I do read and follow the bible, but that (Leviticus 11) is
not the reason I avoid pork as a staple part of my nutrition, the information I
have been provided with is science based…plus that restriction on diet in the
Old Testament was just to make the Isrealites distinct from all other nations.
Following this purpose, Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19)…at least that is the interpretation I believe.
While pork is
arguably "good" meat from a biochemical perspective, there is plenty
of scientific evidence to justify the reservations or prohibitions in many
cultures against consuming it. Pigs are scavenger animals and will eat just
about anything, alive, sick or dead. This makes pigs a breeding ground for
potentially dangerous infections. Even cooking pork for long periods is not
enough to kill many of the retroviruses and other parasites that many of them
harbor, and needing to cook at high temps bring on a whole additional set of
reasons to avoid it, including increasing the formation of nitrosamines.
Here are some points to
consider:
- - Pigs don’t sweat (we sweat to rid ourselves of toxins, “we are what we eat”)
- - Most of the pork we consume is from commercialized hog farms, meaning caged, inhumane treatment (not everywhere), full of steroids/hormones/antibiotics, no exercise, poor nutrition (wheat and corn…which leads to inflammation since their Omega 6 levels are drastically increased, or too many polyunsaturated fats PUFA’s. According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, lard from pigs that are fed this diet are 32 percent PUFA…sick and deadly…and yes this is true of not only pork but also other grain fed animals.)
- - Pork is consumed in processed form. Store bought pork is typically chemically processed and is one of the most common uses for nitrates for preserving, coloring, flavoring (which we hope will be banned by 2014).
- - Aside from grain nutrition, “feeding of animal waste products contaminated with parasites; exposure to living or dead rodents or other wildlife infected with trichinae; or cannibalism among pigs within an infected herd.” Yep, it still happens…not saying it happens everywhere, especially the pork farmer or family member of a pork farmer reading this…but it’s still prevalent. Even if the farmer does all they can to protect against this...pigs will still eat anything! So if you do find a free range farmer, it's hard to control the pig from finding a dead carcass!
- - "Worms" (Trichinae), though less of an issue than it once was, I would like to point out a statement from the “Trichinae Fact Sheet”. (A link provided by a great coach and "student of the game", but written by the USDA to point out that this once HUGE problem affecting 1 out of 6 people, is no longer an issue.)
“the U.S. has no history of regular
testing to determine trichinae infection in pigs, nor do most states require
reporting of trichinae infection in pigs if found.”
- - Finally, emerging infectious diseases…
“More common in developing countries, enteritis necroticans
can occur in children who eat large amounts of pork…”
The New England Journal of Medicine
April 27, 2000;342:1250-1253
According
to this study published in
the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (http://www.ajcn.org/content/84/5/1177.abstract)
eating bacon five or more times a week was linked to increasing your risk of
bladder cancer by 59 percent.
“Organic Consumers Association
The pork and
swine industry has been continually plagued, and continues to be so to this
day, by a wide variety of hazardous and deadly infections and diseases,
including:
PRRS
-- A horrendous disease, which I first reported on in 2001, but which had been
a nightmare for many nations since the mid-1980s, is still alive and kicking
today.
At one point
referred to as "swine mystery disease," "blue abortion,"
and "swine infertility," the disease was finally named "Porcine
Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome” (PRRS), and may afflict about 75 percent
of American pig herds.
The PRRS
virus primarily attacks the pig’s immune system, leaving its body open to a
host of infections, particularly in the lungs. Initial research revealed that
the virus was transmitted via semen, saliva and blood, leaving pigs herded
closely together and transported in close quarters by trucks more susceptible
to infection.
However,
according to new research
presented at the 2007 International PRRS Symposium shows that the
disease is now airborne, making eradication efforts very difficult. According
to the PRRS Coordinated Agricultural Project
(CAP) and the National Pork Board, it is still the most economically
significant disease of swine in the U.S.
The Nipah Virus
– Discovered in 1999, the Nipah virus has caused disease in both
animals and humans, through contact with infected animals. In humans, the virus
can lead to deadly encephalitis (an acute inflammation of your brain). I
originally reported on this virus in 2000, but according to CDC data,
the Nipah virus reemerged again in 2004.
Hepatitis E
(HEV) – According to the Mayo Clinic and an article in
the Journal of Clinical Biology, pork may be the reservoir responsible
for sporadic, locally acquired cases of acute hepatitis reported in regions
with relatively mild climates as HEV has been found to transmit between swine
and humans.
Porcine
Endogenous Retrovirus (PERV) – According to a study in
the journal Lancet, this virus can spread to people receiving pig organ
transplants, and according to test tube studies, PERV strains does have the
ability to infect human cells. PERV genes are scattered throughout pigs'
genetic material, and researchers have found that pig heart, spleen and kidney
cells release various strains of the virus.
Menangle Virus
– In 1998, the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases reported that a new
virus infecting pigs was able to jump to humans. The menangle virus was
discovered in August 1997 when sows at an Australian piggery began giving birth
to deformed and mummified piglets.
At the end of the day...you make the best decisions for you and your family. There is plenty of evidence that pork is a "healthy" meat. As you can see, there's plenty of information that states otherwise. Do some research for yourself, check your sources and make your own conclusion. I have obviously made mine for myself and my children, we don't judge others for their choices. Realize that how 100% correct either side of the coin is, where there is controversy this large, it stemmed from some place of truth. Being a father, it's my role to do everything in my power to give my children an opportunity at a maximized life. Yes this could drive you nuts...is the water contaminated, is the air unclean, is the food they have at their friends house going to hurt them, etc. I have found that the best way to control this is to live by principle and just do the best you can do. Our bodies CAN handle a certain amount of toxins, but everyone's "bucket" to fill is different.
