# sausages!



## caffeine_demon (Feb 16, 2011)

what should a diabetic look for in sausages?

quite a tricky choice in tescos sausage department today!  The low fat ones seemed to be low meat and high carbs, and the high meat ones where also high fat..

I ended up with the high (85%) meat content ones - but at 20% fat I'm not so sure... They were ok on the BG meter, and good on the taste meter

so - Is there such a thing as a high lean meat content sausage, which doesn't taste like do-do?


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## macast (Feb 16, 2011)

perhaps your butcher makes sausages with more meat content.  I know that the Co-op does lovely sausages with over 90% meat content and the beasts are out-door reared too


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## Vicsetter (Feb 16, 2011)

The low meat content sausages are made up with filler (something like breadcrumbs) so should be avoided for a diabetic, also the filler absorbs fat whereas the high meat sausages will let off their fat when you cook them and you can then eat the sausage without some of the fat.  I use 85% pork sausage hand made by a butcher and wouldn't touch most of the supermarket varieties.


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## Steff (Feb 16, 2011)

I have the ones that are gluten free, there in morrisons by black farmers, there nice grilled..


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## Alan S (Feb 17, 2011)

caffeine_demon said:


> what should a diabetic look for in sausages?
> 
> quite a tricky choice in tescos sausage department today!  The low fat ones seemed to be low meat and high carbs, and the high meat ones where also high fat..
> 
> ...


I've highlighted the only part of your post that would really matter to me 

I am uninterested in the fat content. If it's a supermarket sausage (I rarely buy those) I look at the carb count and ingredients list. If "partially hydrogenated" (trans-fat) appears on the list, or the carbs are above 4gm per 100gm I don't buy.

If I'm buying from a butcher I chat to the butcher about the filler they use. Sausages are basically meat, fat and filler; the filler is a mix of starches and spices. Quite often, if I pick a quiet time, the butcher lets me look at the bag of commercial filler and I can then decide whether I like the ingredients. Again, trans-fats are an absolute no-no but whether I am happy with the rest depends on proportions.

If fat bothers you, just cook them under the grill or on a slotted BBQ hot-plate so the fat is rendered out.


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## Andy HB (Feb 17, 2011)

caffeine_demon said:


> what should a diabetic look for in sausages?
> 
> quite a tricky choice in tescos sausage department today!  The low fat ones seemed to be low meat and high carbs, and the high meat ones where also high fat..
> 
> ...



I've recently been getting the quorn sausages. They're quite tasty and are pretty good for carbs too.

For meat sausages, I tend to go for the high meat content ones, but because they are so high in calories I rarely have them these days. When I did, I strictly controlled how many I had (i.e. a maximum of 2).

Andy


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## FM001 (Feb 17, 2011)

There a brand called The Black Farmer that is available in Morrisons and Asda that has a meat content of 90% meat, they are a little pricey at around ?2.20 for a packet of six but well worth it. The fat content is pretty low compared to the cheaper brands and so makes for a healthier sausage all round.


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## Steff (Feb 17, 2011)

toby said:


> There a brand called The Black Farmer that is available in Morrisons and Asda that has a meat content of 90% meat, they are a little pricey at around ?2.20 for a packet of six but well worth it. The fat content is pretty low compared to the cheaper brands and so makes for a healthier sausage all round.



thank you Toby thats the ones i meant
there ?2 at the moment


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## FM001 (Feb 17, 2011)

Steffie said:


> thank you Toby thats the ones i meant
> there ?2 at the moment





Sorry I missed your post mentioning Black Farmers Sausage.


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## chrismbee (Feb 17, 2011)

macast said:


> the Co-op does lovely sausages with over 90% meat content and the beasts are out-door reared too


.
Oh dear Marcie, don't know how to break this to you ..... sausages aren't "reared" - they're manufactured! 

Skinless sausages can have lower fat, especially as more can drain away in the cooking process.  Only problem is that a lot of the flavour is in the wrapping


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## Mark T (Feb 17, 2011)

Oh dear, no sausages for me then 

I have the added complication that I tend to avoid buying the sausages that contain herbs and spices because they will set my wifes IBS off with a vengance.

I just noticed that the ones we get are 8g Carb per sausage!

But does this really matter?  I don't think I want to kick off a heated discussion on how much carb per day we should consume, but ultimately it comes down to that.

The answer for me will depend on how my meter responds of course.

(I could of course do his and her's sausages)


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## AlisonM (Feb 17, 2011)

I get mine from a local butcher, which I admit is expensive, but at least I know what he puts in them and there is a very high meat content with very little rusk. I love his venison bangers, both because they taste wonderful and because venison is a very lean meat. His bacon is wonderful too, not injected full of water! I don't have much because it's expensive, but it does make a really nice treat.


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## Copepod (Feb 17, 2011)

We buy whichever sausages are on special offer / reduced due to "use by" date. 
Fat content changes during cooking - quite a lot drips out if you prick sausages and grill them.


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## macast (Feb 17, 2011)

chrismbee said:


> .
> Oh dear Marcie, don't know how to break this to you ..... sausages aren't "reared" - they're manufactured!




really????  I thought they ran free with the haggis


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## Alan S (Feb 17, 2011)

Mark T said:


> Oh dear, no sausages for me then
> 
> I have the added complication that I tend to avoid buying the sausages that contain herbs and spices because they will set my wifes IBS off with a vengance.
> 
> ...


It only matters as part of the total carb count in your meal. Personally I'm uninterested in my daily carb load, but I enjoy sausages for breakfast occasionally. As my personal breakfast carb limit is less than 5gms if I want to stay under 7 an hour later, I would avoid your sausages and stick to mine which are between 3 and 4 gm. I could eat your 8gm sausage at lunchtime or dinner when my tolerance for carbs is greater.

As you note, whether the 8gm is too high for you is a question only your meter can answer at your peak time after the meal. Also note that most people don't eat sausages in isolation; the 8gms may be insignificant if eaten together with mashed spuds or rice or bread.


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## caffeine_demon (Feb 17, 2011)

even this one described as "lean pork" is high fat

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk
Item code: 6013826

dificult to make exact comparisons as it gives values as cooked...

ps - the tesco finest pork chipolatas are 4.1g carb / 100g and 100% DELICIOUS!!


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