Sausages: why are they harmful, are there any benefits, contraindications

Category: Food poisoning

Currently, many manufacturers do not comply with GOST criteria when manufacturing a product, but use their own specifications (technical conditions). Using specifications, the manufacturer can set their own requirements for the quality and composition of the product.

Preparing a product according to the manufacturer's specifications does not always mean its poor quality. Most often, products according to specifications simply contain additional ingredients that are not included in the classic sausage recipe (for example: cheese, additional seasonings, mushrooms).

However, if stored incorrectly, the expiration date or product deterioration occurs, sausages manufactured in accordance with GOST and TU will be equally dangerous to health.

Chemical composition of sausages

The main harm of sausages lies in the controversial composition. They perfectly relieve hunger, but practically do not replenish the supply of substances necessary for the body. That is why supporters of healthy eating avoid them. High-quality products contain sufficient protein content. In inexpensive varieties it may be completely absent. The chemical composition includes the following components:

• fats;
• iodine;
• vitamins of groups PP, E and B;
• potassium;
• sulfur;
• cholesterol;
• calcium;
• phosphorus;
• iron.

The high cost of a meat product does not guarantee the absence of harm.
The recipe composition may vary depending on the type of sausage product. Meat is added in minimal quantities. The characteristic taste of the product is given by chemical additives, and the rich color is given by dyes. The main ingredients are often offal, lard, starch, soy protein and mechanically separated meat. Sausage casings can be either artificial or natural.

Attention! The bright pink color of the semi-finished product indicates excessive dye content.

How long to cook

In principle, all sausages are ready-made. They only need to be warmed and slightly sterilized. Nutritionists say that you need to boil water and put sausages in it. After three minutes you can take it out and eat it. However, if we turn to the experience of Soviet chefs, we learn that the manuals indicated completely different numbers. There was nothing said there about whether it was possible to eat raw sausages and small sausages. It was recommended to boil thin products for 5-10 minutes. Plump sausages required even longer heat treatment, 10-15 minutes. Boiled or fried, it was recommended to serve it with mashed potatoes and green peas. But nutritionists say that it is better to offer a lower-calorie side dish, cabbage or other vegetables.

The benefits of sausages for the body

Sausages are very popular due to their ease of preparation. In addition, they are considered a filling and tasty dish. They can help out if you don’t have time to cook. Their beneficial properties include the following:

• replenishment of energy forces;
• prevention of anemia;
• increasing the elasticity of blood vessels;
• normalization of hemoglobin levels in the blood;
• prevention of diseases of the endocrine system.

Home-made products are considered the most useful. Their advantage is their natural composition. No stabilizers, preservatives or flavor enhancers are added to the dish. The percentage of meat can be changed to suit your taste. The presence of protein provides energy replenishment and stimulates muscle growth. The only harm with such sausages is their short shelf life. In addition, they take a lot of time to prepare.

Deadlines

This is the production date and maximum shelf life, which can be found on the packaging. The shorter the specified period, the better. This means that the manufacturer did not put a huge amount of preservatives into the product. The same information allows you to understand whether raw sausages can be eaten. If the sausages were made literally yesterday, then there will be no harm. Provided that the composition suggests the presence of at least something useful. If you see that they were made a long time ago, then you definitely need to cook them, and longer.

Another point is connected with this. It's no secret that deadlines in modern stores and supermarkets are exceeded. Therefore, when speaking about whether it is possible to eat raw sausages, we would recommend being careful. You never know in advance what a modern seller is capable of in pursuit of profit.

Are sausages harmful to health?

The harm of sausages to human health is obvious. After all, the product contains very few useful ingredients. First of all, you need to take into account that the dish has a high calorie content. There are about 380-400 kcal per 100 g. Regular consumption of this product has a negative impact on your figure. For overweight people this is very critical.

