In New York, they are served with a lighter mustard and steamed onions; if you travel to Chicago, they are topped with mustard, relish, onions and tomato slices. Wherever you go or whatever condiment you choose, one thing is certain — a hot dog is one of this country’s most popular foods.
July is National Hot Dog month and, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans will consume more than 7 billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
In addition, the council reports more than $4.1 billion was spent on hot dogs in 2007 in U.S. supermarkets, equaling more than 1.5 billion pounds of hot dogs and sausages bought at retail stores alone.
Janice Hermann, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service nutrition education specialist, said every year, Americans eat an average of 60 hot dogs apiece and, while it may surprise some, hot dogs can be part of any healthy, well-balanced diet.
“Due to stricter USDA rules, hot dog meat has become much leaner,” Hermann said. “Many hot dogs are high in fat and sodium, but there are low-fat options. Hot dogs are also a good source of protein, iron and other necessary vitamins.”
According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council hot dog calorie counter, a regular-meat hot dog has 150 calories and a jumbo hot dog has 180 calories, whereas a low-fat hot dog has 60 calories and a fat-free hot dog has 45 calories.
Hermann said another way calories add up on hot dogs is the choice of condiments.
She suggests trying to choose lower-calorie options.
“Using reduced-fat cheese or fat-free cheese instead of regular cheese can save you some calories,” she said. “One teaspoon or packet of yellow mustard only has 3 calories, so this is a good calorie choice topper. However, if you are watching sodium, one teaspoon of mustard does contain 57 milligrams sodium.”
