Quintessentially, the Torah explicitly declares the pig unclean, because it has cloven hooves but does not ruminate.
It is only in Leviticus 11:7 that eating pork is forbidden to God's people for the very first time—“… and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.” This is where and when pork in all its forms (including ham, bacon, sausage, etc.)
Pigs carry a variety of parasites: Pigs can carry parasites in their meat, including the nodular worm, whipworm, lungworm, stomach worm, kidney worm, and roundworm. These parasites are difficult to kill even during cooking, and can cause serious health issues in humans.
Many people are surprised to find this out, but in the Old Testament God warned us that the pig was an unclean animal. Why? Because the pig is a scavenger and not meant for human consumption. (Check out Leviticus 11.)
Eating undercooked or raw pork can result in parasitic infections. Taenia solium, or pork tapeworm, is an intestinal parasite. Most of the time it's harmless, but it can occasionally cause a disease called cysticercosis, which leads to epilepsy.
The main reason pork is forbidden for Muslims is because it says in the Holy Quran that some food is allowed, while others are explicitly declared haram, which means forbidden. And pork is one of those forbidden foods.
Least healthy meats
Processed Meats: Notably, there are over 200 types of cold cuts and processed meats. These include hot dogs, bologna, and Vienna sausages. Processed meat is often made of less healthy organs like the stomach, lips, and heart.
Herodotus (II, 47) teaches us that pork is impure (aneiros) in Egypt, and that this impurity would result in rejection, restricting the consumption of the animal to particular occasions.
Prohibited foods that may not be consumed in any form include all animals—and the products of animals—that do not chew the cud and do not have cloven hoofs (e.g., pigs and horses); fish without fins and scales; the blood of any animal; shellfish (e.g., clams, oysters, shrimp, crabs) and all other living creatures that ...
The Torah explains which animals are kosher and which are not. Kosher animals are ruminants, in other words they chew cud, and they have split hooves, such as sheep or cows. Pigs are not ruminants, so they are not kosher. Animals that live in water can only be eaten if they have fins and scales.
Of course, just like with red meat, you want to stay away from highly processed poultry. Eating skinless, white meat is the healthiest way to go. Many professionals have classified white meat from chicken as the leanest and cleanest meat to eat.
In China, pork is preferred over beef for economic and aesthetic reasons; the pig is easy to feed and is not used for labour. The colours of the meat and the fat of pork are regarded as more appetizing, while the taste and smell are described as sweeter and cleaner. It is also considered easier to digest.
Eating pork products, which are loaded with artery-clogging cholesterol and saturated fat, is a good way to increase your chances of developing diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.
Both Judaism and Islam have prohibited eating pork and its products for thousands of years. Scholars have proposed several reasons for the ban to which both religions almost totally adhere. Pork, and the refusal to eat it, possesses powerful cultural baggage for Jews.
What Does The New Testament Say About Eating Unclean Animals? In the New Testament, Jesus swept away these rules when He “declared all foods clean” (Mark 7:18-19): “There is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.”
According to Talmudic law, the general punishment for violating Biblical negative commandments (with some exceptions), including eating pork, is 39 lashes, but these punishments only applied when there was a Sanhedrin.
In Abrahamic religions, eating pig flesh is clearly forbidden by Jewish (kashrut), Islamic (halal) and Adventist (kosher animals) dietary laws. Although Christianity is also an Abrahamic religion, most of its adherents do not follow these aspects of Mosaic law and do consume its meat.
Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession. Do not eat any detestable thing. the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.
There is no direct statement on the subject by Jesus in the New Testament. The story of Jesus feeding fish to people would support the view that Jesus may have been a pescatarian. Paul seems to have been more open to meat eating, but even Paul was open to vegetarianism.
Islam teaches that pigs are unclean and eating pork is a sin, and some Muslims feel selling or handling pork is also forbidden because it would make them complicit in the sins of others.
Prior to the Atlantic Slave Trade, pigs were present in sub-Saharan West Africa, but they were not a major part of the indigenous diet. Even if pigs were plentiful, Islam had spread in the region since the 800s C.E., which made pork a taboo food for the burgeoning number of Muslim converts.
“Most of West Africa is Muslim, so pork is not popular in Africa,” N'Daw said. “It's something that you won't find in many places. We eat a lot of goats, a lot of lambs and a lot of fish.
Healthiest options: turkey and chicken
When it comes to the healthiest meats that pack the biggest nutritional punch, turkey and chicken should be at the top of your (grocery) list, says Schiff. Both are about equal in terms of nutrition, with turkey tending to be leaner than chicken.
try to limit processed meat products such as sausages, salami, pâté and beefburgers, because these are generally high in fat – they are often high in salt, too. try to limit meat products in pastry, such as pies and sausage rolls, because they are often high in fat and salt.