Sausages are harmful to health because they contain genetically modified components, dyes and preservatives. These substances can accumulate in the body, causing further malignant tumors. The most dangerous preservative is sodium nitrite. It is necessary to give the semi-finished product a characteristic color. With constant use, the preservative stimulates the development of serious diseases of the digestive system.

Chemicals are addictive, reducing the ability to enjoy natural foods. This effect is achieved due to an artificial increase in serotonin in the blood. In some cases, sausages act as an allergen. They are especially harmful to give to young children.

Vegetable fats present in sausages are carefully processed. As a result, they are transformed into trans fats, which cause significant harm to health. High salt content negatively affects the functioning of the urinary system. Excessive consumption of the product may cause swelling and discomfort in the lumbar region.

The main harm of sausages is the increase in bad cholesterol in the blood.

Comment! Despite heat treatment during the production process, sausages are not recommended to be eaten raw.

Structure of sausage mince

You can evaluate the sausage even before you put it in the water, or after removing it from the pan. A good product holds its shape perfectly, is dense and homogeneous, since it consists of at least half meat. Remember sausages and sausages from Soviet times? The skin did not burst on them, and they did not fall apart in the pan. What's happening today? When cooked, the product swells, the skin bursts, and the sausage itself turns into a kind of jelly, which falls apart when you try to get it onto a plate. That is, it contains a huge amount of starch, fat and all sorts of skin residues. Is it possible for children to eat raw sausages, given modern realities, is a question for parents.

Contraindications for sausages

Not everyone is allowed to include sausages in their diet. The product is harmful even to a healthy person. In the presence of some chronic diseases, it can even aggravate the current situation. Contraindications include the following:

• allergic reaction;
• urolithiasis disease;
• gout;
• diseases of the digestive system;
• impaired metabolism;
• excess weight;
• urinary salt diathesis.

Due to the excess salt content, sausages increase the risk of developing arthritis and swelling. In case of gout, they have a detrimental effect on a person’s well-being. Sometimes their use increases blood pressure. In childhood, the harm of sausages is the development of an allergic reaction and digestive upset. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to give semi-finished sausage products to children under 3 years of age.

Product color

And again, we suggest evaluating the products in the store so that you don’t feel bad about wasted money. Is it possible to eat raw sausages that are bright red or very dark in color and smell strongly of smoked meat? The clear answer is no, during cooking they will get rid of at least some of the dyes. But it is advisable to completely abandon such a product. Good sausages should be light pink, homogeneous, without an overly intrusive aroma of spices and especially smoked meats, which is a consequence of the addition of liquid smoke.

Rules for eating sausages

Most often, sausages are consumed instead of meat in addition to some kind of side dish. They go great with potatoes, rice and pasta. Before use, they are boiled or fried on several sides. The duration of cooking the sausage is 3-5 minutes. Some varieties of the dish take about 7 minutes to cook. It is strictly forbidden to leave sausages in water after cooking, as they will swell and lose their shape.

We recommend reading: Potatoes: beneficial properties and contraindications

Hot dogs with sausage have gained enormous popularity. Meat products baked in yeast dough are no less in demand. They can also be prepared at home. For breakfast, sausage can be eaten as part of scrambled eggs. The harm to the product will be less pronounced if you refuse to use mayonnaise and fatty sauce. It is also advisable to pay increased attention to the choice of sausages. High-quality specimens contain beef, poultry or pork. The amount of preservatives and various additives should be minimal.

With regular use of the product, you should periodically cleanse the body of toxins. It is advisable not to eat more than 500 g per week. If consumed in moderation, sausages will not cause significant harm to health. Also, you should not give them to children, since in this case the likelihood of developing addiction to such products is higher.

Boiling = soaking

This is approximately what happens if we consider inexpensive products. During the boiling process, some of the dyes and salt pass into the water. The situation is similar with fat. Notice how the water looks after the sausages are cooked. It's very oily, salty and pink. That is, we can assume that the product has become somewhat “healthier”. Is it possible to eat raw sausage stuffed with so many additives - decide for yourself.

