Protein in pork skins?

(Eli Miles) #1

I am looking at the nutrition facts on the bag of pork skins i just bought and noticed that next to the protein it states not a significant source of protein. Any one know what these means? It contains 7 grams per serving which seems pretty significant to me.

What's your KETO - Kryptonite?
(Kelly LeBlanc) #2

I was just listening to this when I saw your post. Pork rinds protein question explained at about 28 minutes.

(Eli Miles) #3

Awesome ill give it a listen. Is this a podcast you would recommend in general for keto? Ive tried a few other podcast and didnā€™t find them very helpful :disappointed:

(Kelly LeBlanc) #4

I particularly liked the earlier ones, but they are decent.

Note that in this podcast he says that the protein does need to be counted as protein and he explains why he believes so, but I know a lot of people do not count it. Hopefully someone can chime in.

I love pork rinds and I donā€™t track the protein in them because I donā€™t track.

Where do you buy pork rinds?
(Terri) #5

I have not listened to this podcast, but from what I have understood pork rinds are an incomplete protein and therefore do not really count in overall protein consumption.

#6

According to wiki: ā€œā€¦pork rinds are considered an incomplete source of protein because they contain very low amounts of some essential amino acids, including methionine, tryptophan and histidine.ā€

(Dev Singh) #7

On the contary the podcast says even thoā€™ its an incomplete protein it is still processed by the body like a protein, so it does count according to my understanding.

#8

Agreed. Even though pork rinds do not contain the complete complement of essential amino acids as pointed out, amino acids such as leucine are insulogenic and not counting this as a source of protein would overlook certain metabolic effects.

Another point is that pork rinds are reportedly providing collagen, and theyā€™re much tastier than the collagen powder I bought. :slight_smile:

(Richard Morris) #9

Incomplete proteins are still protein. But you canā€™t rely upon them to provide your minimum daily requirements of protein. The may not contain your daily requirement of the 9 essential amino acids, and they could tip your available (labile) protein pool heavily away from non-essential amino acids that you then need to manufacture.

In other words you canā€™t rely on eating 1-1.5g/kg LBM of pork rinds and consider that your nutritional needs were met that day. But pork rinds dusted muscle meat may be healthier for you than muscle meat alone thanks to the glycine to balance out the methionine in muscle meat.

#10

Agreed, I donā€™t think that incomplete proteins such as pork rinds should be considered when calculations are for supporting LBM, but definitely part of the calculation used for how it affects insulin - (carb grams + (0.5 * protein grams)). I was also pointing out that some amino acids such as leucine have a metabolic effect even when taken in isolation.

#11

Yes, there are typically 4 servings in a snack-sized bag, which would quickly add up to half my daily protein. Just because it is incomplete in the bag, does not make it incomplete after you eat it with another protein source that contains complementary amino acids.

Some of the brands Iā€™ve seen list protein as <1g. Iā€™m not sure if this is inaccurate labeling or the skins are mostly pork fat in them.

#12

I would guess inaccurate labelling.

(Steven) #13

So. Donā€™t count the protein? Lol. Sorry confused

#14

You should always count the protein grams and the calories from the protein in pork rinds, but if you are ingesting protein for muscle-building purposes, it doesnā€™t contain all the essential amino acids, so consider it a ā€œbrokenā€ protein and donā€™t expect it to help you build muscle.

Itā€™s a little more complicated, because the protein in pork rinds will help you rebuild connective tissue like collagen, but most people are much more concerned about muscle.

(Ashley Haddock) #15

You have probably already discovered this, but if you are still looking for a good keto podcast I canā€™t recommend 2 Keto Dudes enough. :slight_smile:

#16

I agree you should count the protein grams, but it may also be beneficial.

#17

Thank you for the link. :smile:

And I agree with you that incomplete proteins like pork skins/rinds that are high in glycine may be beneficial which is why I have some sitting on my shelf right now and love the pork rind pancakes. :wink:

Iā€™m just going to be cautious when recommending an incomplete protein because the applicability is more specific than recommending a complete protein.

#18

BillJay is making a very good point. Certainly, counting the protein in pork rinds is necessary when tracking total macros, but not all the protein in your daily diet should come from pork rindsā€¦itā€™s not a complete protein spectrum.

Many years ago, there used to be a liquid protein diet, based on gelatin protein, which made a lot of people sick (and some died, too). Getting incomplete protein in your diet will lead to serious health problems if eating this way for an extended period of time.

(Troy) #19

Could not figure this out. Lol

Had a 3oz bag of Mac brand pork rinds ( movie treat )
Checked MFP ounce I logged it

I could NOT figure out why protein was so highā€¦macros out of whack
Then I noticed the protein for a bag was about 54 or 56g of proteinšŸ˜¢

Yeah, I understand they are not a ā€œ complete protein ā€œ
Still frustrating that they are so high. For counting macros

And yes, this was not my main source of protein for the day or any other day as a matter of fact

(Richard Morris) #20

I would not count pork skins as protein for the sake of meeting your required protein intake. But if you are calorie counting they do of course, count. One thing worth considering is that pork skins, all skins are a source of glycine. Which I have found that I may have been conditionally deficient in.