Pork Chop Nutrition – Calories and Health Benefits

Pork chop nutrition gives you a good idea of whether this meal is beneficial to the body and how much you should consume.

Pork chop is often considered as “the other white meat,” hence suggestions have been made that it is a good alternative to chicken or turkey.

However, is pork chop healthy?

There’s no quick yes or no to that since the pork chop calories greatly vary depending on how you cook it.

Moreover, there are grilled pork chop calories and boneless pork chop calories.

We’ve outlined all you need to know about pork chop nutrition to ensure you eat healthily and guilt-free.

Pork Chop Nutrition Facts

A review of the pork chop calories per ounce has been given below.

1. Boneless Pork Chop Nutrition:

You get 53 calories in 1 ounce of a boneless pork chop.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

• 53 calories
• Fat 3.06g
• 0g Carbs
• 5.86g Protein

2. With Bone Pork Chop Nutrition:

You get 40 calories in 1 ounce of pork chop with bone

• 40 Calories
• 2.33g Fat
• 0g Carbs
• 4.47g Protein

The USDA outlined the pork chop nutrition fact for a 3-ounce (85g) serving of pork tenderloin without salt or fat.

Here’s what it looks like:

• Calories: 125
• Fat: 3.4g
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugars: 0g
• Protein: 22g
• Sodium: 48mg
• Carbohydrates: 0g

A serving of pork chop can be likened to a deck of cards, and it weighs 3 ounces.

A 3-ounce pork chop gives you the following:

•  137 calories
• 4 grams of fat

The above can be compared to a chicken breast which offers similar nutrients.

3 ounces of chicken breast gives you:

• 140 calories
• 3 grams of fat

However, a pork chop has 65 milligrams of cholesterol, while chicken breast offers 72 grams of cholesterol.

Cuts of Pork Chop Nutrition

Pork tenderloin is one of the best cuts of pork. Other cuts of pork are cutlet and ground pork.

1. Pork tenderloin:

For each three-ounce serving, this lean meat provides:

• 125 calories
• 3g of fat
• 22 grams of protein

2. Cutlet:

A medium pork cutlet or steak provides the following nutrition if you consume the lean part of the steak:

• 239 calories
• 10 grams of fat
• 34 grams of protein
• 0 grams carbohydrate
• 4 grams of saturated fat
• 697 milligrams of sodium

3. Ground Pork Chop:

Ground pork has different nutrition depending on how it is cooked.

a. Cooked three-ounce serving of ground pork

Accordingly, a three-ounce serving of ground pork that is cooked provides the following nutrition:

• 251 calories
• 18 grams of fat
• 22 grams of protein
• 7 grams of saturated fat
• 337 milligrams of sodium
• 0 grams of carbohydrates

b. Baked or broiled three-ounce pork chop

Here’s a lean pork chop nutrition: If you consume only the lean part of the chop, a three-ounce pork chop that is either baked or broiled or baked provides the following nutrition:

• 35 calories
• 3 grams of fat
• 25 grams of protein
• 1 gram saturated fat
• 0 grams carbohydrates
• 430 milligrams of sodium

If you consume both the lean and fatty part of the chop, a three-ounce pork chop that is either baked or broiled or baked provides the following nutrition:

• 164 calories
• 7 grams of fat
• 24 grams of protein
• 2 grams of saturated fat
• 0 grams carbohydrates
• 433 milligrams of sodium

c. Breaded and fried three-ounce pork chop

If you eat both the lean and fatty part of the chop, a three-ounce pork chop that is breaded and fried provides the following:

• 227 calories
• 11 grams of fat
• 20 grams of protein
• 3 grams of saturated fat
• 11 grams carbohydrates
• 458 milligrams of sodium

4. Processed With Other Meat

Pork can be processed with other meat products, however, this version is less healthy.

A three-ounce serving of pork sausage provides the following nutrition:

• 285 calories
• 24 grams of fat
• 16 grams of protein
• 8 grams of saturated fat
• 0 grams of carbohydrate
• 629 milligrams of sodium

One medium slice of pork bacon provides the following nutrition:

• 37 calories
• 3 grams of fat
• 3 grams of protein
• 1 gram saturated fat
• 0 grams carbohydrate
• 135 milligrams of sodium

A single serving of pulled pork provides the following nutrition:

• 15 grams of fat
• 222 calories
• 20 grams of protein
• 6 grams of saturated fat
• 1 gram of carbohydrate
• 670 milligrams of sodium

A two-ounce serving of spam consisting of pork shoulder and other ingredients provides the following nutrition:

• 180 calories
• 16 grams of fat
• 7 grams of protein
• 6 grams of saturated fat
• 1 gram of carbohydrate
• 790 milligrams of sodium

Health Benefits of Pork Chop

Like any other meal out there, the health benefits of pork chop are numerous.

Pork chop supplies protein, B vitamins, and zinc to the body, each of which is highly beneficial.

Let’s take a look at each:

1. Protein:

Pork chop provides the body with protein and a recommended daily intake provides men with 43 percent of protein.

Women, on the other hand, gain 52 percent of protein from a 3-ounce pork chop.

Proteins help in building up the body since they contribute to the structure as well as the maintenance of tissues.

Protein also helps in creating antibodies, enzymes and some hormones.

2. B Vitamins:

Pork chops contain B vitamins except for folate.

Nonetheless, the B vitamins it contains can help to promote cardiovascular health and metabolizing food into energy.

These vitamins also help to create normal red blood cells and produce neurotransmitters.

Pork chop provides three B vitamins and these are Niacin, Vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

Niacin helps to lower the level of cholesterol and triglycerides.

Vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 eliminate homocysteine by converting it into beneficial substances.

Homocysteine is a byproduct of biochemical reactions and it can increase a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease if it accumulates in the blood.

A 3-ounce pork chop offers  47 percent of niacin, 25 percent of vitamin B12, and 38 percent of vitamin B6 of the recommended daily intake.

3. Zinc:

Zinc helps in the creation of new cells, and the latter promotes growth in individuals.

It also supports the immune system and forms the structure of protein.

Pregnant women and adolescents really need zinc since it can promote fetal growth and teen growth.

Men get 17 percent of zinc from their recommended daily intake, and women get 23 percent of zinc from consuming a 3-ounce pork chop.

On the other hand, white blood cells are unable to destroy pathogens in the body if there is a zinc deficiency

While pork chop offers these benefits, certain religions such as Islam and Judaism forbid its consumption.

Nonetheless, it is one of the most eaten red meat worldwide and has more consumers in Eastern Asia.

Pork chop can be cured or preserved thereby forming smoked pork, ham, bacon, and sausages.

Conclusion

Pork chop nutrition varies depending on the method that is used to cook the meat.

Also, this meal can supply the body with protein, B Vitamins, as well as Zinc.

Each of these is useful in promoting the well being of the body and reducing the risk for a disease.

Nonetheless, it is still important to eat pork chop in moderation to ensure that you’re not consuming excess fat or calories.

This means that you can eat healthily, and at the same time not pose health risks to yourself.

There’s a pork chop recipe that can be made using an air fryer.