Pork in the diet of the child

Pork often has a bad reputation preceding it, and pediatricians recommend introducing other meats such as veal, chicken or rabbit before introducing the pig into the baby's diet , but, is there any specific reason to wait or not offer this meat to our children? Pork for children: yes or no? Pork mea

Pork for children: yes or no?

Pork meat, like other red meats is rich in protein of high biological value, vitamins and minerals. Specifically, it contains B vitamins and vitamin D, as well as phosphorus, iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium in amounts relevant to the diet. However, it also contains a quantity of fat, depending on the origin of the piece that is consumed, especially monounsaturated, but also saturated and cholesterol. To this day, saturated fat is not as demonized as it was in other times, although obviously it is not the healthiest of fats, but trans fats are even less so.

Within the pork meat, more or less fatty cuts can be differentiated, depending on the piece. As far as possible, lean parts should be selected or the visible fat removed from the parts with more fat.

- Loin or sirloin, for example, are usually lean pieces, while ribs tend to be more fat. The tenderloin may be fresh or marinated. The marinade usually includes spices such as paprika, oregano and garlic, in addition to carrying an amount of added salt that is not recommended for babies. However, if it is made at home, the salt can be omitted and the marinated loin would be suitable for consumption during childhood, especially with the idea in mind that the baby must learn to eat what is eaten at home. In addition, the less processed the meat, the healthier it is and the easier it is to digest.

- Bacon, at the head of smoked meats, is a very salty meat, so it should be avoided. When consumed fresh it is usually known as bacon that is less salty, but it is a very fat piece, with a fat difficult to eliminate.

- The meat coming from the ham, like the chops are relatively lean pieces with visible fat easy to eliminate, although they also have infiltrated fat in variable amounts.

Depending on the origin and aging of the pig, whether white or Iberian, the meat may have more or less infiltrated fat. The infiltrated fat is one that is between the fibers of the meat and can not be eliminated. It is more frequent in muscles with much movement and more abundant in pigs that are in freedom than in those that are contained.

In addition, studies conducted varying the pig's diet have managed to improve the quality of this fat, so that pigs raised in the wild and fed with acorns would have a healthy, monounsaturated amount of fat, much higher than those fed on feed. .