Is lard healthy? Lard: benefits and harm, truth and myths


For many Slavic peoples, lard has been the main dish for all occasions for several thousand years. Our grandparents did not even discuss its benefits before, since not a single feast could do without this product. Men often took salted lard for fishing, hunting, and simply for work, where a lot of energy was required and there was no time for a lunch break.

Harm of this product It was not even considered before, and only in the last few years have nutritionists vying with each other to talk about cholesterol and the high calorie content of lard. So what exactly are the health benefits and harms of this product?


Composition of lard

Lard is subcutaneous animal fat that causes genuine disgust in one half of people, and in the other half profuse salivation. Contrary to popular belief, pork fat is a source huge amount vitamins, minerals, useful substances and unsaturated acids.

Pork lard, unlike many other products, is completely absorbed by the body. In many popular diets, it is listed as essential fat for the body. The benefit of lard is that when correct observance diets fat people manage to get rid of extra pounds, and thin ones gain the missing ones.
The benefits of this product have also been noted by cosmetologists who actively use it to heal and rejuvenate the skin, effectively nourish it and protect it from extreme cold, wind or sun. To do this, it is not necessary to buy expensive products; it is enough to lubricate problematic and open areas with a small piece of lard.
In order for lard to bring more benefits, you should not eat it fried.
Do not think that the combination of lard and meat (smoked meat, neck and bacon) brings the same effect as lard in its pure form.
It is best to use salted bacon with finely chopped garlic, since in this form, the harm of lard to the body is reduced to a minimum. This is especially true for those who are afraid of rising cholesterol levels.
No matter in what form you consume lard, no matter how you mix it with other products, you should never forget about a clear dosage (no more than 40 grams per day), and then it will bring much more benefit to the body than harm.

Video about the benefits and harms of lard:

From the time people learned to store natural lard , we realized the value of the product. Almost all peoples of the world, including Europeans, love lard and eat it in any form. At all times, the product took first place in festive table, and characterized the people as kind and helpful people who are ready to feed their neighbors. This is especially true for rural and rural residents.

If we talk about real pork lard, then this is the subcutaneous fatty skin. People use it salted and smoked. But we shouldn’t exclude the opinion that you can gain a lot of weight from lard. Of course, the essence lies in the amount of food consumed, but nutritionists call the product harmful and do not recommend using it as a replacement for the main liquid food. known since ancient times, when people tried to take only light food into their bodies.

It is popularly believed that lard is a heavy food, which develops over time stomach diseases. If a person has contraindications to lard, or serious illnesses, such as stomach ulcers, gastritis, pancreatitis and others, it is best to stop using the product forever. It can contribute to increasing problems and cause a lot of trouble. Your body should receive easy useful food, and lard refers to heavy and unhealthy food. You need to remember this.

You can also often hear that lard is one negative cholesterol. If lard is consumed in unlimited quantities and replaces regular food, problems with stool and intestines may develop. The harm of lard manifests itself in sharp deterioration state and normalization metabolic process. A person may experience intestinal pain, discomfort, and other side effects. You shouldn't risk your health. Fat is a destroyer of the body, and if there are problems, the condition can worsen several times.

Fans of this product need to know important scientific facts. If you cannot refuse to eat lard, then you should eat no more than 30 grams of it per day. There is no need to heat-treat the product and consume it fried. This can cause significant harm to your body. During frying, harmful carcinogens are produced. This is why it is believed that All fried foods are bad for your health. If you healthy person, you can get various diseases, if you already have problems, then you risk significantly worsening your condition.

Currently, there are a number of significant diseases in which the use of lard is strictly prohibited, even in the smallest quantities. And no matter how much a person wants to try a piece of the product, this is strictly prohibited. What kind of diseases are these? Such problems include diseases of the stomach, intestines, gall bladder, as well as metabolic disorders.

Remember that lard is harmful to your health, and if you are a healthy person, then nutritionists advise consuming up to 30 grams of lard per day.

Salo

In 100 grams of product lard:
proteins - 2.92 g
fats - 88.69 g
carbohydrates - 0 g

Calorie content - 700 kcal

Do you remember the lines belonging to the great fabulist Krylov: “they eat Russian lard”? And these days, lard is very popular. Let's reveal all its secrets.

Lard is animal fat, and the body needs it just like vegetable fat. This is not just fat, but subcutaneous fat, which contains cells and biologically preserved active substances. The daily proportion of fat is 60-80 grams per day, of which vegetable fats make up one third. Salo is close to vegetable oils by content of irreplaceable fatty acids: oleic, linolenic, linoleic, palmitic - these acids are called vitamin F.

What do you hear more often about lard? It is tasty, but it is harmful - this is what many people think. They say that lard is harmful to the liver, leading to extra pounds, and in general, what could be good about such an amount of fat.

But in recent years Increasingly, publications are appearing that lard protects against atherosclerosis. So what happens, lard is a medicine?

