Reasons why you should not eat Pork
Negative aspects of pork are way too much and I think this is the reason why you should not eat pork. Pork and all of its derivatives have various drawbacks which have been linked to cases such as arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease, kidney failure, liver disease, arterial hypertension and others.
Regardless of the advances in veterinary science and hygiene, there has been a body of scientific evidence which shows various drawbacks or negative aspects of pork and all of its derivatives.
Pork consumption has been linked to a variety of liver disease, cancer, parasite infestations and other similar infections.
In this post, you will get to know the reasons why you should not eat pork and how important it is to eat healthy. Like they say, health is wealth; and it is noteworthy to be mindful of what we eat.
That being said, also know that pork consumption has some positive effects but we are not going to concentrate on that here. What triggered this post is the fact that I realized that pork consumption has so many negative aspects than its positive sides.
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Negative Aspects of Pork Consumption
There are various negative aspects of pork which include the following:
- Harmful substances
- Parasites
- High fat content
- Viral and Bacterial contamination
- Cancer
- Cirrhosis
Harmful Substances: In pork, we can get more of histamine which triggers allergies. We can also see the presence of tyramine and hypoxanthine which produce hypertension and act as additive stimulants.
There is no type of meat that can exhibit the above mentioned properties.
Parasites: Pork is known to be the meat with highest parasites incidence because the tissues of swine swarm with known parasites. Some of the parasitic diseases that may be contracted from pork are; cysticerosis, trichinosis and toxoplasmosis.
High Fat Content: It is noteworthy that the consumption of the pork fat is somewhat less harmful as compared to that of any red meat but the intake of the pork fat is linked with cardiovascular disease and other cancer types.
Viral and Bacterial contamination: Pork may be contaminated with certain bacteria that are capable of causing gastroenteritis and other related diseases and even other types of viral diseases.
Cancer: Regular intake of pork or its derivatives such as ham and sausages has been linked with certain types of cancer quite frequently than with other meat types. This is according to epidemiological studies.
Cirrhosis: Apart from alcohol consumption, another risk factor for cirrhosis of the liver is pork and this may be as a result of its high non-protein nitrogenous compounds contained in it which has to be metabolized right there in the liver.
Some other reasons why you should not eat Pork
It is said that pork is a medium through which various bacteria, parasites and viruses grow but not known exactly why it’s like this. This may be as a result of two known biochemical uniqueness of this meat which includes:
- Its high free amino acid content
- Its richness in mucopolysaccharide, a gelatinous material which enters pork and promotes bacterial growth and its contamination
Infections Produced by Pork
Under this subtopic, I will talk about some types of germs associated with pork. Therefore, below are some of the pathogens which are most frequent.
- Salmonella
- Enterococci
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Yersinia enterocolitica
- Vibrio cholerae
- Listeria monocytogenes
- Gram-positive cocci
Salmonella
This is a type of bacterium that causes gastroenteritis that are common in eggs, pork and chicken. A study at the College of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Utrecht reveals that salmonella is responsible for about 5% to 30% of swine carcasses which get contaminated during slaughtering because this disease is already present in their gut.
If pork that’s been contaminated by salmonella is not cooked at a very high temperature, it must transmit this disease. Therefore, to be on the safer side, it is better to see this as a reason why you should not eat pork.
Enterococci
This pathogen causes gastroenteritis too and can be present in certain sausages especially the bologna type. Therefore, this is another thing to see regarding the reasons why you should not eat pork.
Staphylococcus aureus
This germ is found in pus and pork is already contaminated with it at the slaughterhouse during slaughtering. When abscesses that exit on the feet of animals are opened, contamination is triggered and any pork contaminated with this sort of disease will produce toxicity which is also compounded by gastroenteritis.
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Yerisinia enterocolitica
This bacterium is responsible for many cases of gastroenteritis in Norway and even other Northern European nations. Studies show that manifestation of symptoms is noticed two weeks after consuming pork or sausages.
And the reason why you should not eat pork is because this disease is quite resistant and in order to get rid of it, the sausages or ham would have to be subjected to high doses of radiation.
Vibro cholerae
In cases of cholera, this disease cases are always present in Thailand where consuming pork raw and then mingling it with spices is just an everyday thing. Primary sources of contamination are likely to be butchers and cook which hands promote the transmission of the microbes.
Listeria monocytogenes
This bacterium is resistant to high temperatures and I see this as a clear reason why you should not eat pork. They are found in cheese and also foster serious infections that are linked with meningitis. Motadella sausages and cooked ham can transmit this disease.
Gram-positive cocci
Primarily, micrococcus and staphylococcus are readily present in Spanish ham which has not been cooked. These germs produce enterotoxins and so they are primary causes of diarrhea and gastroenteritis. This is another reason why you should not eat pork especially a food such as raw cured ham.
Viruses found in Pork
Swine are seen as a natural reservoir of various viruses even the ones responsible for flu in humans. Examples are swine fever or hog cholera. Some of the viruses include:
- Warts
- Condylomas
- Cervical Cancer in women
Warts: This is readily present in the hands of those who butcher pork and certain slaughterhouse workers, especially those who handle raw meat
Condylomas: It is said that there has been cases of condylomas disappearing after avoiding pork and given up on it. This disease is like a tumor of viral origin which looks like huge warts on the genitalia or an*s.
Cervical cancer in women is caused by a virus and the more pork products or its derivatives are eaten, the higher the risk of suffering from this terrible disease. It is caused by carcinogenic substances present in pork which facilitate the growth of cervical cancer. This is according to a study at the University of Ulm.
In summary, pork and its derivatives are contraindicated in cases of:
- Increased uric acid level and gout
- Skin disease because it facilitates cirrhosis
- Cancer patients due to high carcinogenic substances
- Kidney failure due to high protein level
- Coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis as a result of high total fat, saturated fat and also cholesterol
- Arterial hypertension due high salt content
According t draxe.com, swine flu is another reason why you should not eat pork
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A graduate of Computer Science and Information Management Technology. Diploma – Caregiving, Certificates – Dementia and Diabetes Awareness and Management. A researcher, blogger, songwriter, singer and acoustic guitarist. Born in an environment where natural talents such as healing are imparted at our natural birth. This natural talents of healing is the result of our genetic inheritance and the training from family environment.