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Why I don't eat pork?

Updated on October 15, 2014
CrisSp profile image

CrisSp is your Emergency Specialist at 37 thousand feet. A writer without a niche. Wonderwoman consumed by wanderlust!

WARNING: Not for the squeamish!

Lydia's lechon (rosted pork)
Lydia's lechon (rosted pork) | Source

Important note:

Modern doctors advise three prohibitions during illness:

  1. No liquor
  2. No pork
  3. No smoking

According to the bible:

Leviticus 11:7-8:

“And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you. “

In Islam, pork is haram (forbidden). Quran 16:115-


"He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine (pig), and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit] - then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."

No, I am not religiously a staunch opponent to the consumption of pork but I stopped eating pork some 20 or more years ago. Do I miss it? Absolutely not! I do believe in the saying, “You are what you eat”. It’s obvious; everything that we put into our body affects us either in a good or bad way; negatively or positively. I am also a firm believer in the consumption of everything in moderation. Our body needs all the essential vitamins, nutrients and minerals in order for it to function properly. And in my point of view, a swine or a pig is the most impure animal to consume.

Ready for pork chop!
Ready for pork chop! | Source

Why so?

Because truly, if God made this creature and yet forbid us to eat it, then there has to be a reason. Muslims are very much aware of that and the faithful ones abide. It’s not so with the Christians though despite knowing the major issues that are associated with the consumption of this apparently tasty meat.

Don’t tell me you don’t know that pigs are scavengers. They eat scraps. They are omnivorous animal. They eat anything even their own and even human carcasses. They are the dirtiest animals. They eat their own waste. Nasty!

Ready for some pork roast?
Ready for some pork roast? | Source

Pigs 101:

Biologically speaking, pigs are similar to humans and pig’s meat is believed to be the tastiest of all like human flesh. In fact, pigs have been used for dissection and study in science classes (Biology & Toxicology), mainly because of its similarity with human body from the skin to its internal organs.

So, now you can imagine that eating pork is just like eating YOU-man (human).

Dissected baby pig~
Dissected baby pig~ | Source

Would you like to know more?

Pigs have no sweat glands and thus, they are prone to disease. They have no other way of getting rid of their toxins but through waste excretion. However, as they eat anything including their own feces, obviously they are eating contaminated products and by-products. So, when you eat pork, you are also getting all those toxins that are in the pig.

These contaminated products can harvest parasites and these parasites can be transmitted to those who eat the pig’s flesh-pork. Read me: Worms!

Unlike other animal manure, pigs’ feces can’t be used for gardening because of its toxins. This clearly explains that pig is so dirty and gross—valid reason enough not to eat it.

Accordingly, pig carries more than a hundred viruses, which are evidently harmful to us-humans. Take for instance the case of H1N1 better known as the “swine flu”. H1N1 is a virus obviously transmitted from the pig and is fatal. However, this is not the only disease that you can get from eating pork.

Take a quick survey:

Do you eat pork?

See results

Did you know?

According to medical research, the fat content in pork is more than any other meat like beef, mutton, etc and it takes longer to digest. Pork takes between five to six hours to digest, while raw food, or other healthy foods take up to only half that time to digest.

What does it mean? It means that it takes such a long time to digest it that toxins are running through your bloodstreams before you can even get rid of it.

Parasites inside the pigs' belly~
Parasites inside the pigs' belly~

Parasites in the pork:

Did you know that pork carries a variety of parasites? Some of these parasites don’t die even when cooking. Thus, the danger of eating undercooked pork.

Trichinellosis or Trichinosis – this is an infection that humans get from consuming undercooked or uncooked pork meat, which contains the larvae of the trichinella worm. These worms often live in the stomach of the pig and can navigate everywhere in the body of the pig especially in the muscles of the pig, in which you eat. And so, from the body of the pig to yours—the unknowing human body that eats the infected pork. Yuk!

Bear in mind that trichinellosis is a serious illness and you definitely don’t want that.

