Hot Diggity Dogs. Right now we are in the peak of hot dog season, which runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. … [+]
Let’s be honest. When you think of Memorial Day and summer picnics and barbecues, the first food that comes to mind isn’t kale, it’s hot dogs. If you go to an outdoor event in the United States in the next few months, you’ll probably see these edible cylinders of meat on the menu. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Association estimates that during peak hot dog season, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans will consume about 7 billion hot dogs. That’s about 818 hot dogs per second. Hot dogs are awesome. But just because you see them often doesn’t mean you have to eat one every time you see one.
Speaking of time, a study published in the journal Nature Food It’s estimated that eating a hot dog shortens your healthy lifespan by 36 minutes – the equivalent of one episode of a TV show. Ted LassoIt depends on the season. And it’s true that hot dogs are not a healthy food. If someone offers you a hot dog diet, be skeptical. Be very skeptical.
A hot dog is basically a type of sausage that is eaten, and in this case, the sausage isn’t the worst thing. Merriam-Webster Dictionary The definition of a sausage is “seasoned minced or ground meat (pork, beef, chicken, etc.) stuffed into a casing, usually made from animal intestines, or formed into a patty.” Remember, not all sausages are created equal and they’re not necessarily bad for you. The health effects of a sausage depend largely on its ingredients and how it’s made. However, there are many aspects of hot dogs that place them on the less healthy side of sausages.
First, hot dogs tend to be salted and highly processed. And salted and processed meats in general are bad for you. Nearly a decade ago, in October 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified processed meats in the “probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 1)” category. This means that there is enough evidence that processed meats cause cancer in humans. In this case, the specific cancer was colon cancer.
Because the brining process involves soaking the meat in salt, hot dogs contain a significant amount of sodium, which is linked to high blood pressure, stomach cancer, and a variety of other diseases.
During the brining process, sodium nitrite or potassium nitrite is also added as a salting agent. Nitrites give hot dogs their pink color. Throughout the cooking and digestion process, these nitrites are eventually converted into N-nitroso compounds. This is not N-nitroso, which is good for you, but has been linked to certain cancers and other health problems.
The second is the saturated fat content of hot dogs. When choosing meat for hot dogs, manufacturers don’t just choose the leanest meat. Instead, they’re available from different cuts of beef, pork, chicken, turkey, or a combination of these. One hot dog typically provides more than a quarter of the maximum amount of saturated fat you should consume in a day, but this depends on what’s in the hot dog. Eating saturated fat increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.
People lining up at an ice cream and hot dog stand in Central Park on Memorial Day … [+]
Third, hot dogs may contain a variety of added ingredients, which vary from hot dog to hot dog. These include preservatives and things like sodium phosphate and potassium lactate that enhance the taste of the hot dog. Therefore, check the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Nutrition Facts label of a particular hot dog to understand what specifically you are eating. Additionally, hot dogs may be smeared with various things, such as ketchup, which may contain further substances that are not good for you. Therefore, be careful about what is in the hot dog you are eating.
One thing you may wonder about when deciding the pros and cons of a hot dog is the casing that encases the meat. If you smack yourself in the face with a hot dog, you will notice that the outside of the hot dog is springy. This is because the blended hot dog meat is stuffed into the casing, which maintains the hot dog’s cylindrical shape. This casing can be made of natural or synthetic materials. This includes sheep or pig intestines. These, by the way, are washed before use. Casings can also be made of beef protein, collagen, cellulose, etc. These casing materials are not necessarily bad for you, but you should be aware of what specifically is part of or added to this casing.
Well, hot dogs do have nutritional value. One 1.5-ounce hot dog provides about 15 percent of your recommended daily protein intake. Hot dogs also provide vitamin B12, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc.
Ultimately, life is about moderation. You don’t have to avoid hot dogs completely — it’s probably okay to have one every now and then — but just make sure you don’t make sausage fests a part of your daily routine.
