Holy Sodium Numbers ! Lil Smokies- Need Advice

mommy_hood

Posting here and other places not sure where I would get the best advice...


Ok so I know this is not the healthiest thing I could be making but I am pregnant and craving so be gentle lol...

We are getting together with family to celebrate birthdays and I am making Lil Smokies with Chili Sauce and Grape Jelly... I am sure most of you are familiar with this recipe ....

I just put it into my recipe counter so I can log it properly and holy crap the sodium for 10 little links according to recipe maker is 3301 mg !

Here is the recipe and numbers-

Lil Smokies - 10 links per serving total servings 16

4 packs of smokies 5,120 calories 16,000 mg sodium
Grape Jelly- 48 oz 3,375 calories 338 mg sodium
Chili Sauce-48 oz 1,520 calories 36,480 mg sodium

Totals 10,015 calories 52,818 mg sodium
per serving 626 calories 3,301 mg sodium


Ok my confusion and concern is that most of the sauce that surrounds the links stay in the pot and is not actually consumed... so what is the best way to count for this??? I know I am not consuming this much sodium when I am eating these but not sure how I should account for these ... Any advice??

wheird

I would try to guess maybe a teaspoon of the sauce per smokie consumed? Idk, you will have to make your best guess.

MorgueBabe

Stop eating processed meats like that if you're worried about sodium.

Jinnie69

Count all the meat sodium, and a portion of the sauce. I agree, most of the sauce is not eaten. I would also try to avoid sodium the rest of the day.

tapirfrog

Yeah, if you're pregnant you gotta watch blood sugar and sodium levels -- if those go bad, not only can they hurt the baby, they can hurt you a lot more than if you weren't pregnant. Cravings, yeah, totally get that, oh God do I get that. But on something like this, you just have to restrict till it hurts. I'm sorry.

I remember reading on here a calculation something like if the sauce is thick, consider that one serving has a tablespoon of it, whereas if the sauce is thin (oil-based or soy-sauce-based) count a teaspoon. Maybe do a search for "marinade"? I know you'll get a million hits, but you might wade through a few pages and find that calculation.

jayrudq

Here is what I do because I LOVE all things hot dog and not a fan of sodium. I boil them in water first. And if I am being super retentive about it, I boil them twice. IMO this takes out quite a bit of the sodium, but I can't prove it. You can certainly taste the difference.

You can also google the recipe with healthy in the title and see what others have done to lighten it up. There are almost always ways to reduce the calories, fat, sodium, etc. You just need a little creativity. And the taste is almost (I did say almost)
as good.

When I was pregnant, I was constantly craving all things sausage, hot dogs, lunch meat, etc. I did buy the nitrate free on occasion, but really, a pregnant gal has got to do what a pregnant gal has to do!

Good luck!

tigersword

Stop eating processed meats like that if you're worried about sodium.

Way more sodium in the sauce than the meat.

QuietBloom

There is no reason for a healthy person, pregnant or otherwise, to worry about sodium intake. As long as the kidneys are functioning normally, and hydration levels are adequate, the excess will be excreted.

indignantgnome

Stop eating processed meats like that if you're worried about sodium.

The chili sauce has more sodium than the meat. Reading comprehension is helpful.

acogg

There is no reason for a healthy person, pregnant or otherwise, to worry about sodium intake. As long as the kidneys are functioning normally, and hydration levels are adequate, the excess will be excreted.

Yup, that's exactly what my doctor told me.

whitecapwendy

If you are eating 10 of the smokies, I would maybe count about 3 tablespoons of the sauce to make sure you are covered. Maybe count up the calories of the sauce separately from the smokies. If you have not already purchased them, you might see if there is a lower sodium Lil smokies (not sure if they exist)

MarliQQ

The Salt Myth

http://authoritynutrition.com/how-much-sodium-per-day/

mommy_hood

Someone suggested to do a recipe for just the two sauces then add that to diary and add the meat separate so that is what I did...

I do not use hardly any of the sauce on those so definitely did not think I should have to count all those calories,sodium,etc.

Thanks everyone who had helpful comments!

rockmama72

I'd just enjoy it, log it as is, and don't sweat the sodium. It's only one food. Drink more water the next day and eat a bit cleaner. It will balance out.