Is There Such a Thing as Healthy Hot Dogs?

hebrew national and nathans! they're kosher, and they really really do taste better.
which is a good thing, because you pay for it.
:) khairete
S.

You can get tofu dogs.

Does she eat rotisserie chicken? Because a Kansas State University study found hot dogs and other processed deli meats are nearly free of chemical compounds called HCAs.

Those compounds have been linked to increased risk of cancers, especially colon, stomach and breast cancer.

By comparison, the study found very high HCA levels in the skin of rotisserie-grilled chicken.

When I buy hot dogs, I try to buy a nitrate free brand (Coleman. etc.).
But it's A hot dog, for O. lunch.....
Get the ones with the shortest list of ingredients!

Not commenting on the sodium level in hot dogs... That's a different issue. I buy the Applegate organic hot dogs. Can't tell they're not regular ones, tastes the same. Basically, you want to avoid anything with nitrites. Turkey hot dogs are slightly more nutritious than beef, but we prefer the taste of beef ones. Im pretty sure Hebrew National has nitrites in theirs.

Here's the thing, mama: a few regular store bought hot dogs won't hurt her. Get the wheat buns instead of crappy white bread buns... White bread just metabolizes into sugar. And at age three, kids get that power-play mentality. She might refuse to eat anything if her food/plate looks too different from other kids. Try to use ketchup without High Fructose Corn syrup. Have fruit instead of chips... If chips are definitely gonna be there, then have tortilla chips or sun chips instead of fritos, cheetos or lays. My daughter liked the real fruit leather snacks too. Popsicles and watermelon instead if ice-cream. String cheese instead of American cheese.

Too this day, my daughter doesn't drink soda and has never gone to McDonald's. Ypu have to know your food boundaries--for example, be a little lienent on the occasional hot dogs, but don't introduce fast food, soda and French fries.

All hotdogs have nutritional value, especially protein. The typical concern about hotdogs are the additives. There are hot dogs now with no nitrates and such added. You need to be more careful with foods with no preservatives at picnics, however, to make sure they are kept cold.

You won't be able to control all the food that your children eat. If you are eating "healthy" at home and they like it, then an occasional sweet treat or other "unhealthy" food will not hurt them. They will need to be exposed to different foods so that they can make good choices as they get older.

My daughter likes sweets, as we all do, but she will stop eating half-way through a piece of cake at a party, or request vegetables for dinner if she's had fast-food for lunch. No, she doesn't eat a perfectly healthy diet, but she's learning to make healthy choices and to have balance in her diet.

trader joes has the BEST hot dogs i have ever tasted!
they are all natural and free of those bad chemicals and horomones etc.
put a dog on their honey wheat buns with their organic ketchup and mustard and you have yourself the BEST hotdog ever (and pretty healthy too)

they are more than a dollar a package, but still a decent price. im a stay at home mom of four and housewife to a grad student, so you know im not gonna go out of my budget for a hot dog!

Definitely nitrate free hot dogs. We also sometimes do turkey dogs (also nitrate free) which are a little healthier, but they aren't as good as beef hot dogs.

You have to talk to your daughter about why she eats the food she does at home, it's healthier for her so she can run and play more, and the other stuff can damage her body. If she gets a little bad stuff, don't worry, but if you give her healthy snacks when she goes out with friends, and let her try the unhealthy stuff every once in a while, she will soon be making her own decisions and choosing the healthy food when she has a choice.

We get the 365 brand hot dogs from Whole Foods. I would definitely make sure they are nitrate-free and stay away from big national meat companies.

Hey K.,
In my estimation there is no such thing as a healthy hot dog, but there are healthier choices out there. What I have gotten (and it's quite rare) is the Trader Joe's nitrate free turkey dogs. They are pretty tasty and have a few less chemicals then the standard Oscar Meyer hot dog.

We eat the Hebrew National brand they are really the best hot dogs I have had in a long time. They even have 99% fat free hot dogs that is the kind we get and place them on a good whole wheat bun add turkey chilli and you are good to go.

We buy the Coleman all natural hot dogs. I wouldn't call them healthy, but they are supposed to be free of chemicals.

We buy the Hebrew National brand, they say they are Kosher and I think Nitrate free. Anyway, we feel like they taste better and are somewhat better for us, we know for sure the cost more!! :D

My healthy barometer for hotdogs is to find a brand made without nitrates or nitrites.

And being in SoCA, you can for sure find 'healthy' hot dogs. Last time I was at Costco they had all natural hot dogs. Trader Joe's probably has them.
I don't know the local brand names there anymore, recently we have tried Schneiders. And kosher products will be healthier in terms of what parts of the meat are used. I would stay away from any national brand like Oscar Meyer.

veggie farm brand are pretty awesome and meat free

I only buy Ball Park BEEF franks. They are all beef and they don't use the "eyes, ears, and butts" like other brands. They are still processed but a way better choice than others hot dogs out there. You can also try the turkey franks if beef is not your thing. They don't have as much flavor in my opinion but still a decent choice.

tofu or veggie dogs, great on bbq or any way you want.

We buy turkey dogs for our kids. The aren't wonderful...but they are alot better than eating who knows what. Yuck.

tofu dogs yes! my kids love them. as for the second question: i have always served fairly nutritious meals at home, with some junk food when the day is right for it. they just know that mom keeps limited junk food at home, so either get it elsewhere, like school or hanging out with dad, or go without. my kids eat a vegetarian diet at home and meat at school. they love veggies and wheat bread. they are healthy eaters that can inhale alot of food. it does work but you have to stay firm and not buy junk!