Long Popular Snack Food Gets New Respect (NAPSA)—Not since President George H.W. Bush had brought pork rinds to the White House to replace Ronald Reagan’s jelly beans has the crispy snack received so much attention. Morerecently, svelte supermodels helped pork rinds grow in popularity as part of a weight loss regimen because the snacks are high in protein, have zero carbs and less fat than peanuts. The peanut has been considered a healthy high-protein snack, but current data indicates that half an ounce of peanuts provides less protein and more fat for the same number of calories as pork rind snacks. Now, high-protein diets such as South Beach, Atkins and Zone, bring the pork rind into new consumer markets. NASCAR followers, football fans, anglers, hunters and campers all enjoy the snack. What’s more, upscale consumers are addingit to the shopping list and pork rinds are finding their way into the lunch box at work and school. “Pork rinds are currently the only crunchy chip style snack food on the market today with zero carbohydrates,” says Rich Rudolph, President of Rudolph Foods, Lima, Ohio. With no artificial flavors or preservatives, these pork rinds can be a tasty alternative to highly processed snacks. Unlike most chips which are carbohydrates, pork rinds are actually 70 percent protein. Many say a small, 80 calorie A crispy, tasty snack that’s high in protein, low in fat and carbohydrate free, pork rinds are increasingly popular with the health- and fashion-conscious. serving of pork rinds can curb their appetite and help them stay on their diets. It’s because protein is morefilling than carbohydrates, explained Charlene Rainey, president of Food Research, Inc. “Over half of the fat in pork rinds is monounsaturated, the kind of fat you would associate with oliveoil. The expanded Nutrition Facts label for a half ounce serving of pork rinds showsthat, of 5 grams of total fat, 2.5 grams are monounsaturated, 0.5 gram is polyunsaturated, 2 grams are saturated, and there is zero transfat,” she added. Pork rinds can be found in health food stores and in the lowcarb food and snack food sections of most food markets, convenience stores and supermarkets and online at www.rudolphfoods.com.
