Sausages are short, thin sausages made of minced meat, although they are said to contain even toilet paper. For this reason, many people wonder if hot dogs are he althy. What is the composition of sausages? How many calories do they have? Is it worth giving them to children? How to choose good quality sausages in the store? Which are better to avoid?

Sausagesare homogenized meat products. This means thatsausagesare made of meat and other ingredients that are very finely ground and have a uniform consistency without any noticeable pieces of meat. Spices are added to thecompositionsausages and then heat treated.

According to popular opinion, sausages are made of cardboard or toilet paper. This is not true, if only for economic reasons - a kilogram of paper is more expensive than a kilogram of sausages. In sausages, however, you can find a lot of ingredients that are not meat and whose task is to pretend the meat.

Sausages are a product that can have both a very good composition and the lowest quality ingredients. A lot depends on the manufacturer, but also on the price. If pork livestock costs about PLN 5 / kg, a good sausage cannot cost PLN 5.99 / kg.

Standards for sausages are not too demanding. Such a product must contain a minimum of 9% protein and not more than 40% fat, 69% water and 3% s alt.

Frankfurters - what do they consist of?

In the composition of sausages you can find:

  • lean meat - e.g. from chicken breast, pork ham
  • fatty meat - e.g. pork knuckle, beef stripe
  • MOM - mechanically separated meat
  • pork and chicken skins
  • fillers - bamboo fiber, vegetable proteins, semolina, starch, peas
  • water
  • water-binding phosphates in the product
  • emulsifiers
  • preservatives - nitrites
  • acidity regulators
  • antioxidants
  • spices
  • s alt
  • glucose
  • monosodium glutamate or yeast extract

Which of these ingredients are desired and which shouldn't be in sausages?

A good sausage consists of lean and fatty meat in equal proportions. Too much lean meat makes the sausage dry and can disintegrate. It is also indispensable in itthe fat that most often comes from the skins. Their addition not exceeding 5% is desirable and harmless.

In sausages there should be no MOM, i.e. mechanically separated meat - a mass made of the remains of skins, fat and tendons left on the chicken trunks after cutting the meat. The fillers and water are harmless, but they are indicative of the low quality of the product. Their addition replaces meat in sausages.

Phosphates are designed to maintain a stable consistency of such a product with suspicious composition and prevent water from leaking out of it. The excess of phosphate in the diet contributes to the leaching of calcium from the bones and the development of osteoporosis.

Acidity regulators and antioxidants are usually indifferent to he alth. Often the antioxidant is ascorbic acid, i.e. vitamin C. Their addition, however, proves a lower quality of the product. Glucose and monosodium glutamate also contained in the yeast extract improve the taste of low-quality sausages.

Nitrite prevents the growth of Clostridium botulinum, a bacteria that produces botulinum toxin. On the one hand, they protect against a very dangerous toxin. On the other hand, it is possible to create microbiologically safe sausages without nitrites, which are partially converted in the gastrointestinal tract into carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Sausages - nutritional values, calories (kcal)

The nutritional values ​​of hot dogs can vary greatly depending on the composition. The longer the list of ingredients and the less meat in a sausage, and more fat - the more caloric it becomes. Generally speaking, poultry sausages are less caloric than pork sausages, but this rule does not always work, because in low-quality poultry sausages the addition of MOM and fat may prevail.

Sausages are a source of animal protein and fat. They are rather not treated as a source of vitamins or minerals. You have to remember that sausages contain a lot of s alt - usually 2 - 2.5 g in 100 g, i.e. in 2 sausages. That's a lot considering the recommended amount of s alt in the diet is 5g.

Nutritional value of hot dogs in 100 g

Average pork sausagesAverage poultry sausagesPork sausages 93% ham meatSausages with chicken fillet (74% + 19% pork ham)
Calorific value342 kcal259 kcal285 kcal234 kcal
Protein9.5 g10.8 g13 g13 g
Fat34.3 g22.4 g25 g20 g
Carbohydrates0 g4.2 g2 g0.5 g

Are hot dogs he althy? Dr. Ania answers

Frankfurters - how to recognize the good quality ones?

When buying sausages, first of all, pay attention to the list of ingredients. The shorter the composition, the greater the probability that we choose a really valuable product. The meat content is important. In good sausages it should be at least 80%, and preferably above 90%.

The composition must not contain mechanically separated meat.

In good sausages there should also be:

  • nitrite
  • stabilizers
  • phosphate
  • monosodium glutamate
  • yeast extract and other flavor enhancers
  • m altodextrins
  • thickeners
  • antioxidants
  • acidity regulators

The price is also a hint. A good product cannot cost 5.99 PLN / kg, and even at this price you can find sausages. The ones with the best ingredients cost about PLN 16 - 20 / kg. However, you cannot look only at the price, because more expensive sausages have a poor composition.

Good sausages can be recognized when you eat them. They are harder and more compact. The low-quality ones have a "soapy" consistency and even melt in the mouth without chewing. The taste is much s altier.

