You can’t beat a banger. Whether it’s a Lincolnshire, cocktail or Cumberland sausage, they are the unifying factor across fry-ups, parties and barbecues and a firm staple in the British diet.
When it comes to our health, the news isn’t all gloomy. “Sausages do provide protein and nutrients such as vitamin B12, zinc and iron,” notes Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a dietitian and author of How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed.
However, sausages are not the only way to get these nutrients, which are also found in lean cuts of meat, fish, eggs and even yogurt and nuts. “And they all have fewer of the downsides,” she adds, which include an increased risk of bowel cancer, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.
Ludlam-Raine explains the health risks of sausages, the best ways to cook them and, crucially, the healthiest types to buy.
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“How the sausage gets made” is a saying for a reason – the process is one you don’t want to think about too much. It involves meat, usually pork, being put through a mincer to create a coarse texture. “It’s mixed with fat, breadcrumbs or rusk, water, salt, herbs, spices and sometimes preservatives,” Ludlam-Raine explains.
“The mixture is then filled into a casing.” The casing can be natural (often made from the intestines of a hog, sheep or cow) or synthetic (made from collagen extracted from animal bones and tendons, or sometimes plant-based materials).
A single sausage can contain between 80 and 200 calories, while the fat content can range from 2g to 16g. The meat content, meanwhile, can be as low as 42 per cent or as high as 97 per cent, so it is always worth checking the ingredients list and nutrition label, Ludlam-Raine notes. The popular Richmond sausages, for example, contain only 42 per cent pork and many additives, such as colouring and soya protein.
“Sausages can fit into a balanced diet, but they are processed meat and often contain more salt and saturated fat than a plain cut of meat,” Ludlam-Raine says. “My advice would be to enjoy them in moderation – say, once or twice a week.”
Increases blood pressure and cholesterol
Two sausages, the typical portion size recommended on packaging, can contain as much as 2g of salt. “A high salt intake can contribute to raised blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke,” says Ludlam-Raine. Adults are advised to consume no more than 6g a day.
Two sausages can contain up to 12g of saturated fat. Women are advised to consume no more than 20g a day, while men should not exceed 30g, to reduce their risk of high cholesterol. “Saturated fat can increase non-HDL cholesterol, often referred to as ‘bad’ cholesterol, which can also increase cardiovascular risk over time,” Ludlam-Raine adds.
Raises bowel cancer risk
One University of Oxford study found that people who eat 76g of processed meat a day (around one sausage) have a 20 per cent higher risk of bowel cancer than those who eat 21g a day.
“This may be due to several factors, including the use of curing agents such as nitrates and nitrites,” Ludlam-Raine says. These are preservatives added to some sausages and most hot dogs, chorizo and salami. While their role is to increase shelf life, when we digest them they are converted into N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), which can damage the cells lining the bowel, increasing the risk of bowel cancer.
Sausages also contain haem, a type of iron found in red meat, which also breaks down into harmful NOCs during digestion, Ludlam-Raine says.
“The risk is related to overall intake and frequency, so the key message is not panic, but moderation,” she says.
