Samgyeopsal is Korean grilled pork-belly dish, famed for being featured in Korean barbecue and its 3-layer meat and fat content. In fact, the name “samgyeopsal” literally means “three-layer flesh” in Korean language! Being a communal dish, samgyeopsal is also pretty simple to be prepared because it does not need too many ingredients, and diners practically cook it themselves up to their desired level of doneness!
It is also said that samgyeopsal is best served with onions, garlic and ssamjang paste wrapped in fresh lettuce leaf; which makes it a well-rounded dish! And so, here are more about samgyeopsal, and not to forget the health benefits of samgyeopsal!
What are its Health Benefits?
- Samgyeopsal Has a Lot of Protein
Pork, being meat is also loaded with lots of health benefits whey protein inside. In fact, the type of protein found inside pork is of high quality! High quality protein is much needed by the body for muscle growth and maintenance.
- Samgyeopsal Offers an Excellent Range of Vitamins and Minerals
Next, samgyeopsal or pork in general also offers an excellent range of vitamins and minerals, ranging from thiamine, selenium, zinc, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, niacin, phosphorus as well as iron.
- Samgyeopsal Maintains Muscle Mass
One of protein’s main job inside our body is the maintenance of muscle mass. Without the right diet and the right amount of exercise, muscles degenerates as age passes. Consuming a lot of meat ensures that this kind of thing does not happen in the upcoming future.
- Samgyeopsal Improves Exercise Performance
And finally, here is the other primary function of eating meat apart from maintaining muscle mass. Improved muscle quality also means improved muscle function as well as exercise performance.
How Samgyeopsal is Eaten
Samgyeopsal, just like any other forms of Korean barbecued meat is served with fresh raw vegetables as its side dishes. Grilled pork belly is placed on a palmful of fresh raw health benefits of lettuce leaf, added with ssamjang paste and/or health benefits eating fresh garlic, and rolled prior to consumption.
However, some others may also include common Korean side dishes to be eaten with samgyeopsal, such as steamed rice, health benefits of kimchi, kimchijjigae (kimchi stew), doenjangjjigae (soybean paste stew), or naengmyeon (cold broth noodles). It is also widely accepted that samgyeopsal is best eaten with the presence of soju, or Korean spirit!
Cautions and Recommendations
It is no secret that samgyeopsal, in line with many other health benefits of lean pork dishes is loaded with health disadvantages. But then, it really depends on one’s self. If one is able to consume it at moderate amounts, then samgyeopsal’s health disadvantages should not come as a threat to one’s wellbeing.
First, when cooking pork one must always make sure that the meat is thoroughly cooked, because raw pork contains parasites that are deemed as hazardous to a healthy human being, such as pork tapeworm, parasitic roundworms as well as toxoplasmosis.
Tapeworm is often harmless, however its presence inside pork is pretty serious in developing regions of the world, and may cause epilepsy. Approximately 50 million lives have been affected with that every year. Secondly, roundworms also pose pork as risky to humans approximately the same way tapeworms do it, however roundworms lead to trichinosis, with the notable symptoms being diarrea, stomach pain, nausea, heartburn, up to weaknesses, muscle pain and fever in more severe cases.
And finally, pork also has parasites that trigger toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is also caused by consumption of raw or uncooked pork meat, with symptoms such as headache, fever, and muscle pain that may last for weeks. In the case of toxoplasmosis, the best way to deal with it is to completely disallow direct physical contact with the affected organism.