Worth knowing

Sausages - vitamins and minerals in sausages (per 100 g)

Vitamins (% RDA)

Vitamin A - 41 IU (1%) Vitamin C - 0.7 mg (1%) Vitamin E - 0.5 mg (3%) Thiamin - 0.3 mg (20%) Riboflavin - 0, 2 mg (12%) Niacin - 6.3 mg (31%) Vitamin B6 - 0.3 mg (16%) Folates - 3 µg (1%) Vitamin B12 - 1.2 µg (20%) Pantothenic acid - 0 , 7 µg (7%) Choline - 66.9 mg Betaine - 3.6 mg

Minerals

Calcium - 13 mg (1%) Iron - 1.4 mg (8%) Magnesium - 17 mg (4%) Phosphorus - 163 mg (16%) Potassium - 294 mg (8%) Sodium - 749 mg (31%) Zinc - 2.1 mg (14%) Copper-0.1 mg (4%)

Frankfurters - ranking of sausages available on the market

Buy without thinking:

1. Kraina Wędlin Nature: pork ham meat 94%, water, s alt, soy protein, spice extracts, natural flavors

2. Pikok Pure Ham sausages: 93% pork ham meat, water, s alt, glucose, spices, spice extracts, collagen pork protein, aromas, dried acerola

3. Zakłady Mięsne NOVE Natura: pork meat 83%, water, s alt, potato starch, glucose, sugar, pork protein, dried acerola fruit, dried vegetables, spices, spice extracts, bacterial cultures

Buy if you can't get better:

1. Konspol Natura chicken: 64% chicken breast meat,water, chicken skins, potato starch, soy protein, s alt, natural flavors, rosemary

2. Sokołów Sokołowska Pantry: pork 72%, beef 9%, water, pork fat, s alt, spice extracts, preservative: sodium nitrite

3. Drobimex Sausages with chicken fillet: chicken breast meat fillet 93%, water, s alt, milk proteins, spices, antioxidant: ascorbic acid, preservative: sodium nitrite

Avoid the wide arc:

1. Indykpol Hot dog sausages: chicken meat 25.9%, mechanically separated turkey meat 17.7%, mechanically separated chicken meat 17.3%, water, poultry fat, pork meat 3.4%, corn flour, poultry skins , pork fat, pork skins, potato starch, soy protein, s alt, spices, spice extracts, aromas, flavor enhancer: E621, thickeners: E1422, E412, acidity regulators: E261, E326, stabilizers: E450, antioxidants: E300, E316 , preservative: sodium nitrite

2. Berlinki morlins with turkey: turkey 38%, water, pork fat, pork 8%, pork connective tissue, potato starch, s alt, soy protein, potato fiber, glucose, stabilizers (diphosphates, triphosphates, polyphosphates), spice extracts, antioxidant (sodium ascorbate), flavors (including soy), flavor enhancer (monosodium glutamate), preservative (sodium nitrite)

3. Indykpol Frankfurters Favorites: mechanically separated turkey meat 50.8%, water, pork 10.9%, poultry skins, pork fat, potato starch, s alt, spices (including eggs, milk, soybeans, celery, mustard seeds), extracts spices, aromas, glucose, soy protein, vegetable fiber, soy protein hydrolyzate, poultry fat, poultry extract, acidity regulators: E331, E261, E326, E330, stabilizers: E451, flavor enhancers: E621, E635, antioxidant: sodium ascorbate, a substance preservative: sodium nitrite

Sausages - ranking of sausages for children

In stores, there are many sausages for children in colorful packages with cartoon characters, of a smaller size. But is it with a better composition? Unfortunately not. Babies, Morlinki or small chicken are only a good marketing gimmick.

Behind the names and appearance suggesting a product especially for children, there is often a very poor composition, and most of these sausages cannot be classified as average-quality products. Parents have little or no choice.

The only sausages dedicated to toddlers that meet the high requirements that allow them to be given to a child are currently Pikok Piratki, orKonspol Natura Żarki. The others are not suitable for eating by the youngest.

Here are some examples of sausages for children available on the market:

1. Pikok Piratki: pork ham meat 93%, water, s alt, glucose, spices, spice extracts, pork protein, aromas, dried acerola

2. Konspol Natura Żaraki Chicken sausages: chicken leg meat (100 g of meat was used to prepare 100 g of the product), s alt, glucose, spices and spice extracts, acerola, hydrolyzed soy protein, flavors, yeast extracts, lemon juice powder

3. Bobaski Frankfurters with poultry meat: chicken meat 54%, water, pork fat, chicken fat, chicken connective tissue, potato starch, soy protein concentrate, cooking s alt, spice extracts, dextrose, stabilizers: sodium citrates, flavor enhancer: monosodium glutamate, antioxidant: isoascorbic acid, spices, rapeseed oil, flavors, potato fiber, acidity regulators: potassium lactate, potassium acetate, sodium acetate, m altodextrin, preservative: sodium nitrite.

4. Morliny sausages Pork morlinki: pork meat 78%, water, s alt, pork collagen protein, modified starch, glucose, stabilizer (sodium citrate), antioxidant (sodium ascorbate), flavors, nutmeg, pepper extract, preservative (sodium nitrite)

Sausages - is it worth giving them to children?

Children like sausages. They are often happy to eat them because they are soft, easy to chew and can be held alone in the hand. They are also a good source of protein. This solves many problems of parents of toddlers, especially fussy eaters.

But can children eat sausages? Yes, but in moderation and only the highest quality ones. You have to remember about s alt consumption standards for young children.

Babies over 6 months of age should not eat more than 0.9 g of s alt, children aged 1-3 years not more than 1.9 g, and from 4 to 6 years - 2.5 g. A sausage weighing 50 g contains an average of 1 g of s alt. This is a lot in relation to the child's requirements and the fact that sodium is found in many foods.

Children under 3 years of age should not eat more than a maximum of 1 sausage at a time and not more often than 2-3 times a week. On the same day, do not give your child cold cuts and cheese, as they also contain a lot of s alt.

Sausages - use in the kitchen

Everyone knows how to cook sausages. This product is very easy to prepare. After removing the casing, it can be boiled, fried or baked. They are also tasty cold. You can use them for a simple dish, e.g. as fritters in a batterFrench.

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