Pork ,or swine, a term many people seem to now employ when referring to pig products, has really become a synonym for evil within the realm of Black consciousness. Many of us have, within in the last five years or so, turned our noses down on the pig, seeing pork as the worst thing that we can eat, and usually the only thing we avoid in our diets.  We usually do so for varying reasons; however the dominant one is that in the Koran, the pig is considered unclean.

Oftentimes many of us who are so concerned with our health, completely abstain from eating pork even in the most inconvenient situations. Whether it be a slice of pepperoni pizza over a game of cards, or a ham and cheese sandwich platter prepared by the host/hostess of a superbowl party, your average Black person who is “in the know” will quickly refuse and denounce any pork product as unhealthy.  This same individual will instead opt to devour a grease laden cheese steak coated with extra mayo, along with a plate of “cheese” fries that interestingly taste nothing like any cheese anyone has ever put in their mouth.  This is all in an effort to be healthy of course, because Lord knows what that slice of roasted ham will do to you.

The irony here would really seem evident, and a “Negro please” could appropriately  be inserted anywhere in the above-mentioned scenario.  However, this mindset is fervently held by many of us in the Black community, especially in regards to the younger generation.  You can ask your average waitress or waiter at a local restaurant.  They will tell you that the majority of Black customers go out of their way to avoid pork in any dish.  However, Blacks in America continue to be statistically unhealthy , even while equipped with our newfound anti-pork enlightenment.  The question arises, is pork our problem? Or is the “swine” an all too convenient scapegoat for a culture who wants to think healthy, but not do anything relevant about it?

 Don’t get it confused, this article was not written by a pork enthusiast.  If you are consuming a healthy diet, and pork happens to be one of the many potentially unhealthy things you avoid, more power to you.  However unfortunately, many of us cut out the pork but will quickly run to a local McDonalds, or chow down on some Chinese food, an area of cuisine we won’t even discuss.  And many us of will do so because of a trend rather than a result of knowledge. We’ve all heard the reasoning. Pork is higher in fat content, and more likely to harbor disease due to several reasons.  But do people actually stop to do the research? Or did we simply come to this epiphany following a conversation with friends, or after watching a couple episodes of The Boondocks.  Either way, the information is out there, and some may find it rather surprising.

 According to nutritiondata.com,  your average cut of pork contains less saturated fat,less total fat, and more protein than your average cut of beef. However, pork also contains a higher percentage of sodium and cholesterol content. When analyzing the nutritional data, pork surely doesn’t seem much more devilish than many other types of meat. The swine has also come under fire for coming from an unclean animal, as pigs will eat anything and don’t sweat out toxins the way other animals do.  Pigs are also scorned in religious testaments.  Interestingly, birds don’t sweat either, (turkey and chicken included) and your average seafood platter contains crustacean animals who often feed on rotting dead carcasses, or whatever other sea material they filter through their bodies.  Additionally such animals are similarly chastised in various holy scriptures, which is why many religious doctrines don’t allow for shellfish just as they don’t allow for pork.  However, it’s rare to see the common health afro-conscious pork naysayer, refuse a bucket of deep fried shrimp. 

There is no problem with removing the swine from your diet.  But we can’t continue this illogical health trend that serves to crucify the pork, but remain unconscious to everything else.   It’s an all too prevalent method of thinking that really doesn’t make any sense, and is continuing to lead us down this unhealthy path of destruction.. If you want to reduce your risk, or incidence, of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure, eating an occasional serving of pork, along with a healthy diet and exercise, is just fine.