So I am really confused. I am seeing a guy who's daughter cannot eat pork due to digestive issues. She can eat beef and chicken no problem.

So I guess my question is: Is Pork unhealthy? Is it *unhealthier* than beef or chicken? Is there really a difference between all these?

I don't know any nutritionist or dieticians so I was hoping I could learn a bit more about it from you lovely, knowledgeable ladies!

I am not claiming that any of this is actually true, this is just based on personal experience and what I have read: I have not intentionally eaten any red meat (including pork) since I was 6 years old, and I am now turning 21. That said there have been occasions where I have consumed beef or pork products without my knowledge. And when whatever it was involved beef, nothing happened to me in terms of digestion or feeling ill. However when I had on occasion eaten something that contained pork, or something that was fried in pork fat, I became for violently ill than I have ever been in my life! (I.E. sweating, and vomiting and diarrhea at the same time). I have also read that pigs are the most filthy of the animals that we typically eat, and that is not just a myth. They eat their own waste often, and lie in filth and muck (not to say that this does not occur with other animals in the food industry)...and all that does lead to there being more toxins and yucky stuff in the animal's meat. That is my two cents. (sorry if that was too gross)

We found out that my daughter is actually allergic to pork, as am I. I always knew it made me ill, digestive issues if I ate to much, but not that I was allergic to it. I no longer eat red meat because it makes me feel ill, bloated, crampy, gassy and in general sluggish. Chicken doesn't bother me, I just choose to not eat much of it. I do eat alot of seafood, fish etc, with no problems at all.

This might shed some light on why his daughter is allergic to pork:

http://www.allergies-team.com/a42-he...ic-to-pork.php

Btw pork allergies are very rare. From what I read most of the time the person is allergic to the chemicals used in processing the pork and not the actual meat itself.

Pigs are thought to be dirty- but this isn't true. They don't eat their own filth and only cover themselves in mud to prevent sunburn. There are animals who eat their own poo (bunnies, guinea pigs, etc- that bunny isn't so cute anymore huh? lol) but pigs don't. Though they don't look it they are actually very clean animals.

amazing!!! thank you for that link... i will share it with him... she sometimes gets reactions 'for no reason' to other foods - maybe it is more about the chemicals (like the article says)!

Thanks!

Any animal farmed for food is likely to have lain in "filth and muck." Do you imagine that the others are getting regular baths?

My husband's sister was allergic to beef as a child, and one of my college roommates was allergic to chicken.

You can be allergic to any protein, though some allergies are more common than others. Red meat allergies are quite rare.

Pigs get a much worse reputation than deserved, but like many omnivores, what they're fed makes a difference. I've heard it said of omnivore meat, such as from rodents, bear and pork (whether domestic pigs or wild pigs like boar and javelina) that the meat tastes terrible (and may no be good for you) if the animal consumes mostly meat, as opposed to mostly vegetation. Also meat-eating can pass on some diseases more readily, especially to the animal species eaten.

Which means that unless the pig is eating either pig or human remains, passing on those types of diseases to humans is extremely unlikely. Cannibalistic feeding was once a normal practice, not only in pigs, but also in sheep and cows. Because pigs have such a "bad" reputation, the pork industry has been better regulated for longer than for say, the beef industry.

"Mad cow disease," is thought to have spread most rapidly from the practice of feeding beef cattle, beef protein in the form of recylcling beef protein and bone meal into cattle feed - it's never been a common practice in most of the U.S. as I understand it (at least not openly), and it's been outlawed entirely since the existence of "mad cow disease" became common knowledge.

There are some legitimate reasons for considering some cuts of animal protein, and some manner of raising those animals (such as grass fed vs. grain fed) "healthier" than others, but it's not nearly as simple as saying "pork is bad, beef is good."

Since going onto disability, my husband and I have been eating a higher percentage of pork, than ever before because it's one of the cheapest animal proteins available (in our area). Though we're eating less animal protein (less food overall), and all of our health indicators have been improving (though the weight loss could explain all of it).

She probably has an allergy. Undercooked pork can make you sick because of a parasite I can never remember the name of, but that's a different issue; it wouldn't be a recurring thing that happened every time she ate pork.

And just had to add:

No defaming the pigs! They are extremely clean animals if given the choice--they can't help themselves if they're crammed into tiny pens. Many pet owners find them easier to potty train than dogs.