There is an idea that cooked or York ham is the only one allowed when you are on a low-calorie diet. And what is worse for some, you have to completely forget about Jabugo, Bellota or Serrano, no matter how much you die for them.
Well, according to experts, that is not exactly the case.
Carlos Ríos, creator of the Realfooding movement, explains that “the difference in the fat content of the product will be decisive in the caloric intake. However, it is wrong to think that serrano ham is a worse option than other ham due to its fat content. In that case it would be necessary to consider that a “light” ham is better. But these types of hams have other unhealthy ingredients (low meat content, sugar, starches, additives, etc.).”
It can be deduced from this statement that in any case it would be necessary to establish which one is more or less suitable for a slimming diet by comparing the highest quality of each of the options.
At Myrealfood, they consider all Serrano hams to be well processed. However, “we believe,” comments Carlos Ríos, “that its consumption must be moderated due to its richness in salt, fats and the presence of controversial additives such as nitrites and nitrates.” As for cooked, they consider that “those that have more than 90% pork are good processed foods.”
Above all, he says, they must be distinguished from “ham cold cuts, which usually contain vegetable proteins, starches and/or added sugars, and the meat with which they are made comes from different cuts of the animal (and not just the legs). Therefore it is ultra-processed and less recommended.”
In the case of “cured”, the one that is considered best is the acorn or black leg, although all of them, regardless of the quality, are made with the hind or front legs of the pig without other meat additions.
In any case, to begin with, cooked food has fewer calories. One hundred grams of extra cooked ham provides about 105 kc, for 190 of the same amount of a serrano shoulder, with less fat. But if we talk about an Iberian pata negra, they rise to no less than 300, which would be the same as any other protein meat.
Indulge in small doses
“In any case, the energy provided by one or the other is not very relevant, since when we talk about ‘getting fat’ or ‘losing weight’ it is wrong to focus on a single food or a single meal. For example, Serrano ham provides more energy, but is also more satiating. Nor is it a food that is consumed every day…”.
It is not necessary to completely ban it from the diet, but it is necessary to limit its consumption. About 50 g of acorn-fed or serrano a couple of times a week is acceptable, as long as it replaces some other meat with equivalent calories.
You can eat more of the cooked food, but there is no carte blanche either, because it has a considerable salt content.
Breed, upbringing and feeding make the differences
That different hams have different nutritional contributions is due to several reasons. One of them is the way they are prepared, but also the breed of the animals, their diet, the areas of origin and the breeding processes.
“All these aspects tell us a lot about the quality of the meat; Just as the way of raising chickens would be relevant when we buy eggs,” adds Ríos. “When we refer to the highest quality exponents of both meats (extra cooked ham or acorn-fed ham), the first would have a lower fat content than the second and, therefore, a lower energy value. However, the fat profile of acorn-fed ham seems to be interesting due to its high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids.”
Broadly speaking, cured ham is obtained from the pig’s legs, which are salted and left to dry in the open air or in environments that reproduce those same conditions. If the ham comes from the hind legs, it will be fattier than if it comes from the front ones, or shoulders.
Serrano is called that because it is cured in dry places high in the mountains, where the climate is colder. It is fattier than cooked, but not as much as 100% pata negra or acorn-fed. It usually comes from areas such as Teruel, Salamanca or Albacete, with a dry and cold climate. It is made with pigs from breeds with less tendency to accumulate fat, although what they have does not have the properties of black pigs raised in the countryside.
It is basically composed of protein, salt and some water and that is why it is much leaner.
The acorn-fed or pata negra owes its names to the fact that it comes from black Iberian pigs and that they feed on this fruit during the fattening season.
The ham they give is of higher quality and better flavor. Largely due to the fat that forms streaks between the meat and which can represent up to 50% of the total weight.
A fat with good cholesterol
It is true that it multiplies calories, but it is also a fat composed largely of oleic acid, an antioxidant that helps raise good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL).
In addition, it provides vitamins, such as B6, and minerals, which prevent cardiovascular diseases.
In the curing process, good amounts of salt are added, which causes the meat to lose water. In this way, proteins are concentrated and calories increase. It has 30% protein, about 28 grams per 100 grams of ham, 11.5 grams of fat, 0.1 grams of carbohydrates and 70 mg of cholesterol. It is rich in B vitamins and provides minerals, such as zinc, phosphorus, calcium, iron and magnesium.
Cooked, or York ham (named after the British city where the recipe was born) is made from pigs with less tendency to accumulate fat and with greater muscle mass.
Its energy value is 108 calories per hundred grams, with 19 proteins, 3 grams of fat, 1.3 carbohydrates and 45 mg of cholesterol.
The way to prepare it is by cooking after having injected an aqueous solution with salt (or brine) and other various condiments.
During this process, it loses a good part of the pork’s natural fat, which is why the calories it provides are reduced.
That proportion between calories, proteins and carbohydrates makes it more suitable when you want to lose weight. It has a lower satiating effect, but it is very easy to digest, in addition to providing vitamins C, D, B1, B6, K and E.