The thing is that fat contains vitamin F in large quantities. It is a compound of three important acids - linoleic acid, linolenic acid and arachidonic acid. These three acids together form vitamin F.

The benefits of the three acids are manifested in the regulation of lipid metabolism in the direction of reducing cholesterol, because linoleic, linolenic acid and arachidonic acids reduce its synthesis.

But, despite the fact that lard contains these useful acids, it contains large number cholesterol. 100 grams of lard contain 95 milligrams of cholesterol, which outweighs all the beneficial properties of these acids. Therefore, if you eat half a kilo of fat at one time, it may become bad for the liver and pancreas, since fat digestion requires a large amount of bile and the enzyme lipase.

Therefore, normally you can eat 30 grams of lard per day.

Obviously, lard is contraindicated for diseases of the liver and gall bladder. Because, as we have already found out, bile is necessary to digest lard. Consuming this product puts a strain on the gallbladder and liver.

Pork lard is digested better than lamb, and this depends on the melting point. The fact is that lard melts at a temperature of about 37 degrees, which is approximately equal to our body temperature, and lamb melts at a temperature of 50 degrees.

Frying in lard is healthier than frying in butter.

The oil has more low temperature melting, therefore, when frying, more carcinogens are formed in such oil, and since the oil turns out to be liquid, it is lighter and more absorbed into the food. And lard only forms a greasy film, preventing the dish from sticking.

But it is worth keeping in mind that cracklings are more harmful than just lard. When frying, lard loses some of its properties, acquiring in return carcinogens - oxidized fats.

Lard slows down intoxication - by enveloping the stomach, lard prevents the immediate absorption of alcohol through the stomach. Alcohol passes further into the intestines, where it is still absorbed, but gradually.

Salo strengthens the immune system. And all thanks to arachidonic acid, which not only reduces cholesterol levels, but also improves protective functions body. It is necessary for the production chemical compounds responsible for immune and inflammatory reactions.

IN small quantities lard is good for the heart and blood vessels. After all, lard contains linolenic acid, which is responsible for the production of prostaglandins. These substances regulate muscle contraction internal organs, including the heart muscle, and maintain vascular tone.

Smokers also benefit from eating lard. The fact is that lard contains selenium. This trace element strengthens the immune system and prevents oxidation processes in the body. Thus, the harm caused by cigarettes is slightly reduced.

Lard can be beneficial. It sounds incredible, but we have proven that it is true.

Vitamins in lard:

* vitamin A 0.005 mg
* vitamin B1 0.084 mg
* vitamin B2 0.051 mg
* vitamin B3 0.115 mg
* vitamin B6 0.04 mg
* vitamin B12 0.18 mcg
* choline 15.4 mg
* linolenic acid

Microelements:

* phosphorus 38 mg
* iron 0.18 mg
* zinc 0.37 mg
* copper 18 mcg
* manganese 0.002 mg
* selenium 0.3 mg

Tallow is a subcutaneous fat reserve formed in the body of a pig. It should not be confused with intermuscular (bacon) and visceral fats, which have a slightly different structure and properties. Lard provides human body energy, vitamins and mineral compounds. Contains fatty acids that strengthen immune system and prevent the occurrence of inflammation.

Chemical composition

Chemical composition of lard:

  • up to 90-95% fat (10% polyunsaturated, 30% saturated and 60% monounsaturated fatty acids);
  • lecithin;
  • cholesterol;
  • a small amount of proteins and carbohydrates;
  • vitamins A, E and D;
  • a wide range of microelements and some other biologically active substances (including antioxidants);
  • fatty acids - oleic, linolenic, palmitic and linoleic, collectively called vitamin F;
  • An essential polyunsaturated fatty acid is arachidonic acid (a rare compound not found in vegetable oils).

The structure of the fatty acids that make up this product is the most optimal for the human body (a similar structure can only be found in olive and peanut oils).

Exceptionally high concentration chemicals contains lard, making this product five times more biologically valuable than beef fat or butter.

Useful properties

Arachidonic acid in lard:

  • improves brain function, stimulating mental activity;
  • has a beneficial effect on the condition of the kidneys;
  • participates in the formation of certain hormones, is integral part enzymes necessary for the functioning of the heart muscle.

Together with lecithin, it is part of cell membranes and participates in cholesterol metabolism, improving blood composition and clearing blood vessels of cholesterol plaques.

Complexly affecting the body, fatty acids, antioxidants, microelements and vitamins in lard:

  • help improve immunity, remove toxins and heavy metals;
  • alleviate the course of diseases of the respiratory system;
  • prevent the formation of cancer cells.

Eating subcutaneous pork fat activates bile secretion, preventing the appearance of sand and stones in gallbladder; normalizes work healthy liver; relieves problems with stool.

Benefits for men: the product contains selenium, necessary for the synthesis of male sex hormones. Its use improves potency and reproductive function.

Benefits for women: Vitamins A and E in lard help maintain the beauty of skin, nails and hair.

