Are Hot Dogs Really Unhealthy?
Ever wondered how they make hot dogs? Well, look no further, I’ve sourced the grossness for you!
Note: if you are faint of heart, squeamish, or you simply want to continue enjoying your hot dogs without the guilt factor: AVOID THIS VIDEO!!
On the other hand, why not just have a wee peak…
Anyone else totally grossed out by this?????? Eugh!
While summer may be the time to fire up the barbecue, perhaps you need to take a second look at what you pop on the grill! For healthy barbecue tips check out my previous article.
Does this video put you off eating hot dogs?
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14 Comments
Christine Medifast
07.31.2009
I’ve always wondered if hotdogs were unhealthy so this is a perfect topic. I know as a mom it is something you ask or are asked a lot. My kids absolutely love hot dogs and will eat them every waking moment. This is really making me second guess this meal.
Melanie
07.31.2009
Hi Christine,
I’m glad this post has got you thinking, it’s definitely enough to put me off of life!
Christine Medifast
08.11.2009
There are some things I wish I didn’t know, but at the same time you want to know. Can’t believe I use to love hot dogs when I was a kid, glad I stopped eating them years ago. Hopefully I can convince my kids to stop!
Steve Parker, M.D.
07.31.2009
The video didn’t bother me at all! I admire the technology, which makes food so cheap.
But I wish I knew exactly what is “trimmings” from chicken, beef, and pork. Little bits of meat that couldn’t be sold in any other form? Skin? Mostly fat? Gristle? Cartilage? Entrails? The answer might really bother me.
And of course they had to add corn syrup, like we find in everything else.
-Steve
Melanie
07.31.2009
Hi Steve,
To be truthful I too was amazed at the technology and how efficient it was.
But, the look of that mushed up mess, eugh I cannot imagine exactly what is in there!!! Do you eat hot dogs?
Steve Parker, M.D.
08.01.2009
I don’t eat them often. Heard too many icky stories, true or not, about what goes into them. I also consider them a “processed meat product,” so they likely have nitrates. Processed meats and nitrates are associated with increased disease rates – cancer and cardiovascular disease if memory serves me well.
Melanie
08.01.2009
Yes, absolutely agree, steer clear of processed meats products where possible.
Armen
08.01.2009
As you’re well aware, Mel, I would have no problems giving up any sort of sausage/meat product.
There’s just something horribly artificial about them.
Though, I do eat them very occasionally.
Melanie
08.01.2009
Armen,
I know! The only way to eat them is to buy products that have a high quantity of “meat” – shocking that you have to state that regarding a so-called meat product!!!
Ruth
08.07.2009
We don’t eat them often. I don’t buy them, and they are banned from our fridge. I’d much rather buy the fat laden raw sausages and add them to a soup in winter, at least you can see the particles in them! (I don’t do this often either…)
But the occasional hot dog won’t kill you either…. I remind myself of this when my husband gives the kids cold Bockwurst (German version) and they devour them like there is no tomorrow.
Ruth
08.07.2009
But I wish I knew exactly what is “trimmings” from chicken, beef, and pork. Little bits of meat that couldn’t be sold in any other form? Skin? Mostly fat? Gristle? Cartilage? Entrails? The answer might really bother me.
Probably all of the above, and more that we don’t want to think about.
Melanie
08.12.2009
Hi Ruth,
I agree that an occasional hot dog won’t kill you. But, the little bits of gristle etc bother me quite a bit too. Especially now that I’ve seen this video!
Stan
08.13.2009
I’m in the hot dog biz. John Morrell (this video) is about the cheapest hot dog you can buy, and the video shows why. Better quality dogs (Hebrew National, Vienna, Best Kosher, Boar’s Head, etc) use whole natural cuts of meat, no trimmings, and no additives or fillers. You get what you pay for. Don’t buy cheap hot dogs.
Melanie
08.13.2009
Hi Stan,
Yes, you’re absolutely right, here in the UK you can check out the labels, and go for something that has a high percentage of meat content, that way you know it’s not so full of the unhealthy stuff. I don’t know if it’s the same in the US. That said though, they do tend to be high in salt too, so worth cutting back.
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08.20.2009
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