Is it possible to have sausages during pregnancy?

Sausages are also unhealthy food for pregnant women. But under the influence of hormones, there is often a desire to eat something forbidden. If you occasionally consume sausages, nothing bad will happen. But in excessive quantities they can harm the health of the baby and his mother. In the last months of pregnancy, the introduction of semi-finished products into the diet increases swelling of the body. This brings significant discomfort and difficulty passing stool. In the first weeks of pregnancy, a sausage dish simply does not provide any benefit.

Important! Germany is considered the birthplace of sausages, and their founder is Johann Laner.

Shell: natural or artificial

This determines how well the sausages will withstand heat treatment. The natural casing can withstand boiling, frying and grilling. Today, most manufacturers indicate on the packaging that the sausages are packed in a natural casing. But if it bursts in the pan, then there is nothing natural in it. By the way, if you are wondering whether it is possible to eat raw sausages in a natural casing, then remember that the shelf life of such a product is 72 hours. Are you sure that the seller will have time to sell all the goods during this time? Artificial packaging does not give the product much advantage, but during the cooking process it bursts under the influence of temperatures.

Myth two. Expensive ones are the same quality as cheap ones

Any housewife can doubt this - from her own experience. And here is the reasoned opinion of a professional - R&D technologist of the company Elena Klochkova :

“The price of sausages must be correlated with the price of meat - their main ingredient. If meat now costs an average of 300 rubles. per kilogram, then high-quality sausages cannot cost 100 rubles.” A pack of sausages weighing 500 g contains approximately 350 g of meat, and this is no less than 200-250 rubles per kilo of the finished product. So think several times whether to buy sausages for 100 rubles per kilogram.

Meat ingredients

Tails, intestines, skins, ligaments, cartilage, ground and boiled to a light gray pulp, are called emulsions, and sausages are prepared from this mass. Plus phosphates, starch, flavoring ingredients, dyes, soy, which is soaked in an alkaline solution and bleached to give the desired texture.

Other harmful substances in the composition:

1. Hydrocolloids are hydrophilic polymers, used as thickeners and stabilizers, dissolve and swell in water.
2. Monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer, is not dangerous unless crushed under ultra-high pressure with carbon dioxide.
3. Sodium nitrite is a preservative that gives color and prevents the development of bacteria. When processed, it turns into compounds that cause cancer.
4. Excessive amounts of salt, sugar, carbohydrates.
5. Trans fats are artificial types of fat found in palm oil.
6. Carrot fiber, a dietary fiber produced abroad, absorbs water well when added to minced sausage.

When smoked and at high temperatures, carcinogens are formed: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic amines.

Attention! The World Health Organization has recognized sausages as harmful to smoking and alcohol and asks you to adhere to the norm: no more than 50 grams. per day of meat processing products.

The flour and starch in the composition do not meet technical standards. 20% of products are produced according to GOST, 80% according to specifications (technical conditions), which are independently determined by each meat processing plant. Believe it or not, vacuum-packed slices are usually past their expiration date.

Liverwurst

To prepare this type of sausage, take liver (liver, heart, stomach, lungs, kidneys, ears, skins, udder) and add cereals and starch. Its calorie content is 326 kcal per 100 g. The presence of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids indicates its beneficial properties. But it is not often possible to buy high-quality products; except for liver, they also contain chemical additives, dyes, and starch. Excessive consumption aggravates existing diseases.

Interesting fact! Products made from liver were invented by the Germans back in the Middle Ages.

Liver sausage causes harm to the body: it increases cholesterol levels and contributes to water-salt imbalance. In addition, it is a perishable product. Nutritionists do not recommend using it for pregnant women, lactating women, pancreatitis, gastritis, or diabetes.