Which lard should you prefer?

The following aspects should be paid attention to:

  • It is recommended to purchase lard from fresh. The age of already salted lard can be difficult to determine, and with long-term storage, even salted lard loses its beneficial properties.
  • It is also best to eat fresh product. But when there is no way to keep it fresh, salting it at home will help out. You can give preference to pickled lard, according to your own beneficial properties it is in no way inferior to salty.
  • The nutritional value increases when subcutaneous pork fat is heated, so consuming lard can bring even greater benefits to the body than consuming fresh product. Making rendered lard at home is even easier than salting or marinating it.
  • Boiled lard will not be as healthy. During the cooking process, most of the biologically active substances are destroyed.
  • Fried food will only cause harm.
  • Home-smoked lard great harm will not benefit the body. From time to time you can treat yourself to a piece or two of this delicacy. But it is better to refuse the delicacy smoked under industrial conditions, since such smoking is carried out not with smoke, but by immersing the raw materials in a chemical solution.

How to eat lard correctly

For health, it is recommended for an adult to eat no more than 10-30 grams of lard every day. It all depends on how much energy a person uses every day. At sedentary work in a warm office, 10 grams of product per day will be more than enough. And with hard physical labor in the cold, even a slight increase in the above norm is unlikely to do any harm. The maximum weekly portion is no more than 100 grams (this amount of product contains about 800 calories).

Eat a couple tidbits best in the morning. This will help energize your body for the day ahead. It is very useful to eat lard along with garlic, pepper and black bread. But you shouldn’t eat it with white bread; such a breakfast can only lead to a set of extra pounds. An excellent side dish for this product are vegetables.

Pork lard is a source of animal fats essential for our body, and, of course, an object close attention nutritionists and doctors. Today there are both opponents of using this product and, on the contrary, ardent defenders.

In general, lard, the benefits and harms of which still cause controversy in the scientific community, one way or another still remains, if not beloved, then very popular in our country.

Lard: benefits and harm

What is lard? This is a thick layer of fat where various biologically active substances, antioxidants and fat-soluble vitamins are concentrated.

The composition of this product is largely determined by the content of such useful substances as:

  • vitamins D, F, A, E;
  • a whole complex of microelements;
  • saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.

The most valuable acid present in lard is polyunsaturated fatty arachidonic acid with a whole complex useful actions. She improves brain activity, stimulates the functioning of the kidneys and heart, normalizes blood counts and removes excess bad cholesterol from it.

Note: salted lard, the benefits and harms of this product, as well as its unique properties, have been known for a very long time. As Hippocrates said: “The opposite must be cured with the opposite.” That's why when high level cholesterol, many doctors advise their patients to eat a small piece of salted pork daily to normalize cholesterol deposits. And to enhance the effect, you can combine the use of lard with, which is also useful for this disease.

In addition, lard is simply a storehouse of such essential and valuable fatty acids as:

  • stearic;
  • linoleic;
  • palmitic;
  • oleic;
  • linolenic

All these components increase the biological activity of this product by 5-6 times, compared, for example, with the same butter. In addition, which is present in lard has a beneficial effect on blood vessels and cell membranes - making them much stronger and more elastic.

Of course, lard can be not only salted, but also pickled, smoked, boiled and fried. It should immediately be noted that lard, the benefits and harms of which are determined, among other things, by the method of its preparation, is best consumed only in salted or pickled form, since other options are not only useless for human health, but can also cause significant harm to it.

For example, fried and boiled lard contains harmful carcinogens that destroy the liver and negatively affect the functioning of the kidneys and heart. In addition, these substances lead to obesity.

Don’t forget to properly consume this product as food - too much passion for lard will again bring nothing good for the body. As mentioned earlier, fats are required by humans for normal functioning. internal systems and organs, but their share in our diet should not be significant: the daily norm for an adult is approximately 9-12 g of lard, and the maximum portion per week is 100 g.

Thus, it turns out that lard is beneficial and harmful, as well as a whole series unique properties of this product directly depend on daily norm its consumption.

Note: Experts recommend eating a small slice of lard every morning - it is at this time that the body can receive not only a number of important components for it, but also an energy boost. This is explained by the fact that lard has a high calorie content: 770 calories per 100 g.

A morning slice of lard will be useful for those who suffer from work disorders digestive tract. This product stimulates the outflow of bile, which accumulates in our body overnight, that is, it cleanses it.

If we talk about traditional medicine recipes, here too lard is used in the treatment and prevention of a wide variety of ailments:

It should also be noted that salted lard, the benefits and harms of which have long been studied by nutritionists from all countries, is often used in various diets - a kind of innovation in this area.

The dangers of lard


As such, there are not many contraindications to the use of this product; the main thing, as mentioned earlier, is a sense of proportion. However, some doctors believe that it is better for people suffering from chronic gastrointestinal diseases to completely eliminate lard from their diet.

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