How bad are sausages for you?

[Quiggie]

I know they are relatively high in sodium and also fat, but as long as I'm not eating like 10 a day, I'm good right? Or should I avoid this meal?

I usually eat them with mashed potatoes and gravy, and some type of veggies like frozen peas and corn, it's a quick and easy meal and pretty cheap too. I usually buy the italian pork sausages but I can switch to the chicken or turkey kind if they're a lot healthier?

[SuffolkPunch]

Same applies to any food - look at the ingredients in the context of the rest of your diet. There is no such thing as "unhealhy" foods - health is a characteristic of a person not a food. A diet as a whole can have healthy or unhealthy outcomes for that person over a long period of time.

Sausages are high in sodium and fat - but neither of those things are harmful in sensible doses. Sodium can be harmful in excessive doses. Fat might be harmful if you have excessive saturates over a long period of time.

[AdamWW]

I know they are relatively high in sodium and also fat, but as long as I'm not eating like 10 a day, I'm good right? Or should I avoid this meal?

I usually eat them with mashed potatoes and gravy, and some type of veggies like frozen peas and corn, it's a quick and easy meal and pretty cheap too. I usually buy the italian pork sausages but I can switch to the chicken or turkey kind if they're a lot healthier?

I would recommend avoided all processed meats as much as possible, if not entirely.

Does that mean having a small sausage several times a week is going to mean you live a shorter life? No... nothing is guaranteed, it's just about reducing risk.

I would give a similar recommendation for alcohol, or anything that we know causes issues like processed meat. It's not the sodium either, it's a myriad of things.

But again, this doesn't mean that if you eat them you'll 100% life a less healthy life... it's just one variable among many.



Why not just get unprocessed meat instead? Cook it ahead of time, freeze it, etc....

[air2fakie]

Try adding plant-based sausages into the rotation if it's a daily meal for you, as they eliminate some of downsides of meat-based sausages while still getting in the protein. Takes a bit of getting used to initially but if you're eating them with mashed potatoes & gravy it should taste fine.

[EliKoehn]

I'm not one to take diet advice from at the moment lol, but it is disappointing that even as a meat, sausage tends to have a fairly poor ratio of protein to calories, notwithstanding all of the concerns from being processed mentioned above. Sucks because it's delicious.

If you really like it and find it satiating such that you can sustain a certain calorie level with it, I don't think it's a bad idea, but if it's just one tasty food among many to you, I'd favor another choice instead.

[TolerantLactose]

If you're not lazy like me, you could make your own sausages.

[paulinkansas]

If you're not lazy like me, you could make your own sausages.

I used to make my own venison summer sausage in the winter.

Instructions: Take a deer and debone it. Run it through a meat grinder with bacon ends, seasoning and whatever else is in the sausage kit. Run it through the grinder again with the sausage stuffing attachment and fill the casings. Bake at 250 degrees for about 6 hours.

My meat grinder was one of those hand cranked things. I attached a pulley wheel to the shaft and used the motor from a washing machine along with another pulley wheel and V-belt to run the grinder. Power supply was controlled by a foot pedal type of thing you see on a sewing machine.

Don't leave the sausage on your countertop. Your Labrador retriever will hop up there when you are gone and eat it all.

[Quiggie]

Making my own sounds like way too much work.

I think based on the advice here I will reduce my sausage intake but not cut them out completely. It's a comfort food for me, reminds me of when I was a kid.

I saw plant based sausages at the store but they cost twice as much so I never bought them, maybe I'll try them once.

[TolerantLactose]

Your Labrador retriever will hop up there when you are gone and eat it all.

Sounds like a new experiment. Redeploy your camera.

[jaxqen]

My family used to make sausages when I was little.

I was the one to grind the meat through a manual grinder.
And then we used something like a tube, we would put the animal intestin on it and push the meat inside it.
Then put the sausages somewhere up so the cat wouldn't touch them, to dry on.
Oh my God, I sound like Paul.
I also need to make a sexual joke.


The sausages looked like these.
Quite fat.

Does that mean having a small sausage several times a week is going to mean you live a shorter life? No...

Good, I'll go and tell my girlfriend this.


{that's my sexual joke, I don't usually use this kind of humor}

Same applies to any food.

Or drugs...

Anything in moderation.

[EliKoehn]

My family used to make sausages when I was little.

I was the one to grind the meat through a manual grinder.
And then we used something like a tube, we would put the animal intestin on it and push the meat inside it.
Then put the sausages somewhere up so the cat wouldn't touch them, to dry on.
Oh my God, I sound like Paul.
I also need to make a sexual joke.


The sausages looked like these.
Quite fat.





Good, I'll go and tell my girlfriend this.


{that's my sexual joke, I don't usually use this kind of humor}




Or drugs...

Anything in moderation.

Wait, so what are those attached to at the top? Are they just pressed against the beam and stuck on from their fat or something?

[paulinkansas]

Wait, so what are those attached to at the top? Are they just pressed against the beam and stuck on from their fat or something?

The sausage casing is empty between the 2 sausages. The empty portion is twisted, and that is what is on top of the rack.

[EliKoehn]

The sausage casing is empty between the 2 sausages. The empty portion is twisted, and that is what is on top of the rack.

Ah, I see that now. Actually surprised to see you leave a post without any kind of joke or attempted humor in it, by the way.

[jaxqen]

Wait, so what are those attached to at the top? Are they just pressed against the beam and stuck on from their fat or something?

