This, of course, means the protein content varies, too — more meat equals more protein. Less meat typically means more filler, which could be wheat, rice or other flours in various amounts.
These fillers can contain gluten, but it's not too hard these days to find gluten-free sausages, if that's what you're looking for.
There's a bit of confusion out there about nitrites and nitrates in sausages. These are chemicals found naturally in some foods or added to others as a preservative. There is concern that foods containing nitrite, particularly cured meats, may be linked to cancers.
The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has identified processed meat as a probable carcinogen, and recommends we eat very little, if any. In their recommendations they tend to talk about sausages, along with cured and smoked meats and bacon as examples of these processed meats.
However, all processed meats are not equal; I think this might be a case where a bit of detail is lost in translation.
The sausages we throw on the barbie here in New Zealand are technically processed meats. But unless they are smoked or cured — such as salami or smoked frankfurters, etc — they are unlikely to contain nitrites or nitrates.
Interestingly, MPI says Kiwis get most of our nitrates and a lot of nitrites from vegetables, where they occur naturally. The benefits of eating vegetables far outweigh this risk, though. No one is going to tell you to eat fewer veges.
Sausages do often contain sulphites as preservatives (numbers 220-228) which can cause problems for some people. And some have MSG (621).
A bigger danger in sausages, though, is probably salt, since many of us still get too much of this. Sausage makers have been doing a good job in recent years of bringing the salt content of their bangers down, but it still pays to check. Look for a sausage with 650mg sodium or less per 100g for a healthier barbie.
• Niki Bezzant is editor-at-large for Healthy Food Guide www.healthyfood.co.nz
