Ginger Pork Chop stir- fry

Today's recipe is made with pork chops. Some might say that pork is not a lean meat and is therefore not the healthiest choice but some cuts of pork are more fatty than others.

It is difficult to know the nutritional value of meats because rarely do we find value tables on the cuts of meat. Everyone knows that it is important to consume lean meats and lower consumption of red meats, assuming one is not vegetarian or vegan, because of fat content. But how do you know which are lean and which are not without a nutritional values table?

Here are two resources that I use to get the information I need to make informed dietary decisions:

United States: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/index.html
Canada: http://webprod3.hc-sc.gc.ca/cnf-fce/index-eng.jsp

I used the American web site for the information provided below.

A "healthy portion" of meat is usually 75g or 2 1/2oz (the size of a deck of cards). Our first mistake.. a lot of us consume much more then that in one sitting. The extra calories we consume in meat we should actually be getting by loading our plates with veggies.

Alright, so take a look at the values below and see if you can figure out which choice is healthiest and which choice we should consume in moderation.


For 100g of Pork, fresh, loin, blade (chops or roast), boneless, separable lean only, raw:

3.78 g fat, of which 1.38 g are saturated fats (bad fats)



For 100g of Beef, rib eye steak, boneless, lip off, separable lean only, trimmed to 0" fat, choice, raw:

8.5 g of fat, of which 3.1 g are saturated fats (bad fats)



For 100g of Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, raw:

2.59 g of fat, of which 0.5 g are saturated fats (bad fats)

So clearly the chicken breast is the leanest out of the three, but the pork chops aren't so bad!

Steak, on the other hand, is a meat we should eat in moderation. Now remember, this example was for 100g or 3.3oz. I know some guys who would love to enjoy a 16 oz or 473 g steak... we're talking 27.34 g of fat, of which 10.9 g are saturated fats!


Now that we know we're making a healthy choice, let me share this delicious recipe with you!



Ginger Pork Chop stir- fry

What you will need:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 pork chops, cut into strips
• 4 cups of brussel sprouts, halved
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp low sodium soya sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 cup water

1. In skillet, cook pork chop strips in olive oil over medium heat
2. Set meat aside once cooked
3. In same skillet, cook brussel spouts for about 6 minutes
4. Add garlic to skillet
5. In small bowl, combine soya sauce, brown sugar, ground ginger and water. Mix.
6. Add meat back into the skillet
7. Add sauce to skillet, stir and let simmer until the sauce thickens slightly
8. Serve over rice

I hope you all enjoy this stir- fry! Please let me know what you think if you do try it!

Have a great day everyone! And remember, make healthy choices!

- Kimmie