On Tuesday, the Youserved Podcast had Mark Singleton from Rudolph Foods as a guest. His company is on a mission to get a National Pork Rind Appreciation day to coincide with the Big Game (they can’t use the real name, but we all know the championship football game 
) that is held every year. You know, pig skin and pig skin.
If you listen to the podcast, you will hear Troy and Marcus say they originally thought it was a joke, but you know what? Rudolph Foods is going to donate 10 cents for every vote, up to 100,000 votes. That is $10,000 for the Wounded Warriors Family Support charity, and THAT is no joke!!
As a little bonus, every 20th voter will win a small gift from Rudolph Foods. And there is a surprise in the works that will be announced over the summer so voting is to your benefit. It’s simple, I did it. Just register your email and vote yes.
So. Some folks would say that pork rinds aren’t really that good for you and it’s not a snack that should be promoted. I would disagree. First off, TASTY! My dad is a sweet ol’ Southern man and when I was a child, we’d drive from El Paso, TX, to Roswell, NM, to visit my grandparents. I remember him stopping in at gas stations and buying a bag of pork rinds for all of us to share. He got me hooked on the spicy ones. Mmmm, tasty porcine goodness. But that doesn’t address the health issues. So here’s the deal…before my current job, I worked for a food manufacturing company. My job was to put together those nutrition panels on the back of the boxes of food you buy (in addition to also doing the listing of ingredients, allergy type stuff, genetically modified food information, and halal/kosher stuff (btw, pork rinds are neither halal or kosher haha)). I know my stuff on nutrition labeling as defined by the FDA and USDA.
Behold:
(click on the image to view a larger version)
A side-by-side nutrition comparison between potato chips and pork rinds. Both 1 oz breakdowns, and I tried to get to the closest comparison in terms of simple, plain product (although there are some differences, primarily the salted vs unsalted and the chips being cooked in partially hydrogenated oil which is where your transfats come from, but hey, I did my best to find equivalents).
Guess what….there is only a 7 calorie difference between the two. For the chips, that falls primarily in carbohydrates and for pork rinds, that falls primarily in protein. Both are comparable in fat content and calories derived from that, so it’s a wash there. One thing to note is that central graphic “Nutritional Target Map.” Pork rinds have a larger “fullness factor.” I won’t get into how our bodies break down carbs and proteins and whatnot, but basically, if you eat pork rinds instead of potato chips, you’re gonna feel fuller longer, and that’s not a bad thing when snacking. As in all things in life, moderation is the key. Cholesterol is an issue with ANY animal product, so keep that in mind. But if you’re doing an occasional snack time hit on the rinds, it’s not going to be a big issue. And on Big Game Day, it’s not like everyone is all thinkin’ of “Oh my, this will raise my cholesterol.” hahahaha
Anyway, after all of that, GO VOTE!! And eat some yummy pork rind goodness once in a while.
(This all is my personal opinion and just so you know, no, I didn’t even get a free bag of rinds to nosh upon. I write for my own personal amusement and never, ever take monetary compensation or gifts from people. I just want the charity to get the money and it’s an easy way for you all to help them and I actually like pork rinds!)
