CookSmart (12th Issue) Page30

Dietitian Guide

“Like Nourishes Like” - May not Help

Many local people love eating porcine organs. And it is a traditional Chinese myth that “Like Nourishes Like” may help those body parts. However, Frankie explains that the belief is not substantiated by science. Porcine organs, on the other hand, are a concentrated source of cholesterol as compared to tenderloin. Eating large quantities of porcine organs can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. 100 g of pork liver, for instance, contains 288 mg of cholesterol, while 100 g of pork kidney contains 354 mg of cholesterol. 100 g of pork brain, markedly, contains 2,571 mg of cholesterol. Undoubtedly, eating them is putting your body at higher health risk.

Neither does pork bone soup help our body to obtain more calcium, contrary to what many people think. Frankie said that a bowl of pork bone soup contains only 2 mg to 10 mg of calcium, which is far below the daily requirement of 800 mg for an adult. On the other hand, a cup of calcium-fortified milk usually contains 300 to 500 mg of calcium while a 250 ml carton of skimmed or low-fat milk contains about 300 mg of calcium.

Frankie added, “The meat attached to the bones contains lots of hidden fats which are released into the soup during cooking. Hidden fats cannot be easily removed even if you trim the visible fat or blanch the meat before cooking. The most effective way to remove the fats is to stand the soup and remove the fat layer congealed on top of the soup. To save trouble, it will be better to use tenderloin or lean pork for making soup.”