Portion size is great because it helps people figure out how much food to give themselves and/or their guests during their meals.
It’s important to not over or under-eat and follow portion size. If you do either of those things, you could end up gaining an excessive amount of weight.
People often use portion sizes with meat such as pork tenderloin. In this article, we are going to discuss what it is, how much each person should get, if you can eat too much, and finally, the benefits of eating it!
By the end, you will be an expert!
Contents
What Is Pork Tenderloin?
It is not difficult to deduce that pork tenderloin is pork, but this doesn’t tell you the specifics, such as the cut and where the pig it’s from.
Pork Tenderloin comes from the muscle near the pig’s backbone. It’s a boneless cut of meat that is very long and thin.
You will find that pork tenderloin is considered being very lean. If you are wondering if this makes it an expensive cut of meat, you would be correct.
It is a very expensive cut of meat, so be wary before you decide to run out and buy some pork tenderloin.
How Much Pork Tenderloin Does Each Person Get?
The first thing we want to mention is that pork tenderloin does tend to shrink when you cook it, so you will want to get more than you plan to use.
It’s going to shrink no matter how you cook it, so you need to just accept this as a fact.
About 10 ounces of pork tenderloin should be given to each person attending the meal.
Multiply this with each guest you are having, and then you’ll know exactly how much you should get from the butcher or grocery store.
Can You Eat Too Pork Tenderloin Meat?
Sadly, you can eat too much pork tenderloin. It might be very delicious, but there can be too much of a good thing. The risks of eating too much pork tenderloin include:
- There is a lot of sodium and saturated fats in pork. The problem with these two things is that they can raise the cholesterol level in your blood, which can lead to you having a greater risk of heart disease or stroke. Both of these can have devastating consequences for your health and overall force you to change your lifestyle. Your GP can tell if you have cholesterol by giving you a certain blood test.
- If you aren’t cooking your pork very well or you’re eating it raw for some reason, you can put yourself at risk of a parasitic infection. This isn’t necessarily something you’ll get if you are eating a lot of it, provided you cook it at the right temperature. Still, it’s good to know that this is an issue!
- Pork tapeworm is one parasite you could end up with, and while it is usually harmless, there is a risk of a rare disease. Another parasite you can end up with is from roundworms called trichinella. The symptoms aren’t that serious, but the older you are, the more at risk you are of dying. If your immune system is compromised, this also puts you at risk of serious illness.
The good news is that all of these things can be avoided by eating them in moderation and making sure that everything is cooked thoroughly at a proper temperature.
Pork is one of those meats you should not eat raw or undercooked. It’s similar to how you should never do that with poultry.
However, despite the risks, there also are benefits to eating pork tenderloin in moderation.
What Are the Benefits of Eating Pork Tenderloin?
There are a lot of benefits to eating pork. Some of these include:
- Pork has a lot of protein, iron, zinc, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, and minerals like phosphorus, thiamine, and selenium. All of these vitamins and minerals uniquely help your body. Vitamins B6 and B12 are good for blood cell formation, while selenium helps your thyroid function properly. Iron, on the other hand, plays a part in the hemoglobin in your red blood cells.
- One great benefit that comes from eating pork is that it can help maintain your muscles. The reason for this is that of the amino acids found in pork. It’ll help you grow more muscle, which is always useful. When one gets older, one loses muscles. Just a sad fact of life, but you can help remedy it by eating pork to maintain your muscles!
- Another benefit that can come with eating pork tenderloin is by giving you increased muscle performance. The reason for this is that of the amino acid beta-alanine, which helps your body create carnosine. By having carnosine in your body, your muscles can function properly. The more you have, the less chance there is of excessive fatigue.
These are the biggest benefits of eating pork tenderloin. Most of the benefits of eating this cut of pork seem to revolve around muscles and muscle health in general.
Remember that all of these benefits get thrown out the window if you aren’t cooking your pork at the correct temperature. It absolutely needs to be cooked thoroughly before you eat it.
Final Thoughts
And there you go; all you pork tenderloin out there! Now you know what pork tenderloin is, how much each person should get if you can eat too much in the first place, and finally, the benefits of eating it.
We promise that in no time you will be an expert at all things having to do with portion size. It’ll become second nature to you.
If, for some reason, you do want to overindulge, you can do so, but it needs to be done once in a while.
Doing it all the time can put your body at risk, and since you have only one body, you need to take care of it!
You might also be interested in the following:
- How Much Pork per Person?
- How Much Pork Shoulder per Person?
- How Much Pork Butt per Person?
- How Much Ham per Person?
- How Much Turkey per Person?
- How Much Chicken per Person?
- How Much Meat per Person?
I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.