The "other" white meat . . .

So today let's continue talking about protein . . . this time, the "other" white meat.

Okay . . . so why is "pork" called the "other" white meat you ask???

Well . . . in 1987, the U.S. National Pork Board began an advertising campaign to position pork as "the other white meat" . . . this was due to the average consumer feeling chicken and turkey (the original white meat) were healthier meats.

And we as consumers and trusting soles . . . jumped right on that bandwagon. The campaign was highly successful and resulted in 87% of consumers now identifying "pork" as the "other" white meat.

Now . . . the pork from a pig "is" rich in several important vitamins and nutrients such as being an excellent source of thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, zinc, riboflavin, potassium and protein.

And I suppose you could call this a "good" trait . . . when pigs are raised in a "natural" farming environment . . . they will refuse to pee and poop anywhere near their living or eating area when given a choice. Therefore, they're considered very clean animals . . . unlike cows and chickens which will randomly pee and poop anywhere.

But . . . the bad part about pigs is that they're considered "bottom feeders" like shellfish. This means they'll eat anything. And this can lead to the meat being very toxic to the human body.

So even though pigs themselves are very clean animals . . . they eat filth. They will eat pretty much anything . . . even carrion and feces.

Another issue with pigs and a reason they can be very toxic . . . is that pigs don't have "sweat" glands . . . therefore . . . they tend to hold a lot of toxicity.

Now . . . the bulk of a "commercially" raised pig's diet . . . comes from corn and soybean, which in today's world is mostly GMO . . .

And . . . American pork farmers have been curtailing their use of medicines due to the FDA rules barring the use of antibiotics for growth promotion . . . but because of the pigs confinement . . . many farmers still use them to prevent disease . . . which in turn still fattens up the pig and increase profits. So even though the FDA rules against the use . . . many farmers have still not complied.