The benefits and harms of liver sausage are individual for everyone and depend on the quality of sausage you buy. When choosing, you should take into account that the product has four grades: highest, first, second, third. The liver is present in the first three, in the last it is replaced by the lung. It is advisable to buy a product with 30% liver content, color without dyes - gray, on the packaging the inscription “Made according to GOST”.

Blood sausage

It is prepared from animal blood, mixed with minced meat, offal and spices. Natural intestines are used as a casing and cereals are added. Some people make it at home, using their own recipes. Blood sausage brings both benefits and harm: it increases hemoglobin, contains a lot of protein and microelements, but is contraindicated for people with obesity, liver disease, gastrointestinal tract, and is difficult to digest and digest by the body.

Interesting! Krovyanka is very popular abroad. For example, in the Canaries they prepare a sweet delicacy from blood and dried fruits, raisins, nuts and call it “morcilla”.

Blood sausage is a perishable product that can cause serious harm to health and cause poisoning. Calorie content – ​​379 kcal per 100 g.

Horse sausage

Horse sausage is a dish of the tribal peoples of Central Asia; they prepare it by hand, gathering the whole family. Horse meat contains the following useful substances: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, amino acids, vitamins, minerals. Horse meat is well digestible, lowers cholesterol, is hypoallergenic, and is considered dietary.

Products containing it are expensive; it is difficult to find high-quality horse sausage in regular stores. It requires meat from young horses 9 months old. – 3 years.

Types of meat products: kazy, makhan, kyzylyk, sudzhuk. In addition to its benefits, horse sausage can also cause harm. Contraindicated for persons with kidney pathology. Calorie content per 100 g. – 377 kcal. Harm to horse sausage is also possible if the meat is stored improperly; it quickly accumulates salmonella and trichinella.

Smoked sausage

This delicacy does not undergo heat treatment; it is smoked at a certain temperature and humidity, then dried. It takes 30–40 days to fully ripen, but now the period has been reduced to 20 days, due to modern production technologies and food additives.

Low grade meat, veins, and backbone are often used. Additional harm to raw smoked sausage is in nitrosamines, benzopyrenes, high fat content or old lard, and salt. Dyes and flavorings often hide stale meat. Calorie content – ​​350–600 kcal per 100 g. Young children should not be given raw smoked products, this can lead to problems with the gastrointestinal tract, and subsequently to gastritis or stomach ulcers.

Sausages and boiled milk

Varenka, sausages, and small sausages undergo gentle processing; buyers are confident that they are not dangerous. But the results of market research have proven the harm of sausages and boiled sausage. The fact is that they contain about 50% skin, bones, offal, and soy. Meat is only 7–15%, the remaining components are flour, starch and additives to enhance the taste. And according to GOST, there should be a large portion of meat. The well-known “doctor’s meal” used to consist of lean pork, beef, powdered milk and eggs.

Now with such a composition it is impossible to find it on the shelves. The harm of boiled sausage of different varieties is due to the dishonesty of producers. To increase the shelf life and give it a marketable appearance, too many chemicals are added to it, which do nothing but cause harm. Calorie content depends on the variety: 190–400 kcal per 100 g.

Expert Oksana Berdichevskaya, @doktor_hudeem, nutritionist, nutritionist, founder of the online school “Body Architecture”:

“Modern sausages can hardly be called meat products. Undoubtedly, this is convenient for snacking, but it is absolutely not healthy. Modern meat products, instead of the required 30% meat, usually contain only 10, maximum 15%!!! In fact, even this 10-15% is not the pulp of pork and beef, but poultry meat, animal fat, and skin. The remaining components in the composition are protein stabilizers and protein-fat emulsions. And, of course, chemical elements: phosphates, nitrites, nitrates and others. They are the ones who make sausages tasty and attractive in appearance. Our taste buds certainly love this delicious taste and find other foods bland and less tasty! But frankly speaking, such meat products have no nutritional value! Moreover, they are very harmful to health if consumed regularly!”