Those are attached by each other.
Like a rope put over a barbell, distributed equally, so it doesn't fall off.



Also, this stuff made from what it remains from the pig. Organs/offal, cartilage... all put in a big intestine.

I actually used to like this with the right mustard, haven't ate this in years and now I find it a little disgusting.

The sausage casing is empty between the 2 sausages. The empty portion is twisted, and that is what is on top of the rack.

Not on all of them.
You can just put the sausage over the bar.

[faithbrah]

ahh yes, sausage thread... let me present to you, a finnish delicacy

[EliKoehn]

Those are attached by each other.
Like a rope put over a barbell, distributed equally, so it doesn't fall off.



Also, this stuff made from what it remains from the pig. Organs/offal, cartilage... all put in a big intestine.

I actually used to like this with the right mustard, haven't ate this in years and now I find it a little disgusting.

Clever pun lol.

I am an adventurous eater, but I don't think I would be able to get that down, sorry... That looks like a massive log of crap, inside and out.

[paulinkansas]

Ah, I see that now. Actually surprised to see you leave a post without any kind of joke or attempted humor in it, by the way.

I used to give my sausage to this lady twice a day. Same lady I did tequila shots from her bosom with. Now I'm a feeble little old guy. Where is my wheelchair?

[AdamWW]

Clever pun lol.

I am an adventurous eater, but I don't think I would be able to get that down, sorry... That looks like a massive log of crap, inside and out.

And considering the casings are intestines... yeah...

[desslok]

Sausage. Not even once.

[Bodhy]

Nothing is bad for you if you can fit it within your macros and cals. Big Macs, ice cream, pizza, pure lard etc.


I eat sausages on the reg. They're good, no, great, if you need a food that's equivalent in high protein and fat, but no carbs. So, perfect for keto dieting, more than acceptable for anything else.


I also eat kangaroo sausages all the time, though that's not the kind of sausage OP means since they're an Australian thing (or can you get them overseas?). They're pure protein, and make a great lunch item along with some sweet tater mash.

[paulinkansas]

kangaroo sausages .

Are they farm raised or harvested in the wild? Here we have a wild animal called a bison. It's like a cow, but bigger. They are farm raised for their meat.

[DougyF7]

Nothing is bad for you if you can fit it within your macros and cals. Big Macs, ice cream, pizza, pure lard etc.

This isn't true.

Read this:

Discretionary Calorie Allowance - what it means

Ignore the 1.5g of protein/lb LBM in the example as this is outdated - needs to be fixed.

The article doesn't really tell the whole story though either. It talks about making sure you get enough micronutrients but there are also certain ingredients that are best avoided.

I guess that where something like cronometer is lacking. It doesn't tell you how much of each ingredient you're getting in a day. For example, how much maltodextrin or sucralose you're taking in.

Not to mention PFAs or those forever chemicals found in fast food wrappers and in other places.

[paulinkansas]

This isn't true.

I put out pizza and a pound of butter for my trash pandas and it doesn't seem to bother them. They left a trail of muddy footprints on my deck last night. They walked right up to my sliding glass door and were looking in.

[EliKoehn]

This isn't true.

Read this:

Discretionary Calorie Allowance - what it means

Ignore the 1.5g of protein/lb LBM in the example as this is outdated - needs to be fixed.

The article doesn't really tell the whole story though either. It talks about making sure you get enough micronutrients but there are also certain ingredients that are best avoided.

I'm pretty sure I was starting to get sick about a couple of month ago from some kind of micronutrient deficiency. I legitimately felt just bad and off in an indefinite and vague way which persisted week after week and my skin was actually also not looking healthy. Then it dawned on me that it had been perhaps over an entire month since I had had any fruits or vegetables; I just hadn't thought about it I guess. I started eating multiple servings of fruits and vegetables a day and then about a week, and now that seems to have completely reversed and I'm feeling good. Scary thought that you can legit get real diseases from micronutrient deficiency. Can't just count macros and call it good.

[paulinkansas]

I'm pretty sure I was starting to get sick about a couple of month ago from some kind of micronutrient deficiency.

I had this spontaneous upper body bleeding when I started a new office job. Turns out I hadn't removed the needles/pins from my dress shirts and that is what caused the bleeding. I'm glad they don't put needles/pins in underwear.

[desslok]

Are they farm raised or harvested in the wild? Here we have a wild animal called a bison. It's like a cow, but bigger. They are farm raised for their meat.

I hardly think they would be able to harvest sausages in the wild. Unless…

[paulinkansas]

I hardly think they would be able to harvest sausages in the wild. Unless…

I wonder who would win a boxing match between a kangaroo and a baboon. The 'roo has the speed but the 'boon has the strength.

[SuicideGripMe]

I eat a fair bit of sausage. Just plan accordingly. If I am doing a sausage based meal, I'll usually only have with saurkraut and mustard. Adding snags, mash, gravy and peas while delicious is a cheat meal in my books. Does not mean you should avoid bangers and mash, just keep to cheat meals.

*edit: also, I mean butcher sausages... not sad hot dogs*

[GeneralSerpant]

Sausage.

[Bodhy]

Are they farm raised or harvested in the wild? Here we have a wild animal called a bison. It's like a cow, but bigger. They are farm raised for their meat.

I believe kangas are shot in the wild by professional marksmen, and then they are harvested for meat. Thing is, they're a recognized pest we can cull their numbers and at the same time produce excellent bodybuilding meat.