Competitive eaters are limbering up their stomachs and grills are lighting up across the country'summer holiday cookout season has arrived.
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While backyard barbecues and cookouts are seldom focused on health food, it's always beneficial to know how to navigate the picnic table if you're trying to stay within your macros. This begs the question: Are hot dogs a good source of protein? We asked two registered dietitians to weigh in.
Both turkey and beef hot dogs provide around 6 to 7 grams of protein, depending on the size of the hot dog, said Joan Salge Blake, RDN, a nutrition professor at Boston University.
'The benefit of the turkey hot dog is that it will provide only 2 grams of heart-unhealthy saturated fat compared to more than double that for the beef hot dog,' Salge Blake told Verywell.
Monica Bearden, RD, a sports and wellness nutrition specialist at Houston Methodist Orthopedic and Sports Medicine, agrees, adding that many hot dogs are now made without as many byproducts, such as trimmings from turkey, chicken, beef, and pork.
'If you get to choose your dog, choose one of the new hot dogs that are 100% beef made from premium cuts,' Bearden told Verywell. 'The package should say that there are no artificial colors, fillers, or byproducts. But they are still all beef, so they taste great.'
The negative is that most hot dogs still contain nitrites. When exposed to high heat on a grill, nitrates chemically change into nitrosamine, a known carcinogen. As an occasional treat at a cookout or baseball game, this level of carcinogen should not have a huge impact, Bearden said.
Beyond the hot dog itself, Bearden says that the toppings you choose can help make your treat a bit healthier. She recommends mustard as a low-calorie, low-fat, and low-sodium choice. She also recommends adding vegetable toppings like sauerkraut, which can add gut-healthy probiotics.
In the battle for the grill, there's a better option for protein lovers: the hamburger.
'A hamburger made with 80% lean beef is, well, beefy, coming in at about 30 grams of protein with 7 grams of heart-unhealthy saturated fat,' Salge Blake said. 'If you are looking for a plant-based burger with less saturated fat, Beyond Meat just reformulated their burger. A 4-ounce burger, uncooked, serves up 21 grams of protein with only 2 grams of saturated fat. Because this burger is made with protein from pea, red lentils, and faba beans, it also contains 2 grams of fiber.'
Bearden added that burgers also offer the benefit of portion control: You're less likely to have more than one.
'Typically, when we eat a burger, you're going to eat more meat and get more protein from that meal,' Bearden said. 'A hot dog is a little bit under 2 ounces, while typically a hamburger patty is anywhere from 3 ounces to 4 ounces of meat. So you're going to get more protein and more nutrition from that burger.'
The cut of your hamburger makes a difference as well. If you're interested in getting the most protein without the fat, choose a 93% lean ground beef, but be careful not to overcook. Leaner meats are less forgiving when overcooked and can become dry and tough quickly. An 85% lean ground beef is a more common option and still provides plenty of protein and satisfaction.
Hot dogs and hamburgers may be the main event, but a cookout should never be without sides. While you have the grill fired up, Sagle Blake suggests throwing on vegetables to add more nutrition and great flavor to your plate.
Bearden recommends loading up your plate with fruits and veggies. The additional fiber will help keep you full so that you don't overindulge in multiple hot dogs or burgers.
Beans are another good protein option, Bearden said. A typical serving of beans will provide 5 to 10 grams of protein plus fiber. Although baked beans also come with added sugars, Bearden said they're still nutritious. For healthier options, she recommends ranch-style beans or black beans.
A traditional 1.5 oz beef hot dog is less than 200 calories, representing less than 10 percent of the recommended calorie allowance for the average American. Pairing with a bun adds approximately 100 more calories, depending on the kind of bun you use.
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Hot dogs offer several key nutrients beneficial to the body. A 1.5 oz hot dog provides 7 grams of protein or 15 percent of the daily value (DV) which is the amount of the nutrient your body requires Protein is critical for developing, maintaining, and repairing strong muscles and especially beneficial for growth in children and reducing the muscle loss that often occurs with aging. The protein in hot dogs is a complete protein, meaning it offers all the essential amino acids our bodies need.Hot dogs are also a great source of Vitamin B12 with just one hot dog providing 30 percent of the DV. Vitamin B12 is important for normal metabolism, for brain development in children and for mental clarity in adults.
A 1.5 oz beef hot dog also provides more than 10 percent of the DV of minerals such as phosphorus, selenium and zinc. The forms of these nutrients in meat are more 'bioavailable' meaning they are more easily absorbed and utilized by the body, than these minerals from grains or vegetables.
Hot dogs are often criticized for their fat and sodium levels. A traditional 1.5 oz beef hot dog delivers 572 mg of sodium (25 percent of DV) and 6 g of saturated fat (29 percent DV), but plenty of options are available for those interested in lower sodium or lower fat options.
Many brands offer low fat hot dogs with less than 3 g of fat or less than 1 g of saturated fat. Often, these are poultry dogs made from chicken or turkey.
Similarly, there are many varieties of hot dogs with reduced sodium, usually under 400 mg.
Check the nutrition facts panel printed on every package of hot dogs to find the sodium and fat levels which best fit your dietary needs.
Whether you are enjoying an Italian sausage, Bratwurst, Polish or other traditional dinner sausage, the nutrition is similar ounce for ounce. Read the nutrition facts panel on specific products for nutrient content to determine which products best fit your nutrition goals.
Generally because they are larger, dinner sausages will contain more calories than a standard hot dog, but they also offer higher levels of protein and nutrients such as phosphorus, selenium, zinc and Vitamin B12.
For those who are concerned, enjoying a sausage without the bun is one easy way to lower calorie and sodium intake.
Breakfast sausages are more likely to be lower in calories because they are smaller than hot dogs or dinner sausages. This also means they will contribute less to your daily sodium or fat intake.
The bun is an important consideration for those concerned about nutrition, particularly sodium levels. The bun can add another 180-200 mg of sodium to the hot dog or sausage.
Based on data from USDA's SuperTracker, white vs. whole wheat buns won't significantly change your calorie intake, each adding approximately 100 calories to the hot dog or sausage. Whole wheat buns will deliver added fiber.
Mustard and ketchup are the two most popular toppings for hot dogs. A packet of either one won't change the nutrition profile of the hot dog significantly. A packet of ketchup has more calories than mustard due to its sugar content, delivering 2 grams of sugar and slightly more sodium. If you are over the age of 18, ketchup is a 'food faux pas' on hot dogs anyway!
A tablespoon of raw chopped onions contains just 4 calories, with limited additional nutrients and no sodium.
Cheese, chili or coleslaw will add more significant amounts of calories, sodium and fat to your hot dog. Each of them will add approximately 70-100 calories and 250 mg of sodium. Sauerkraut comes in lower calorically and offers several grams of fiber as well, but may also add a couple hundred milligrams of sodium.
Those are just a few of the potential toppings for your hot dog or sausage. Remember that a healthy, balanced diet consists of a range of foods including meats, vegetables, fruits and whole grains. In fact, eating vegetables with your hot dogs, sausages and other meats can make them more nutritious as the nutrients in meat help better absorb the nutrients in vegetables. Keep that in mind the next time you are preparing a side dish for your backyard BBQ.
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