You love to eat hot dogs, and when you get too lazy to cook them, a question arises in your mind – Is it safe to eat cold hot dogs?
Let’s find the answer.
Undoubtedly, hot dogs, sausages, and frankfurters are famous and popular food. According to a survey conducted by NHDSC, it has been observed that Americans consume about 20 billion hot dogs per year. In other words, 95% of Americans love to eat hot dogs and find it a quick hunger killer snack.
And how we should consume them has always been a matter of discussion for all of us. After extensive research, let us tell you what we found out.
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Is it Safe to Eat Cold Hot Dogs? Our Verdict with Reasons
We have researched the matter and found that it is not safe to eat cold hot dogs for several reasons.
Let us explain these reasons in detail so that you can decide for yourself whether you should eat cold hot dogs or not.
Why Cold Hot Dogs are Bad News? Reasons
· Processed Meat
The meat used for making hot dogs is highly processed as they are made with different kinds of red meat, which vary in quality, size, and shape.
Such processed food can also cause obesity, various heart diseases, high blood pressure, and cancer in your body. According to World Health Organization’s International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) research, the primary reason behind colorectal cancer is the consumption of processed food.
· Presence of Nitrates
This highly processed meat contains saturated fats, sodium, and nitrates. Among them, sodium nitrates and nitrites are essential for processing meat because they increase beef’s storage span and flavor. Consumption of these nitrates can become the reason for type 2 diabetes in your body.
· Presence of Toxins
Cold hot dogs have a high possibility of toxins which reduces your life span by 36 minutes so eating them raw is like adding fuel to the fire. Therefore, you should avoid eating cold hot dogs to keep your body healthy.
· Presence of Bacteria
According to surveys, the presence of bacteria has been seen in 20 percent of the major brand hot dog products. Listeria monocytogenes is the most common bacteria found in 2 percent of commercially produced hot dogs.
It has become the most common and severe health problem for many in the United States. If you consume cold hot dogs, these bacteria lead to specific health issues in your body, including diarrhea, nausea, fever, and many non-visible health diseases.
· Uncooked or Undercooked
Always read the labels mentioned on the packaging of hot dogs before eating them. Mostly, companies label the packaging of hot dogs as cooked, undercooked, or raw so that people consume them accordingly.
Stille, when you eat a cold hot dog, even though it has been labeled as cooked, there are still chances it has been undercooked. Undercooked meat can harm your body. Hence, you should avoid eating cold hot dogs to prevent the risks of infectious diseases in your body.
· Chemicals and Preservatives
Hot dogs are processed with the help of different preservatives and chemicals. Chemicals help store processed food for an extended period, and preservatives include sodium, other unsaturated fats, and nitrates. These chemicals and preservatives are harmful to health.
· Low Quality of Meat
Different brands are making meat products of different qualities. Some use beef, lamb, or pork, while others use poultry such as chicken to make these sausages. Cheap hot dogs are made with skeletal meat, which is extremely dangerous for your health. So, eating cold hot dogs of such low quality is risky.
So, now you know why it is not safe to eat cold hot dogs. They are extremely dangerous for your health.
However, you can eat hot dogs only if you are sure about their quality and cooking. You can check their label to know whether they are raw, partially cooked, or thoroughly cooked. If they are raw or partially cooked, never eat them without cooking. And if they are precooked, reheat them properly before consuming them.
Is it Safe to Consume Cold Hot Dogs Regularly?
It is never safe to consume cold hot dogs regularly. You can eat an already cooked cold hot dog once in a while. But if you eat them daily, you will face severe health issues.
Why is Cooking Hot Dogs Necessary?
Hot dogs include bacteria, preservatives, toxins, and uncooked meat. The only way to make them safe to eat is by cooking them. You are at risk of adverse effects if you consume raw hot dogs. So, cook them to remove the harmful effects.
What Happens When You Eat Cold Hot Dogs?
When you eat cold hot dogs, you get exposed to bacteria and chemicals present in them. It leads you to diseases like:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Muscle Aches
- Parasites in your bowl
So, always cook hot dogs at a proper temperature to make them safe to eat.
At How Much Temperature Hot Dogs Should be Cooked?
It is usually preferred that you should heat hot dogs at an internal temperature of at least 140°F. Even when you grill them, you need to see that the temperature range of heating hot dogs is at least 140°F.
Conclusion
After considering all things, including factual analysis and data, it is safe to say that cold hot dogs are bad news.
Firstly, cold hot dogs are made from processed meat, which causes heart problems and can cause cancer too. Secondly, chemicals are used as preservatives in cold hot dogs, which are hazardous to your natural metabolism if consumed regularly. Thirdly, meat quality in cold hot dogs is never up to the mark.
Therefore, it would be best to cook hot dogs to an internal temperature of 140°F instead of eating cold hot dogs to avoid mild to severe health diseases and infections.
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