Chicken sausage is satisfying and easy to cook, and stands above pork sausage in its flavor-holding abilities, but when home cooks reach for chicken sausage, they're often motivated by diet and health considerations. Yet, is chicken sausage truthfully healthy, or is it just a lower-fat alternative to pork sausage? Read on for a better understanding of chicken sausage, including its nutritional benefits and pitfalls, whether chicken sausage can be part of a healthy diet, and why the nitrates used to preserve chicken sausage can be harmful.
Chicken Sausage vs Pork Sausage
From a nutritional standpoint, chicken sausage is definitely healthier than pork sausage. Red meat like pork can increase one's likelihood of developing cardiovascular conditions or colon cancer, so the white meat that comprises chicken sausage is a less dangerous option. Chicken sausage is typically lower in fat and has less sodium than pork sausage, and depending on the brand, chicken sausage can sometimes be less processed than pork sausage, says Ricci-Lee Hotz, MS, RDN at A Taste of Health, LLC and Expert at Testing.com. Additionally, chicken sausage is slightly higher in protein than pork sausage.
Chicken sausage's drawbacks don't lie in the meat itself, but rather in the nitrates that it's preserved in. Like pork sausage, chicken sausage is also susceptible to added sugars, colorings, and high amounts of nitrates.
What Are Nitrates?
Nitrates are a compound that contain nitrogen and oxygen. They occur naturally in some vegetables and are even created in the human body. Nitrates are used to preserve processed meats such as sausage and bacon, and consuming them in this form can be harmful. "Nitrates/nitrites added to processed meats such as sausages, while they do a great job at preventing bacterial growth and improving taste and color, when heated in the cooking process or even upon contact with saliva, can convert into nitrosamines which is a compound that can increase risk of cancer," Hotz says.
Therefore, sausage products free of nitrate/nitrite may be a better option, especially as overall food safety protocols have improved so this method of curing is not as necessary as it was previously.
Is Any Sausage Healthy?
It's possible to find and consume healthier forms of chicken sausage that don't contain as many added ingredients. Examples include organic and local sausage with few preservatives. "If [sausage] comes from pasture-raised animals that have been raised without antibiotics, hormones, and other chemicals, and it's free from added sugars and nitrates, then I would say it's OK to eat," says Heather Hanks, nutritionist at USA Rx.
However, the bottom line is that sausages are high in sodium, preservatives, or preserving agents such as nitrates that need to be taken into consideration, Hotz says. "Either making your own sausage or finding a brand that sticks predominantly to a lower fat meat and spices is going to be your best bet for a 'healthy sausage.'" The easiest way to maintain a healthy diet while still enjoying sausage is to limit your intake and eat it less often.
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