Boneless cuts of meat, such as pork, can be a better value because you are not paying for inedible bone weight. In addition, cooking boneless pork chops by grilling them helps the fat drip out of your meat, meaning they will be slightly healthier -- and lower in fat -- than when cooked with other means. Grilled top loin pork chops, as long as you eat them in moderation, can be a fairly nutritious addition to your diet.
The Basics
According to Eating Well, pork loin cuts are rich in flavor and typically leaner than other cuts, particularly because modern pigs have been bred to be lower in fat. In addition to being able to trim the fat away from the outside of a pork loin, grilling allows the extra fat to run or drip out of your meat, while locking in flavor. This ensures a tasty, but low-fat pork loin. Before being grilled, a typical pork loin weighs 158 g, with 174 calories total; 118.31 g are from water, which will decrease slightly when cooked.
Protein and Amino Acids
A typical top loin pork chop contains 34.41 g of protein, about four times as much protein as in a glass of milk. Your body breaks this protein down into individual amino acids after you eat it; pork contains a variety of essential and non-essential amino acids. Pork is rich in the essential amino acids -- the ones your body must get from food -- including histidine, isoleucine, phenylaline, theorine and valine. Pork also contains high levels of non-essential amino acids, including lysine, arginine, and aspartic and glutamic acid.
Carbohydrates and Fat
According to the USDA Nutrient Database, pork loin is not a significant source of any carbohydrates, including fiber and sugars. Because it does not contain any carbs, you should eat it with foods such as brown rice, fruits and vegetables to provide carbs and other nutrients to make a complete meal. While a raw, lean pork chop has 3.97 g of total fat, this amount will decrease throughout the grilling process.
Nutrients
Pork is rich in the essential minerals phosphorus, potassium and selenium. However, pork loin is also high in sodium, with 367 mg in one chop, so you should try to flavor it with herbs such as garlic and cumin instead of salty seasonings. A top loin pork chop also contains the B vitamin family, with particularly high levels of niacin, at 13.89 mg in one chop. One pork chop also contains 91.4 mg of choline, a nutrient your body needs to make cells, send nerve impulses and transport fats to your liver for elimination.
References
- EatinngWell.com: Healthy Pork Recipes and Cooking Tips
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Pork, Fresh, Enhanced, Loin, Top Loin (Chops), Boneless, Separable Lean Only, Raw -- 1 Chop
- MedlinePlus; "Amino Acids"; Alison Evert; February 2011
- Linus Pauling Institute; "Macronutrient Information Center: Choline"; Victoria Drake; January 2008
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