Smithfield, one of America's largest meat producers, advertises its Smoked Pork Chop as an easy-to-prepare, fully cooked meat product. Available in boneless and bone-in varieties, Smithfield's Smoked Pork Chop has a full smokehouse flavor and can be grilled, microwaved or pan-fried in minutes. It is good source of protein but, like many processed meats, may pose some health concerns.
Basic Nutrition
One 3-oz. serving of Smithfield's Smoked Pork Chop, about the size of a deck of cards, has only 100 calories. The pork chop has 14 g of protein, enough to supply a quarter of your daily needs in a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet. Smithfield's Smoked Pork Chop has no vitamin A, vitamin C or calcium, according to LIVESTRONG.COM's MyPlate.
Fat
A serving of Smithfield's Smoked Pork Chop contains 22.5 calories from fat; nine of those calories are from saturated fat. It contains 30 mg of cholesterol per serving, 10 percent of the recommended daily amount. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 7 percent of your total daily calories should come from saturated fat; in a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, that limit is 140 calories, so Smithfield's Smoked Pork Chop can be considered a low-fat, low-cholesterol meat product.
Sodium
One serving of Smithfield's Smoked Pork Chop contains 1,070 mg of sodium -- half or more of the sodium your body needs daily. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010" recommends sodium intake no higher than 2,300 mg per day for people aged 14 to 50 and less than 1,500 mg per day for younger children and those aged 51 and older.
Considerations
Although Smithfield's Smoked Pork Chop is a good source of protein and has low fat content, it contains too much sodium. Sodium is an essential nutrient, but your body needs only small amounts; too much sodium can contribute to increased blood pressure. Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Processed meats usually contain high amounts of sodium, so a healthier alternative to Smithfield's Smoked Pork Chop would be freshly prepared meat products, such as grilled chicken or pork with little or no salt added.
