Baseball, BBQs, and a Closer Look at the Classic Frankfurter
Baseball season is here, and Opening Day is underway! With America’s favorite pastime comes one of its most iconic foods. Yep, we’re talking about hot dogs. On average, fans eat about 20 million hot dogs per season across all MLB ballparks. But with some labeled “all-beef” and others…well, not, it begs the question: what’s really in them?
Let’s start at the beginning. The hot dog’s origins trace back hundreds of years to Germany, where the frankfurter (named after Frankfurt) first made its debut. But today’s version? A far cry from its roots. The modern hot dog rose to prominence in the late ’60s and early ’70s, an era all about convenience and long shelf life. Back then, a hot dog had a pretty balanced nutritional profile: roughly 19.5% fat and 19.6% protein. Today, that’s shifted. The average hot dog now contains more fat than protein, with about 28% fat and only 11–12% protein.
So, what is in them now?
For starters, sodium, and lots of it. A single hot dog can pack anywhere from 150 to 250 calories, and while I’m not big on calorie counting, that range tells us there’s a wide variety in what we’re eating. Typically, we think of hot dogs as the protein of the meal, but most only give you around 5 grams of protein. That’s not much. For context, just 1 ounce of cooked meat offers about 7 grams of protein. For a meal, a man might need 6 hot dogs to meet his protein needs, a woman, around 4. Multiply that by the sodium and fat, and, well…yikes.
We often try to make a better choice and reach for the ones labeled “all beef.” Are they better?
Let’s take a look:
Hebrew National 100% Kosher Beef Franks: 150 calories, 13g fat, 6g protein, 450mg sodium
Hillshire Farms 100% Premium Beef: 200 calories, 17g fat, 9g protein, 680mg sodium
These are just two examples, but they reveal a pattern: not a ton of protein, a lot of sodium and fat, and still plenty of room for concern.
And then, we go deeper, the ingredients list. Most hot dogs are made from animal by-products, low-quality meat, preservatives, colorings, flavorings, and other additives. Animal by-products are leftover parts we typically don’t eat, trimmings, cartilage, and other scraps. Some hot dogs include pink slime (yes, that’s real), or mechanically separated chicken, lean finely textured beef, and boneless lean beef trimmings. It’s no wonder they need to be loaded with preservatives. For example: Potassium lactate, derived from lactic acid, is added to slow the growth of mold and fungus. Sodium diacetate acts as an antimicrobial preservative.
Antibiotics are often used in the processing of these meats, and our increasing resistance to antibiotics in food is a growing concern. A 2011 study found 47% of meat samples from grocery stores carried antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
On top of all this, most hot dogs contain nitrates, chemicals that give hot dogs their pink hue. And yes, nitrates are linked to an increased risk of cancer in several studies. Even “natural flavorings” aren’t all that natural, the term can hide a range of processed and chemical-derived additives you’d probably never eat if you knew what they were.
So…what now? Ultimately, the choice is yours. We each have to make food decisions that work for ourselves and our families. My best advice? Read the labels. Know what you’re buying and what’s in it. Personally, I rarely eat hot dogs, and if I do, it’s from a high-quality butcher who can tell me exactly what’s inside. That said, there’s something nostalgic about a bite of a hot dog at the ballpark, and once in a while, that moment can be worth it.
Just remember: informed choices are empowered choices. Know what you’re eating and why.