Pozole, a traditional Mexican stew, is a flavorful and hearty dish enjoyed across the country during festivities and everyday meals. This article delves into the nutritional profile of pozole, exploring its potential health benefits, drawbacks, and its role in weight management.
What is Pozole?
Pozole is a corn-based stew whose main ingredient is hominy. Hominy is made by treating dried corn kernels in a process called nixtamalization. Nixtamalization was developed by ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations and includes the alkaline cooking of corn kernels. Nixtamalization is traditionally done using a white substance called lime that mainly consists of calcium hydroxide. The corn kernels are cooked in lime, steeped overnight at room temperature, and washed with water to remove any excess lime.
To prepare pozole, hominy is cooked in pork or chicken broth. Other ingredients generally include pork or chicken, green or red hot sauce, shredded lettuce or cabbage, sliced radish, diced onion, and avocado.
There are three main types of pozole:
- Red pozole: Made using a red hot sauce usually featuring ingredients like red tomatoes and chilies.
- Green pozole: Made using a green hot sauce that swaps the red tomatoes and chilies for green ones. It may also include cilantro and epazote, an herb native to southern Mexico.
- White pozole: Features just the stew and no added sauce.
Nutritional Value of Pozole
Pozole is considered a balanced dish, providing all three macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fats. A 1-cup (238-gram) serving of pozole with pork meat and chicken stock provides:
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- Calories: 214
- Carbs: 12 grams
- Protein: 18 grams
- Fat: 10 grams
- Niacin: 36% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Sodium: 25% of the DV
- Zinc: 20% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 15% of the DV
- Potassium: 8% of the DV
- Iron: 7% of the DV
Pozole is rich in vitamins and minerals like zinc, potassium, and niacin, also known as vitamin B3. It also offers some calcium and magnesium, both of which are increased during the nixtamalization process.
Interestingly, niacin deficiency or pellagra - a condition characterized by symptoms like depression, apathy, headache, fatigue, and memory loss - is uncommon in countries where many traditional dishes center around corn.
What’s more, nixtamalization improves the protein quality of hominy and reduces corn’s content of antinutrients. Antinutrients are compounds that can hinder the absorption of certain nutrients in your body.
Health Benefits of Pozole
Pozole offers several potential health benefits:
Weight Management
Pozole can be a weight-loss-friendly dish due to its high protein content, with up to 18 grams of protein per 1 cup (238 grams). This accounts for 32-38% of the recommended daily dietary allowance (RDA) of protein. The RDA reflects how much protein you should consume per day to avoid protein deficiency and is set at 0.36 grams per 1 pound (0.8 grams per kg) of body weight.
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Research shows that protein-rich diets are effective for weight management. This is likely thanks to protein’s effect on energy expenditure and appetite. Protein increases your energy expenditure by increasing diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) and resting metabolism. DIT refers to the energy needed for nutrient absorption, metabolism, and storage in your body. For comparison, fats and carbs increase DIT by 0-3% and 5-10%, respectively, while proteins produce an increase of 20-30%.
Protein also helps increase feelings of fullness and reduce your appetite by modulating gut hormones. Specifically, evidence suggests that protein may increase hunger-reducing hormones like glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), cholecystokinin (CCK), and peptide YY (PYY). Protein also decreases ghrelin levels, an appetite-promoting hormone.
High in Fiber and Resistant Starch
The nixtamalization process used to produce hominy causes significant chemical, nutritional, and quality changes in corn. A notable change is the increase of the corn’s content of resistant starch, a type of fiber associated with numerous potential health benefits.
Increased resistant starch content in a food is linked to improved blood sugar control because the fiber helps lower the food’s glycemic index (GI) and improves insulin sensitivity. A low GI means that a carb-containing food won’t spike your blood sugar levels much. Improved insulin sensitivity means that your cells will respond better to the hormone insulin, which is needed for sugar metabolism.
Resistant starch also acts as a prebiotic, which is food for your gut’s friendly bacteria. This increases the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that can improve your gut health. Further, resistant starch may improve heart health by helping your body manage its triglycerides and cholesterol levels.
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Gluten-Free
Pozole is naturally gluten-free, making it a great option for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity who follow a gluten-free diet. Reports from the Celiac Sprue Association - the largest non-profit celiac disease support group in the United States - state that zein, the main protein in corn, doesn’t cause allergic reactions in people with celiac disease. As such, corn, cornflour, and hominy are safe ingredients to use in gluten-free products.
Rich in Vitamins, Minerals, and Antioxidants
Pozole is an amazing source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is rich in niacin, selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin K. Other nutrients you may find in pozole are vitamin B12, iron, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. The veggies in pozole also provide antioxidants, which help neutralize harmful free radicals that can damage your cells. Eating antioxidant-rich foods can help prevent diseases like cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and other inflammatory diseases.
Potential Drawbacks
Despite pozole’s potential health benefits, the stew may also have some downsides:
High in Sodium
Pozole can be high in sodium, especially if you use pre-made broth when cooking the hominy or if you serve it with sodium-rich sides like tortilla chips. High sodium intakes have been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure in some people. In turn, this can increase the risk of stroke.
High in Fat and Calories
Pozole can also turn into a high fat and high calorie meal, depending on your choice of meat and toppings.
Cholesterol Levels
Pozole can be high in cholesterol, depending on which protein is used.
Tips for a Healthier Pozole
To control your meal’s sodium, fat, and calorie content, try these tips:
- Make your own broth or use a low sodium version.
- Opt for leaner cuts of meat like pork tenderloin or skinless chicken breast.
- Limit your serving size of calorie-dense sides and toppings.
- Add less salt and focus on getting flavor from other ingredients like herbs and spices.
- Add vegetable garnishes on top like shredded cabbage or diced onion.
Variations and Toppings
Pozole recipes can vary on the choice of sauce, and some call for extra ingredients. You can make vegetarian pozole by swapping meat for beans and using vegetable broth. There’s a wide range of toppings to choose from, including shredded lettuce or cabbage, sliced radish, diced onions, avocado, lime wedges, tortilla chips, cilantro, and sour cream.
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