Paleo Diet: How Pork Preparation Affects the Blood
This is a brief article about the difference between fresh pork products and brined and “cured” pork and how pork preparation affects the blood. The Weston A Price Foundation just came out with a very interesting study, small as it was, which shows fresh pork has a negative effect on our blood. For those following the Paleo diet this is an important issue since many people enjoy eating pork but want to maintain or achieve a high level of good health.
In this pilot study, we investigate the effects on live blood of consuming these various forms of pork—to observe the effects, if any, on the biological terrain of the body. The research questions pursued here are as follows:
- Is there an effect from consuming pork on the blood as observed in dark-field live blood analysis?
- Does unprocessed pork have a different effect than processed pork? We thus determine whether traditional preparation methods of pork affect the blood differently than the modern method of simply cooking fresh pork.
The study was done to see if there was a difference on the affect of marinated, cured and uncured pork products had on the blood as opposed to unmarinated pork products.
Marinated, cured and uncured pork includes products such as bacon (cured and uncured), cured hams, pork marinated with vinegar, salt, and other methods for at least 24 hours. These products also include smoked and brined meats, basically encompassing all traditional preparation methods to preserve the meat without refrigeration. Unmarinated means fresh pork products, totally unprocessed.
All of the meats used were of the highest quality from sustainable small farms raising pastured livestock. Five preparations of meat were used:
- Unmarinated pastured center-cut pork chop;
- Apple cider vinegar-marinated (twenty-four hours while refrigerated) pastured center-cut pork chop;
- Uncured pastured prosciutto;
- Uncured pastured bacon;
- Unmarinated pastured lamb chop.
The study was very small, just 3 people, but was highly controlled. Blood was taken before and after the consumption of pork products prepared in various ways. The most striking result was the difference seen in the blood of one test subject (Figure 2) 5 hours after eating an unmarinated pork chop.
FIGURE 1. Microphotograph of blood of male, 52, before consuming the unmarinated cooked pork chop. RBCs are seen as round cells, and small white patches of platelet aggregates are seen. This is the picture of normal, healthy blood.
FIGURE 2. Microphotograph of blood of male, 52, five hours after consuming the unmarinated cooked pork chop. RBCs are entirely stuck together in rouleaux (stacks of coins) formations. This blood condition disrupts the microcirculation.
Below are images of the blood of the same subject before and after having eaten a marinated pork chop.
FIGURE 4. Microphotograph of blood of male, 52, before consuming a marinated cooked pork chop. RBCs are freely moving. Very few platelet aggregates are seen. This blood appears normal and healthy.
FIGURE 5. Microphotograph of blood of male, 52, five hours after consuming a marinated cooked pork chop. RBCs are mostly free to move, although there are a few small aggregates. This blood appears normal and healthy with little change compared to Figure 4.
Some small differences are noticeable, but the overall profile is much better than that of the unmarinated pork shop. The last set of images are of a 37 year old female test subject before and after eating cured bacon.
- FIGURE 6. Microphotograph of blood of female, 37, before consuming uncured pastured bacon. This is the picture of completely normal, healthy blood.
FIGURE 7. Microphotograph of blood of female, 37, five hours after consuming uncured pastured bacon. RBCs are free to move. This blood appears normal without any clotting factors seen.
Virtually no difference can be distinguished. To read the entire article click here.
It is apparent that how one prepares pork definitely has an affect on the blood. Eating traditionally prepared pork products are the best way to go, if you are going to be eating pork. If you are following the Paleo diet, this means you can continue to enjoy bacon, without concern. Bacon lovers rejoice!
This study talks about pork meat, but does it include boar meat? as they’re from the same family as pork.
Well, Javier, it WAS a very small study and they were testing pastured/foraged pork. I would imaging that, since boars and pigs are virtually the same animal, the results would be the same. But that is only my guess.
Thanks for posting!
What are some ways to prepare boar/pork meat to prevent this, then? It’s a very interesting article, as ancient people with no knowledge about this were sure to prepare pork before eating it.
Smoked pork products are good (like bacon, sausage) and any type of marinade that uses an acid (i.e. wine, lemon juice). The objection is to fresh pork, that is unmarinated or smoked/cured. I have no specific recipes but there are many on line. Just Google “marinated pork recipes”. I’m sure you will come up with many good ones!
Cheers!