Pork: The Ultimate Carrier Food
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DownloadWhat is a “carrier” food?
When a carrier food is on your plate or in your bowl, it could help you eat more of the food groups and nutrients many of us need more of for better health.
Putting the carrier food impact of pork into perspective.
Researchers think that because pork is a carrier food, over 2.5 million children and over 5.7 million adults are able meet potassium recommendations in their diet every day.* That’s about as many people as those living in Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston – combined!
Role of Potassium in the Body
Potassium is a mineral found in many foods. Your body needs potassium for almost everything it does, including proper kidney and heart function, muscle contraction and for nerves to work properly.
Pork is the Ultimate Carrier Food
A 2023 study* looking at 8 years of health and diet information from tens of thousands of children (aged 2-18) and adults (aged 19+) found that compared to people who don’t eat pork, pork eaters tended to have more of the following nutrients in their diet:
| Children – Nutrients “Carried” by Pork ^ | Adults – Nutrients “Carried” by Pork + |
|---|---|
Copper | Iron |
Magnesium | Phosphorus |
Potassium | Potassium |
Selenium | Selenium |
Zinc | Zinc |
Thiamin | Thiamin |
Niacin | Riboflavin |
Vitamin B6 | Niacin |
Choline | Vitamin B6 |
Choline |
^About 52, 15 and 45% of children aged 2-18 years were consumers of all pork, fresh pork and processed pork, respectively, with an average intake of 47, 60 and 38 g/day, respectively. +About 59, 20 and 49% of adults age 19+ years were consumers of all pork, fresh pork and processed pork, respectively, with an average intake of 61, 77 and 48 g/day, respectively.
Pork is the carrier food for the future. Why? As a nutrient-dense and high-quality protein, it’s…
GOOD FOR YOU
Helps you add more under-consumed food groups (like vegetables, beans and whole grains) to your eating pattern and nutrients (like choline, iron and potassium)
GOOD FOR THE PLANET
Low environmental impact per 100 grams of protein compared to other foods
GOOD FOR YOUR WALLET
Affordable, flavorful and accessible for any budget
GOOD FOR YOUR CULTURE
A top protein used in culturally appropriate diets around the world
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Join NowReference:
Agarwal S, Fulgoni VL III. Association of pork (all pork, fresh pork and processed pork) consumption with nutrient intakes and adequacy in US children (age 2–18 years) and adults (age 19+ years): NHANES 2011–2018 analysis. Nutrients. 2023;15(10):2293.
Frankenfeld CL, Wallace TC. Dietary patterns and nutritional status in relation to consumption of chickpeas and hummus in the U.S. population. Appl. Sci. 2020;10:7341.
Greenhouse gas emissions per 100 grams of protein. Our World in Data website. https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food#explore-data-on-the-environmental-impacts-of-food. Accessed 5/30/23.
Meat and Dairy Production. Our World in Data website. https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production. Accessed 5/30/23.
OECD/FAO (2022), OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2022-2031, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/f1b0b29c-en.
Poinsot R, Maillot M, Drewnowski A. Fresh pork as protein source in the USDA thrifty food plan 2021: A modeling analysis of lowest-cost healthy diets. Nutrients. 2023;15(8):1897.
Potassium. Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health website. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/. Updated June 2, 2022. Accessed July 5, 2023.
* Regarding Agarwal et al., 2023, this is an observational study and is therefore unable to be used to determine cause and effect. The information is based on self-reported diet habits over a single point in time. Adult consumers of pork tended to be male and older, and carry other traits such as less likelihood of being normal weight, having education above High School or engage in vigorous activity. Pork consumers tended to also have higher intakes of sodium, which is a nutrient of public health concern to limit. The results from this study need to be confirmed in clinical research settings.
