .
A meta-analysis found that pork consumption specifically does not have a clear link to increased body weight or abdominal adiposity (belly fat), contradicting some general assumptions about red meat and weight gain .

Interesting fact

Despite its culinary classification as 'the other white meat' in historical marketing, pork is biologically and nutritionally classified as a red meat due to its myoglobin content.

Standout nutrients

EPIC

SOURCE

Thiamin (Vitamin B1)

ELITE

SOURCE

Niacin

ACE

SOURCE

Protein

ACE

SOURCE

Vitamin B6

199

kcal per 100g

Protein20.0g

Fat11.3g

Carbs0.01g

Fat breakdown

Polyunsat1.27g

Monounsat4.89g

Saturated4.16g

Trans0.08g

Seasonality

Not available

Diet

Gluten FreeDairy FreeKetoLow FodmapPaleo

Sustainability

Moderate

Pork generally has a lower carbon footprint than beef or lamb but higher than poultry or plant proteins.

Confidencehigh

Storage

Refrigerate

3–5 days

Keep in original packaging or airtight container

Freeze

6–12 months

Quality is best maintained if used within 6 months

Flavour

Data & Sources

Harmonized from 3 validated sources

French Food Database

2 contributing source foods

Swiss Food Database

1 contributing source food

McCance & Widdowson

2 contributing source foods

Claim citations

Pork Meat Composition and Health: A Review of the Evidence - PMC

[1]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Red and Processed Meats and Health Risks: How Strong Is the Evidence? - PMC

[2]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Dietary Meat Categories and Descriptions in Chronic Disease Research Are Substantively Different within and between Experimental and Observational Studies: A Systematic Review and Landscape Analysis - PMC

[4]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Coverage

Nutrients

FoodCompass

56.8

Version

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