Health Benefits of Porc from Wales
As a nation we all love the taste of welsh meat, particularly porc from Wales. Which makes sense, as pigs in Wales are generally reared in smaller herds and for longer allowing for a bigger, fuller flavour. Luckily, not only is porc from Wales packed with flavour it’s also packed with vitamins and minerals that are essential to our health and wellbeing.
Some of nutrients that are found in pork are:
- Iron, helping the production of red blood cells.
- Protein, vital for growth and repair.
- Zinc, keeping our immune system healthy.
- Thiamin or Vitamin B1, which is needed for the continuous release of energy from carbohydrate and for keeping the nervous system healthy. Thiamin is not stored in the body as it is a water-soluble vitamin, so it needs regular replenishing.
- Riboflavin or Vitamin B2, required for growth and healthy skin, eyes and the nervous system.
- Niacin or Vitamin B3, which helps us utilise food energy as well as helping keep the nervous system and skin healthy.
- Vitamin B6, playing an important part in the formation of haemoglobin in blood which carries oxygen around the body. It also allows the body to use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates in our food.
- Vitamin B12, helping to make red blood cells, maintaining a healthy nervous system and releasing energy from the food we eat.
- Selenium, which has antioxidant properties, supports our immune system and helps prevent damage to cells and tissue.
As you can see pork is a great source of B vitamins, including B3, B6 and B12 which are not found naturally within foods of plant origin, so we need to retrieve these vitamins from meat.
Pork also provides 5 essential vitamins that help reduce tiredness and fatigue (Niacin, riboflavin, vitamins B6 and B12 and pantothenic acid for those of you who are curious) which could help if you keep feeling the need for an afternoon nap!
If you want to know how you can introduce more welsh meat in your diet take a look at some of our healthy pork recipes!
Porc Jambalaya - https://porcblasus.cymru/en/recipes/pork-jabalaya
Oriental Porc Stir Fry (pictured) - https://porcblasus.cymru/en/recipes/oriental-style-pork-stir-fry
Chunky Porc Chops - https://porcblasus.cymru/en/recipes/chunky-pork-chops-sage-garlic-lemon
Porc Steaks with Pepper & Mushroom Sauce - https://porcblasus.cymru/en/recipes/welsh-pork-steaks-creamy-pepper-mushroom-sauce
We’ll be focusing on porc’s health benefits next month, when Organic September and the Rugby World Cup run side-by-side. Keep checking back to Porc.Wales for updates!