If you're a lover of BBQ pulled pork or pulled pork sandwiches, you might be wondering if it's allowed on the slimming world plan?
Pulled pork is not a syn free food in the slimming world, depending on the BBQ sauces, most packaged supermarket versions will cost you around 10 syns for 100g, making it very high in syns.
Just because pulled pork is high in syns in slimming world, doesn't mean you can't have it, we've put together a guide below which will discuss the syns of pulled pork if it makes you gain weight, alternatives as well as a few SW friendly recipes to enjoy your pulled pork without the guilt.
Why Is Pulled Pork So High In Syns?
At around 10 syns for a 100g, pulled pork is very high in syns, taking up the majority of your 15 syn daily allowances.
Most of the syns in pulled pork comes from the saturated fat, the BBQ sauces also add lots of unnecessary syns and calories to the pork, for example, a half pack of Tesco sweet BBQ pulled pork has 15g of sugar in, mostly from the BBQ sauces and 14g of fat.
Pulled pork is also very easy to overeat, since it's shredded, which reduces its volume and makes it easy to consume more, especially when hidden in sandwiches for example.
This doesn't mean you can't have the occasional pulled pork on the slimming world plan, however, but you would need to save most of your daily syn allowance and measure your portion to stay on track with the plan.
Pulled Pork Syn Values
Pulled pork has varying syn values according to how it is marinated and the ingredients the sauce has, we've listed some varying syn values of pulled pork below to help you get an idea of its different syn values.
Aldi Ready, Steady, Cook! BBQ Pulled Pork 400g - 20 syns for half pack.
Slimming World Barbecue Pulled Pork 500g - 10 syns.
Does Pork Make You Gain Weight On Slimming World?
Pork is one of the fattest types of meat out there, although can be eaten in moderation while losing weight, it also depends on the cut of the meat that you go for. The biggest thing to be wary of with pork is the unsaturated fats and high sodium content in the meat.
You should also consider the way that you prepare the pork, avoid frying and opt for baking and grilling instead.
Are There Any Low Syn Alternatives To Pulled Pork?
If you find pulled pork to be too high in syns, you might be wondering if there are any other low syn alternatives.
We've listed a few options below if you are looking for a similar texture or dish.
Just because packaged BBQ pulled pork can be high in syns, doesn't mean you can't prepare your pulled pork at home in a more SW friendly way.
We've listed two slimming world friendly recipes for using your pulled pork down below.
SW Friendly SYN FREE BBQ Pulled Pork
Ingredients
450g of passata.
Two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
Five tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.
Three garlic cloves are chopped finely.
1.5kg pork shoulder with the fat removed.
Three spoons of sweetener.
Method
To begin, start by mixing your balsamic vinegar, passata and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl, add in the garlic, sweetener and some seasoning too. Simmer for around 20 minutes in a frying pan until the sauce starts to thicken up.
On another pan, take your pork and sear it on the sides then cook in your slow cooker with the sauce you made for around 8 hours until cooked through.
Remove the pork from the slow cookers and take two forks, slowly shred the pork, take out the sauce and reserve for your dipping and drizzling later.
SW Friendly BBQ Sandwich (1 syns and Hex B)
Ingredients
Spice Mix
Pinch of garlic and onion powder.
A teaspoon of paprika and smoked paprika.
A teaspoon of chilli powder.
Pinch of cumin.
Seasoning.
Pulled Pork
800g of pork shoulder (fat removed).
One red pepper and green onion chopped.
Red onion chopped.
Whole wheat roll (four) as healthy extra B.
Sauce
Two tablespoons of maple syrup.
Pinch of onion, garlic and mustard powder.
Large spoon of paprika.
Two tablespoons of soy sauce & balsamic vinegar.
Two garlic cloves.
Two onions diced.
One cup of water and passata.
Spoon of tomato puree.
Method
Start by making your spice mix with the ingredients above then rub all over the pork, fry off the onion and garlic in a frying pan after.
Add the rest of the sauce ingredients into the frying pan and boil for ten minutes, place your pork shoulder in the slow cooker then pour the sauce on top.
Cook for six hours then shred apart with two forks, serve the shredded pork in your wholemeal rolls with some salad and enjoy!
Should I Eat Pulled Pork On The Slimming World Plan?
Overall, there's no reason as to why you can't have pulled pork in the slimming world, but you would have to save the majority of your daily syn allowance to consume it without the risk of weight gain. To save syns, we would suggest switching to our low syn alternatives or making your own syn free/low syn pulled pork with our recipes above.
Jennifer
Jennifer is a certified nutritionist and weight loss coach with a Master's in Nutrition from Cambridge. With over 10 years experience, she shares healthy recipes and science-backed slimming tips on SheCooksSheEats to help people reach their wellness goals. Jennifer stays up-to-date by regularly attending conferences and continuing her nutrition education. She aims to provide research-backed advice to inspire balanced, happy living.