Biology of Trichinellosis
Biology of Trichinellosis | Source

Common Symptoms of Trichinellosis:

  1. Breathing problem
  2. Heart issues
  3. Headache
  4. Vomiting
  5. Nausea
  6. Diarrhea
  7. Chills & Fever
  8. Coughing
  9. Muscle and joint pains
  10. Swollen eyes

These symptoms can last for weeks and in even more serious cases, maybe months.

"The typical life cycle for Trichinellosis involves humans, pigs, and rodents. Pigs become infected when they eat infectious raw meat, often pork or rats. Humans become infected when they eat raw or undercooked infected pork. After humans ingest the cysts from infected undercooked meat, pepsin and hydrochloric acid help free the larvae in the cysts in the stomach.The larvae then migrate to the small intestine, where they molt four times before becoming adults." - source: cdc.gov

Studies have also shown that pigs are the primary carriers of:

  • Taenia solium tapeworm
  • Hepatitis E virus (HEV)
  • PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome)
  • Nipah virus
  • Menangle virus

Taenia solium tapeworm on pork
Taenia solium tapeworm on pork

I’ll give you a brief on the above diseases on layman's term:

  1. Taenia solium tapeworm –it is a tapeworm also called as pork tapeworm. It infects pigs and humans. It causes cysticercosis, which is a major cause of seizures.
  2. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) – is a viral hepatitis. It affects the liver (liver inflammation) due to infection. It is spread mainly through fecal contamination of food and water supplies. Study shows that domestic animals have been reported as a reservoir for this virus, in which infection rates exceeding 95% is among domestic pigs.
  3. Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) - also called blue-ear pig disease. It is a kind of virus that causes reproductive failure in breeding stock and respiratory tract illness in young pigs. It was originally called "mystery swine disease" and "mystery reproductive syndrome”.
  4. Nipah virus - is a viral disease that can affect people and animals. It is a severe respiratory disease, encephalitis that can be fatal. Pigs are the primary animal species affected by Nipah virus. They become infected through ingestion or contact with urine, feces or saliva from the infected carrier. And yes, humans can get infected with Nipah virus, in which death could occur without even signs of illness.
  5. Menangle virus – is a virus that infects pigs and humans, in which infection is thought to occur through contact with bodily fluids from infected animals like blood and again fecal matter. Human infection has resulted in influenza like illness with rash.

Prevention and control:

I don’t know about you but I have eliminated pork (and other red meat) in my diet long ago and I am surely reaping its benefits. Now, I digress but I still can fit in my pair of jeans bought 10 years ago.

Back to pork, I can’t even begin to imagine the tapeworms having a good time in my body; much more with the diseases and the viruses that we can all get infected with by eating pork. If you still cannot live without pork, make sure you cook it well; never eat it undercooked and again, consume in moderation.

Remember, that a high level of personal hygiene and prevention of fecal contamination of pig foods plays a major role in the prevention of all these infections.

Pork and bum! :)
Pork and bum! :) | Source

Did you know?

Diabetic people who are insulin-dependent inject themselves with pig insulin.

Conclusion: EAT RIGHT

Eating pork is not the only culprit of human ailments. However, what you choose to eat depends on you and it is strongly recommended that you educate yourself on other healthy food to feed your body. After all, knowledge by all means is power and in this case, wealth in your health.

So, why I don’t eat pork? Well, nothing to do with my religion. It's a personal preference more so of a lifestyle but mainly because I’d like to stay in the pink of health—without thinking about the tapeworms and all those nasty stuff that you get from eating pork (including cholesterol). Trust me, there’s a lot of healthier alternatives.

Bacon? Sure…turkey bacon!

Pork bacon (not for me)!
Pork bacon (not for me)!

Copyright @CrisSp~TM / 05-2013. Fearless but not Heartless!

Now, let's take a quick poll!

After reading this hub, would you seriously reconsider your pork consumption?

See results

© 2013 CrisSp

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