Pork: With the pigs, there are the usual meat concerns. To those, I would add that pigs are considered to be one of the most intelligent mammals behind primates and dolphins. Would you eat either of those species? Also, a pigs' heart and liver are nearly identical to a humans' right up to their size and blood flow. Pigs are considered a top candidate for xenotransplants (animal to human ). Pig skin is closely related to human skin in thickness, basal cell density, collagen fibers, vascular supply, subcutaneous fat, sweat glands, color, and hair follicles. Before it was manufactured synthetically, people with insulin-dependent diabetes would usually use insulin extracted from pigs. And then there are the religious concers. I'm going to skip those as they'll be dealt with at the same time as the rest of the religious mandates.

    Now on to the health issues. The practice of using hormones in pig production is illegal in the United States. Score 1 for pork. The antibiotic conerns are about the same. Nutrition wise, the vitamin and mineral content are similar to beef as is the fat and cholesterol content in the lean cuts (chops, tenderloin and roast). As for bacon, ribs, bologna, sausage and hot dogs, to put it mildly, you could probably find something healthier to eat.

    If we are what we eat, then what is a pig? Well, they have been known to eat just about anything including decaying vegetables, animal flesh (even human), maggots and excrement. Due to their propensity for eating nasty things, the pig has been found to be a host for many parasites. These hellminths (intestinal parasites) may be passed to humans by consuming undercooked infected meat. There are a plethora of parasites but the two of concern in pork are roundworms and tapeworms.

    The industry today has cleaned up quite a bit resulting in healthier pork. Trichinosis (caused by trichina worms, a type of roundworm) infections are rare these days (about 12 per year in the U.S.) mostly thanks to pigs no longer being fed raw meat garbage. Also, most cases of Taenia Solium (the pork tapeworm) now originate from outside the U.S. You can easily protect yourself from parasites by cooking your meat well. This means an internal temperature of 137 degrees minimum (the USDA recommends 160). They can also be killed by freezing at minus 5 degrees F for 25 days or to minus 22 degrees F for 25 hours.

    This does not account for other types of toxins that might be retained in swine meat and fat due to their diet. There may be links between pork consumption and cirrhosis of the liver signifying a heavy toxic load which is not neutralized by cooking.

    Bottom line: Dare I use the words 'organic' and 'pork' in the same sentence?