Are cold cuts a good way to eat meat without piling on the p

karishmaroye

I often find myself splurging on cold cuts month after month. I enjoy my meat, but more or less stick to chicken and fish (sometimes turkey). I guess somewhere I find comfort in knowing that i'm consuming microwaved cuts without any additional cals that would come with cooking preparations that involved use of oil/butter/garnish/marination/dressing. However, i don't really have the stats down on the inherent fat in meat cuts and it makes me feel like i'm making a blind bet with my salamis, sausages, tuna and salmon. Enlighten me... Please!!

LorinaLynn

I think the biggest concern in cold cuts is the excess sodium.

One time I was debating whether to have a turkey sandwich for lunch vs two slices of leftover pepperoni pizza, so I plugged in the info for both on my food diary, and the pizza was a better choice nutritionally! Same amount of calories, but the pizza had lower sodium and higher protein. Crazy.

annabellj

if i eat turkey from the deli i rinse it and dry it before i eat it. i dont know if it works but it makes me feel better about eating it!

SachaMichel

I eat cold cuts fairly regularly too because it's convenient, but I hear it's not that good for you because of sodium and chemicals.

Hasn't stopped me though! Just have to restrict how many I can eat per day

karishmaroye

yea i know what u mean... it's just the idea that it's packaged food with preservatives that makes me kinda skeptical too... i rinse it out, and find myself looking at it suspiciously for a good 5 before i pop it into the microwave

karishmaroye

if i eat turkey from the deli i rinse it and dry it before i eat it. i dont know if it works but it makes me feel better about eating it!

yea i know what u mean... it's just the idea that it's packaged food with preservatives that makes me kinda skeptical too... i rinse it out, and find myself looking at it suspiciously for a good 5 before i pop it into the microwave

MB_Positif

I haven't personally done this, but I have heard that it is less expensive to roast your own meat and slice it for sandwiches than to buy cold cuts. That said, there are higher quality deli meats, for example Boar's Head that also offer less chemicals and lower sodium options.

MercenaryNoetic26

Pre-packaged cold cuts are the most processed. I'd go for the fresh deli meat, fat slices. I'm not trying to make skimpy sandwiches if I do. Those Indians at the Subways are so STINGY with the meat! One big @ss piece of bread and only three skinny slices of meat? WTF? LOL

ljbhill

They are pretty processed and full of sodium. Sausages and salami are quite calorie dense and usually contain hidden carbs.That being said, doesn't mean you can't enjoy them now and then but I wouldn't make them a staple. That's just my opinion

If you want nutritional bang for your buck and convenience I'd (and do) prepare bulk:

Poached chicken breasts. Poach with water, bay leaves and a little salt and peper. Great sliced up in a sandwich with tomato and avocado or in a salad (I store them in their poaching liquid and freeze them in serving sizes).

Left over roast lamb slices. Come on, who doesn't like a roast lamb sandwich the next day! Or a lamb, baby spinach, chick pea salad with tahini dressing? If you have vege's left over as well you can add the lot to a little brown rice. Drizzle with store or home made salad dressing. Can also be done with silverside or beef roasts.

Boiled eggs!! Awesome sliced on rice cakes with tomato and avocado. You could mash the eggs up and use as a filler... can also add a little low sodium curry powder and fat free mayo, and spread in a linseed bread roll with lettuce.

BBQ chicken dinners. Left overs can go in a sandwich or salad.

Left over mince from dinner (bolognaise, mexican, san chu bow). Pair with brown rice, dry spices (if needed) and broccoli.

The options are ENDLESS!!

vjrose

If you do the cold cuts thing most deli's have a lower sodium option these days and the advantage is they almost never pre slice so you get fresh sliced meat that has not been in the cold case all day. You might have to ask for it as the labels are usually quite small and tucked off to the side. Pre packaged meat is pretty awful and if you do an ounce for ounce comparison of cost deli sliced is usually cheaper.

Sidesteal

I eat deli meat quite frequently and I've never suffered any ill effects fr........


*croak*

Hotrodhoodlum

Process meat not good for you at all .. Stay with healthy chicken breast I all ways have some cold chicen breast for a quick snack . Protein no Carbs low fat

Play_outside

I think it depends on the deli you're getting the meat from. However, it is definitely not the same as cooking meat and slicing it yourself. I am celiac and I normally can not eat deli meats because they have gluten (wheat) in them. Obviously meat does not naturally contain wheat products.

jnhu72

I used to live off lunch meat but after having high blood pressure and realizing how much sodium was in them I decided to switch. Now I buy chicken breast, pork roast and turkey breast from the meat department. I usually just buy what every is on sell, but it's still cheaper even if they aren't on sell then eat lunch meat. As for cooking them, I boil my chicken or turkey and I cook the pork roast in the slow cooker. You can cook the chicken and turkey in the slow cooker to if you want. All you need to cook it in is water so there are no extra calories.

Jorra

Pre-packaged cold cuts are the most processed. I'd go for the fresh deli meat, fat slices. I'm not trying to make skimpy sandwiches if I do. Those Indians at the Subways are so STINGY with the meat! One big @ss piece of bread and only three skinny slices of meat? WTF? LOL

I'm sure Subway corporate standards are hardly the fault of "those Indians."

OP: like others have said, packaged cuts have more sodium and such, but salami and pastrami are also naturally high in sodium and fat.

Elizabeth_C34

Solution: make your own lunchmeat

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Elizabeth_C34/view/365-meals-project-11-homemade-chicken-lunchmeat-172932

karishmaroye

They are pretty processed and full of sodium. Sausages and salami are quite calorie dense and usually contain hidden carbs.That being said, doesn't mean you can't enjoy them now and then but I wouldn't make them a staple. That's just my opinion

If you want nutritional bang for your buck and convenience I'd (and do) prepare bulk:

Poached chicken breasts. Poach with water, bay leaves and a little salt and peper. Great sliced up in a sandwich with tomato and avocado or in a salad (I store them in their poaching liquid and freeze them in serving sizes).

Left over roast lamb slices. Come on, who doesn't like a roast lamb sandwich the next day! Or a lamb, baby spinach, chick pea salad with tahini dressing? If you have vege's left over as well you can add the lot to a little brown rice. Drizzle with store or home made salad dressing. Can also be done with silverside or beef roasts.

Boiled eggs!! Awesome sliced on rice cakes with tomato and avocado. You could mash the eggs up and use as a filler... can also add a little low sodium curry powder and fat free mayo, and spread in a linseed bread roll with lettuce.

BBQ chicken dinners. Left overs can go in a sandwich or salad.

Left over mince from dinner (bolognaise, mexican, san chu bow). Pair with brown rice, dry spices (if needed) and broccoli.

The options are ENDLESS!!

Hey thanks... That's some great advice and some really cool options.. I've strangely never experimented much with my meat and tried out varied recipes, usually stick to the basic preps out of laziness.. Will surely try out the meal preps uve mentioned