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Is there any type of sausage that is healthy?
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There are differences between packaged and fresh sausages, although they should never be our first choice.
Companies that sausages They are one of the most common foods in our diet, but they are not healthy for that. We are facing one of the most processed foods on the market, which, in general, is made from the remains of meats that are not marketed. “The sausages are prepared through cuts, that is to say, from skin, viscera, cartilage, bones and blood, which are ground and mixed with water, cereals, aromas and artificial colors”, explains Carme Ferrer, dietitian-nutritionist at Alimmenta.
Dietitian-nutritionist Beatriz Cerdán points out that sausages are a “very uninteresting” food on a nutritional level. “Have a lot of poor quality animal fat, sugar … and the protein intake is usually low, in addition to having excess salt, “he says.
Within the “world” of sausages, we can find two large groups. On one side are the fresh sausages, which as Carme Ferrer explains, “are usually made by butchers from pork, beef, chicken or turkey to which they add combinations of spices to form them.” It is important to bear in mind, with this type of product, that the date of consumption is much shorter because it is a fresh and little processed food.
Difference between fresh and industrial sausages
On the other hand we find the industrial sausages, those more typical “like hot dogs.” They are made with various minced meats, as well as fat, organ meats, blood, to which they add water, starches and artificial flavors and colors. “The date of consumption is much longer since it contains preservatives,” says the nutritionist.
When it comes to finding a sausage that is healthy, both nutritionists agree that it is complicated. Beatriz Cerdán comments that the best thing is ask our trusted butcher if the sausages we are buying are homemade. “In this case they will be of better quality, but the sausages, in general, have a lot of fat and a lot of salt, so we have to leave them for occasional consumption,” he says. For her part, Carme Ferrer repeats the idea that, although fresh ones will always be of higher quality than packaged ones, we cannot consider them healthy. “The sausages will always be made from cuts of meat that are not of the highest quality because one of the objectives of the production of these food products is to produce lower quality remains and cuts,” he explains. Continue talking about the texture of the sausages, because in order to achieve that juicy, tender and easy-to-eat touch, the product needs between 20 and 30% fat.
How to Make Healthy Homemade Sausages
The best option is prepare our own sausages at home. “Surely the texture and consistency will not be the same as the ones we buy processed, but you will make sure you know that you are eating 100% healthy sausages,” says the Alimmenta nutritionist.
Ingredients to prepare homemade sausages
- Minced chicken breast
- 300 grams
- Grated parmesan
- 50 grams
- Salt and pepper
- To taste
- Broth or water
- A liter
- Various spices
- To taste
Leave the complete recipe Carme Ferrer:
«First you will have to season the minced meat and mix it with the Parmesan cheese until obtaining a homogeneous mass. Later divide the dough in two and make two balls. Put each ball on the counter and knead into sausage shape elongated and thick. Then, you wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for a few hours. Finally, it is time to cook. You put poultry or vegetable broth or water to boil and the cook for 15 mincommand. Withdraw and let cool. It will be the moment to unwrap them and cook them on the grill, make them stewed or simply serve them cooked ».
And the vegetable sausages?
Other sausages are those prepared with ingredients of plant origin. If we buy them in the supermarket, Beatriz Cerdán explains that we are also “faced with a processed product, even if it is vegetable, so we will have poor quality fats, sugar and excess salt”. Carme Ferrer’s recommendation is to take into account the list of ingredients of these products, to see what protein content they have. “When we eat a sausage, we associate it with a protein intake to the diet, which in most cases is not covered,” he warns. Also, he reiterates that the main ingredient in vegan sausages is usually water, and then it contains some type of vegetable protein (soy, pea …). But then starches, thickeners and oils are added, which is unhealthy.
Finally, Carme Ferrer talks about how sIt is always better to opt for a fresh cut of meat than for a meat that is processed. “If instead of eating steak, breast or sirloin, you want to consume the meat in a different way, you can opt for hamburgers, better than sausages,” explains the professional and concludes: “Ideally, you should buy the piece of meat that you like and you can grind it (or ask for your meat to be minced at the butcher shop) and from there, shape it into hamburgers or meatballs so that you can cook them to your liking ».