Sandwich meats can be deceptive and unhealthy. The average sandwich meat contains less than 5 grams of fat per serving, so how can sandwich meat be considered unhealthy? If you just look at fat content, 5 grams of fat doesn’t seem so bad. The problem is that sandwich meat in so thin, the average person piles on much more than one serving. Additionally, sandwich meats contain harmful flavor enhancers and preservatives. Here are 4 unhealthy sandwich meats to avoid
1. Bologna
Bologna is a sausage which contains the same ingredients as hot dogs. Bologna is also one of the unhealthiest lunch meats you can buy. While it only contains 5 grams of fat and 70 calories per serving, a serving size is equivalent to approximately two slices. Bologna contains sodium nitrate, which is added to make it last in your refrigerator longer and to make is taste better. Sodium nitrate has been associated with prostate cancer and brain tumors. The USDA required meat manufactures to reduce the amount of nitrates added to sandwich meat, but any amount of sodium nitrate could have adverse health effects.
2. SPAM
Spam consists of pork shoulder, ham, water, nitrates and modified potato starch. SPAM is not the most widely consumed “meat” but it is the unhealthiest lunch meat. SPAM sales have increased 49 percent since 2009 and an estimated 150 million Americans consume SPAM annually. If you are considering saving money by buying SPAM instead of more expensive sandwich meat, you should consider the nutritional information. One serving of SPAM (two ounces) contains 15 grams of fat and 170 calories. Additionally, six grams of fat are from saturated fat. Spam contains over half of the recommended daily sodium allotment at 775mg per serving.
3. Pastrami
Pastrami sandwich meat is beef which has been partially dried then smoked and steamed. Two ounces of pastrami contains 300 calories and 12 grams of fat. People eat pastrami many different ways, so it is difficult to determine the total calorie count. Pastrami is also high in cholesterol. In fact, at 514mg, two slices of pastrami is half of the daily recommended cholesterol intake. The sodium content (which can cause adverse health effects for people with high blood pressure) is approximately 2500mg, which is the maximum amount of sodium the average person should be consuming in an entire day. Instead of pastrami, try tempeh on your rueben sandwich.
4. Tuna
Many people think they are being healthier when they eat tuna because it is a fish. Contrary to popular assumption, tuna is one of the unhealthiest sandwiches you can make. Tuna is unhealthy primarily because of the excessive amount of mayonnaise it requires. One serving of tuna contains approximately 20 grams of fat and 400 calories. If you add bread and cheese to your sandwich, you could easily consume over 1,000 calories and 40 grams of fat for lunch. A healthier way to make a tuna sandwich is to use plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise. If you don’t use mayonnaise, your sandwich meat will only contain one gram of fat.
