Pork New Year’s Twist
Getting fit and losing weight continue to top the list of New Year’s resolutions, and the Pork Checkoff is serving up new food for thought about how pork can satisfy consumers’ healthy appetites.
“This is the year to go lean with pork, which offers a delicious way to liven up everything from salads to stir fry,” says Adria Sheil-Brown, manager of nutrition communications and research for the Pork Checkoff.
In its advertisements and e-newsletters during the first quarter of 2011, the Pork Checkoff is taking a new twist on health and wellness by showcasing pork as an ingredient. Both OtherWhiteMeat.com and PorkandHealth.org are showcasing tenderloins to ground pork in new recipes, including Game Day Pork and Chile Wraps, Pork-Stuffed Peppers, Five-Spice Pork and Apple Salad, and One-Skillet Pork with Wild Rice and Herbs.
To spread the word, the Pork Checkoff is expanding its advertising in early 2011. The recipe for Five-Spice Pork and Apple Salad will appear in print advertisements in Weight Watchers magazine, Cooking Light, Reader’s Digest and Prevention. Pork’s early 2011 online advertising at WeightWatchers.com, EverydayHealth.com and Google.com will feature Pork and Chile Wraps, along with links that people can click through to find more pork recipes and cooking tips at TheOtherWhiteMeat.com.
Pork is nutritious as it is delicious, says Sheil-Brown, who notes that:
• Today’s most popular cuts of pork have 16 percent less total fat and 27 percent less saturated fat than they did 20 years ago.
• Ounce-for-ounce, pork tenderloin is as lean as skinless chicken breast, and meets the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) guidelines for “extra lean.”
• Cuts of pork that come from the loin – including chops and roasts – and 96% lean ground pork are the leanest cuts of pork available.
• Seven pork cuts meet the USDA guidelines for “lean,” with less than 10 grams fat, 4.5 grams saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. In fact, pork tenderloin and Canadian bacon qualify for USDA’s “extra lean” status.
“There are so many ways to include pork as an ingredient, from using ground pork in tacos to substituting pork tenderloin for chicken in a stir fry,” Sheil-Brown says. “Through our health and wellness messages in 2011, we want to encourage consumers to take a new look at pork’s possibilities.”