Pork Tenderloin

Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps

Pork tenderloin is a lean, high-protein meat that's also packed with a B-vitamin most other meats barely have.

Stage by stage

Chewing & Stomach (Mouth & Stomach): Chewing and stomach acid begin breaking pork's muscle protein into smaller peptide fragments.
Small Intestine (Small Intestine): Pancreatic enzymes finish digestion into amino acids, which are absorbed in the small intestine along with thiamin, zinc, and vitamin B12.
Bloodstream (Circulation): Amino acids and micronutrients travel through the bloodstream to the liver and then to tissues throughout the body.
Muscle & Metabolism (Muscle Tissue): Muscle cells use the amino acids to repair and build tissue, while thiamin acts as a cofactor that helps mitochondria convert nutrients into usable energy.

Timing

Pork tenderloin's protein and B-vitamins are well absorbed regardless of time of day or what it's paired with; spreading protein intake across meals may support muscle protein synthesis better than concentrating it in one sitting.

Time to effect

Hours to weeks: Amino acids begin supporting muscle protein synthesis within a few hours of eating, but noticeable changes in strength, lean mass, or corrected thiamin status take consistent intake over several weeks.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Keto, Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free.

Satiety

186 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Environmental footprint

12.3 kg CO2e and 1796 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Pig meat" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £9 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Protein
Thiamin (B1)
Selenium
Zinc
Vitamin B6

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 147
Protein: 26g
Carbohydrate: 0g
of which sugars: 0g
Fat: 4g
of which saturated: 1.4g
Fibre: 0g
Sodium: 57mg

Food vs. supplement

Whole pork tenderloin provides complete, highly bioavailable protein plus thiamin, zinc, selenium, and B6/B12 in one food, offering a nutrient package and satiety that isolated protein powders or B-vitamin pills don't replicate.

Kitchen tip

Cook pork tenderloin to an internal temperature of 145°F followed by a 3-minute rest, per USDA guidance — it will look faintly pink but is fully safe, and overcooking both dries out the lean meat and degrades heat-sensitive thiamin.

Common myth

"Pork is basically as lean and healthy as chicken because it's 'the other white meat.'" In reality: USDA still classifies pork as red meat regardless of branding; tenderloin specifically is lean (roughly 3–4 g fat per 100 g cooked), but that leanness is a trait of this particular cut, not of pork as a species — fattier cuts like ribs or belly are nutritionally very different.