Can you have regular pork sausage (not smoked) on induction?

Yup, as long as there are no nitrates in it you can.

Jackie

I thought you could have stuff with nitrates in it. Not all the time but sometimes, that is if you can stomach them??? I'm confused now. I haven't seen any nitrate free hotdogs and sausage, do I have to go to a health food store?

I think the caution to avoid or reduce nitrates is based on other health concerns. I don't think they particularly interfer with weight loss. FWIW, the word nitrates isn't in the DANDR index, so I don't think Dr. A was overly concerned with nitrates. However, the atkinscenter.com FAQ does say this: What are nitrates and why are they bad for you? And where can I find meat/bacon/cold cuts without nitrates?

Nitrates and nitrites are added to meats (such as bacon and cured ham) and smoked fish to produce an appealing color and inhibit growth of germs and poisons. While these chemical compounds are not themselves carcinogens, they can yield byproducts such as nitrosamines, which have been implicated in higher rates of cancer--particularly colon and gastric cancer--in animals. For this reason, we feel it is prudent to limit your intake of foods containing nitrates or nitrites. You can find nitrate-free products in health food stores and some supermarkets. Fortunately, an increasing number of nitrate-free meat products are available in stores ....


It's probably best to not go whole hog (hehe) with hotdogs and sausage as they are high in sodium (and, calories for those of us who have to watch that, too), which can make you stall.

Moderate amounts of sausages with nitrates is probably acceptable. But, if you are concerned about the potential possibilities of the byproducts, look for the nitrate-free products in health stores. Frankly, I think the nitrates preservative qualities may balance the possible risks of the byproducts of nitrates.

If you eat sausages and stop losing, then try eliminating them and see if that makes a difference.

~~~Teelbee

"remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic."

174 (Mar. 2002 highest weight)
164 (Jan. 2003, begin LC)
164/135.5/137-134

[This message was edited by Teelbee on 09-03-03 at 12:42 PM.]

I'm not overly concerned about nitrates, but everyone has to make their own decisions about such things. I love bacon, ham and sausages and only keep a sort of half an eye on the sodium - by that I mean if I suddenly gain 2 lbs, it helps to remember that I had a big sodium intake the previous day.

The thing I'd caution you about is looking at the sausages. I've been kind of astounded to find that some sausages have a pretty high carb count. I remember my DH bringing home a package of breakfast sausages that had 5 gms of carbs in each one! YIKES! They had cornmeal in them. Why is beyond me.

Just a heads up to check the ingredients on sausage unless you're making it yourself - which is sort of fun, actually.

Maggie
5'1"
Atkins since '98 (160)
Maintaining nicely (110)

Redhead until further notice!

This WOE is restrictive enough without bringing superfluous elements into it like nitrates. I don't restrict my sodium either, nor my aspartame, nor my saturated fats, nor my trans-fats.

I only concentrate on avoiding the one big enemy, and that's carbohydrates. I give my attention to that and don't sweat the rest of it. It keeps me focused.

Not to panic anyone...but my stepfather passed away at age 42 of a glyoblastoma in his brain...this is a star shaped tumor not round. He was in excellent shape...wt was ok...didn't smoke...not a drinker. The only thing that the neurologist could link it to was his routine intake of a mixture of aspartame and nitrates. He said that to drink a diet soda alone was fine...but to mix it with a nitrate such as a smoked turkey sandwich causes a chemical reaction that could be deadly. They are still investigating the connection between aspartame and brain tissue. They have found that in people who ingest large amts of aspartame...such as diabetics they are suffering from seizure disorders. Just be careful...I don't think anything in moderation is bad! And by no means am I a doctor...but I did become very concerned of this when my stepfather passed away. FYI just remember that cigarettes also contain nitrates. BE CAREFUL

SMullins

I'm sorry Tam, I ill advised you , I've been reading Scharzben and SHE'S the one who discourges nitrates not Atkins, Just got my wires crossed. Sometimes I suffer from CRS.

Jackie

I've recently started buying no-nitrate bacon and other products whenever possible.

I figure, if I'm trying to improve my overall health, why not do it in as many areas as possible?

Particularly since DH eats bacon EVERY morning - I can get it at Whole Foods here in bulk, it's $5.99 a pound, but then the regular bacon I bought at Safeway in a 2 pound package was $9.99 so not that much different.

To each his own "poison" - mine is an occasional Slim Jim stick - I'm sure that's not great from a nutritional standpoint but I really really like 'em!

Char

Don't squat with yer spurs on!