An overview of the Health benefits of Spanish Iberian Ham

Spanish ham or Iberian ham as it is known has many benefits in comparison to your everyday meats. One of the main benefits is the nutritional value and health benefits it contains and is classed as one of the healthiest factors of a Mediterranean and Spanish diet. The flavour is far greater than your average ham with the strict origin laws that state a specific production, curing and drying process must take place. This guarantees the flavour, colour and aroma as well as the health benefits it will contain. In Spain however, although it is considered to those who know, not very many Spanish people are well educated on just how nutritional and healthy the Spanish Ham is, they just enjoy it for the flavour and care that goes into preparing it for sale. So to break it down, 100 grams of Iberian ham contains:

•     200 calories which is 1/10 of your daily intake for a woman and 1/12.5 for a man.

•    70 milligrams of cholesterol which is just less than a quarter of your recommended daily intake.

•    It provides for than 24% of your recommended daily intake of niacin which is known as vitamin B3.

•    33% of your protein intake which is great for people who go to the gym as usually fresh meat contains about 22% of your recommended daily intake so that is 50% more.

•    Rich in Calcium which helps your bones stay strong.

•    2.20mg of Zinc which is more that 1/10 of your recommended daily amount. Zinc has been proven to help concentration levels in adults and is very good for your immune system.

•    2.3mg of Iron which is 1/8 of your daily allowance.

•   Rich in magnesium.

•    100mg of Carbohydrates. There is no recommended health guideline for carbohydrates as they pose no major health risk. On average a person will consume 200-300mg of carbohydrates a day unless they are trying to lose weight then they may cut it down to 100-150mg.

•    On average about 14 grams of fat which is under ¼ of your recommended daily intake. The fat found in Iberian ham contains Oleic acid which is the same found in olive oil. This helps produce good cholesterol known as HDL while reducing bad cholesterol.

•    Rich in B vitamins which:

1.     Keep your heart working
2.     Break down the protein in the food we eat
3.     Helps our nervous system send messages to and from the brain
4.     Breaks food we eat down and turns it into fuel for our bodies
5.     Helps our immune system
6.     Makes new cells

•    1470mg of Sodium which is more than half of our recommended daily amount. Sodium helps our bodily fluid flow properly and regulates that there is always the correct amount of fluid in our bodies, it controls our sweat, tells us when we are thirsty etc. Too much or too little sodium can be a health risk so knowing how much to consume is extremely beneficial.

There are many Spanish Ham importers in the UK who pride themselves on importing the best meat from Spain. This means if you are on a health kick you can enjoy the nutritional values of Spanish meat without having to jump on a plane and cross over to another country.