The Great American Hot Dog and Why it's Not Good
According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, three-fourths of Americans say hot dogs are more strongly associated with the 4th of July than any other holiday. Since we are still into a long holiday weekend and a few more months of summer I decided to take a closer look at them.
One would think they contain a fair amount of protein but not really. Even a large hot dog only has the equivalent of a single ounce of protein. And that's where it gets interesting. The size doesn't increase the protein content, just the fat.
I looked at three different brands:
- The Ball Park franks, which are a larger hot dog, have 190 calories, 150 of which are fat. One dog contains 16 grams total fat, 6 grams of protein and 550 milligrams of sodium.
- Basic Oscar Mayer turkey franks (you'd think would be healthier) do have "one third less fat". Each frank has 100 calories, 70 of which are fat calories. They each have a total of 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of protein, and 510 milligrams of sodium..
- The "Jumbo" Oscar Mayer size franks which look smaller than the Ball Park franks, have 170 calories, 140 of which are fat calories. They each have 16 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, and 680 milligrams of sodium.
Conclusion: franfurters are generally low in protein and high in both fat and sodium. The white buns they come with are void of anything nutritious, they are so refined. You can fit hot dogs into your food plan but I wouldn't make it a standby (especially for children because they can choke on them very easily) and they contain nitrites which are linked with cancer. Check Dana's blogs for some healthier summer grilling options.
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Posted by: Elaine Murphy | Jul 6, 2008 4:47:45 PM
Hi Dr. Parker, actually I really don't like to "name" products but in this case I felt it was important so people would really get the idea. It is good to know if this helps people though. Any other
opinions on using specific names on products?
