Contents
Learn how to choose a good sausage at the supermarket
Food
Looking at the percentage of meat that the product we buy has, the amount of salt and whether it contains added sugars is essential to take home a healthy and rich product
From childhood we began to consume sausage. Who has not brought to school recess a sandwich of sausage? And those who prepared us, a little older, when we went on excursions? Chorizo, Serrano ham, York ham, loin or cheese, among others, have been with us for many years, but surely not always in a healthy way.
To begin with, we need to know what exactly that sausage product we consume. As the Spanish food code says, sausage is understood to be all those derivatives and preparations that come from the meat of bovine animals, solids (pork, wild boar …), goats etc., and four types are distinguished.
meat sausage. Nutrition experts Aina Huguet and Marta Moreno explain that these are those that are made with the meats mentioned above. Depending on their composition, preparation, consistency and color, they will have some characteristics or others. It is here where we find chorizo, embuchado, salami, sausages, Frankfurt-type sausages, Vienna-type sausages, sausage, butifarrón and sobrasada.
Gut sausages. In addition to the aforementioned meats, they contain pieces of cooked or stranded organ meats. Here we have the sabadeñas, sausages Galician, liver sausages, etc.
Blood sausages. They are characterized by having a white or semi-soft consistency, they can be raw or cooked, where their main constituent is blood, to which meat, organ meats, butter, bacon and various vegetable products have been added and introduced in a wide casing. We find different kinds of botagueñas and black pudding.
Stiff. They are products of varied composition. and made up of pork, beef, bacon and their mixtures or poultry and their gizzards, and may also contain eggs, milk and various spices. We understand by cold meat the ham, mortadella, roulada, galantines, liver pastes or greaves.
What to look at on the sausage label
Before opting for a type of sausage, the first thing we have to do is read the label to see the ingredients and choose the healthiest option.
«The first thing you have to do is make sure that the first main ingredient is meat (of the product you are going to buy) and that it has a high% of that meat (preferably greater than 80%). For example, if you buy York ham, make sure that it has pork ham as the first ingredient “, recommends nutritionist Marta Moreno, from Núkula, an app that helps to make the purchase in a conscientious and sustainable way.
The next thing to look at is that there are no added sugars in the ingredients: «Some have added starches, maltodextrins or potato starch to improve its texture. Even so, when choosing the product, the more natural the better ”, he says. The nutritionist Aiga Huguet, from the Alimmenta center, also advises to pay attention to added sugars: “They are usually presented as maltodextrin, dextrose, sugar, etc., starches such as soy flour, starches, and proteins.”
Finally, you should look at the salt content. Nutritionist Marta Moreno explains that sausages tend to have a lot of salt in their composition, and that for this “you have to go to the Nutrition Facts and observe the grams of salt per 100 grams of product and try to have the lowest possible (1 or 1,2 grams / 100 grams) ». Likewise, the nutrition expert advises choosing those options whose food additives are the least possible.
Recommended sausage quantity
According to the World Health Organization, it is recommended to reduce the consumption of red meat and processed meat, since excessive consumption is related to an increased risk of suffering from certain types of cancers.
Nutrition expert Aina Huguet explains that high consumption of processed meats, such as sausages, “is associated with other health problems such as: cardiovascular diseases, excess weight, type 2 diabetes mellitus, etc.”. “I would like to point out that most cold cuts contain large amounts of salt. The World Health Organization recommends reduction of sodium from the diet in order to reduce blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular diseases, strokes and coronary heart disease in adults ”, he adds.
The Núkula team has the same opinion: «It is known that the consumption of this type of product exceeds that recommended. For example, in the case of sausage with meat, offal and blood we recommend occasional consumption, being recommended sausages with less fat and with a greater amount of meat. But the main recommendation is reduce your consumption since we could consider them red meat ».
For all these reasons, it would be recommended to reduce the consumption of processed meats, as is the case of Sausages, and have a moderate and occasional consumption. “This recommendation could be applied to all age groups from children to adults,” concludes Marta Moreno.