Sugar in breakfast sausage?

(Erin Macfarland ) #1

I cooked some nice fatty sage pork breakfast sausage for Christmas breakfast from the meat counter at Whole Foods. I ate some and thought it tasted a bit sweet, so I looked at the label and realized brown sugar was one of the ingredients! I wouldn’t have thought to look at the ingredients since I wouldn’t think regular pork breakfast sausage would include sugar. I can’t find any nutritional info regarding how many carbs it contained. If sugar is listed as an ingredient is this going to impact my ketones? I ate maybe 6 oz because it was really nice and fatty!

#2

Basically sugar is a carb. So 1g of sugar is 1g of carbs. Did it not list carbs in the nutritional information?

(Larry Lustig) #3

Just like any other carb, you have to count what you eat. You may be able to look the product up on the Whole Foods website (if they’re the manufacturer) to get exact information, or even call them.

It’s a little suspicious that you were able to taste it. Except for that circumstance I would guess the sugar is pretty minimal.

(Erin Macfarland ) #4

No nutritional info on the label, I just didn’t even think to look at the ingredients since I figured it was just house made sage sausage. You have to be SO careful! I can’t imagine there is too much sugar in it, but it kind of pisses me off that the label didn’t have nutritional info!

(Erin Macfarland ) #5

It wasn’t super sweet tasting, just enough that it made me go look at the label. Bacon is sometimes cured with sugar but it doesn’t show up on the carb count. Since this is fresh and not cured I’m guessing it’s mixed in. Lesson learned to always double check!

(rawethe) #6

I have a really hard time finding sausage that DOESN’T have sugar of some kind. Soooo many will have corn syrup.:confused: So just like bacon, I pick the most natural, plain, and like to think the little bit cooks off.

(G. Andrew Duthie) #7

I share your frustration. Both bacon and sausage are a problem that way, as are other prepared meats.

If you’re getting it from a place with a butcher counter, it might be worth having a conversation with them about it.

(Erin Macfarland ) #8

I knew better than to get the blueberry maple kind, and I couldn’t imagine the regular kind having added sugar. Too bad, it was delicious! I think I will ask them if they can do it without the sugar, I’m sure other people would appreciate it too!

(Jay eidelberg) #9

For some reason they always seem to add sugar to all sausages

(Matthew Standridge DDS FAGD) #10

Can’t they just leave that poor delicious meat alone!?! Why do they always have to get their sweet, dirty little fingers in everything?

(Meeping up the Science!) #11

Sugar is often added to sausage to enhance taste, as well as a preservative. Typically it’s a minimal amount, though. Strangely, I’ve found the cheaper brands have far fewer carbs than some of the more expensive brands.

I try to always keep my carbs well below 10 per meal, and to not exceed 30 daily.

After not eating sweetness for a while, bear in mind that even trace sweetness is much, well, sweeter. That means even things like sage or rosemary take on a particular, and peculiar at first, sweetness.

You could also likely call Whole Foods to verify nutritional information.

#12

If there are no sugar/carbs on the label, then it’s less than 1 gram PER SERVING.

I stress “per serving” because there may be enough carbs to add up if you eat enough of it; given the portion you mentioned you’re probably fine and it won’t knock you out of ketosis.

Carbs not appearing on the label is something that I’ve had to deal with when it comes to Carl’s Chocolate Mousse especially because I tend to eat a lot of it when I make it and the 40% heavy cream only shows 0 carbs because the serving size is only 1 tablespoon. It’s still not enough to knock me out of ketosis, but rather than showing up as 0 carbs, I log the fact that there are more in the large portion I consume.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sausages-and-luncheon-meats/1376/2

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/51/2

(Erin Macfarland ) #13

I wish there had been nutritional information on the label, I would have seen the carbs and then realized there was sugar. I guess I shouldn’t be one to complain since I ate probably a dozen “keto” Christmas cookies today ha!

(Cathy Schroder) #14

I’ve been thinking about doing a sausage making course and this has made up my mind. It seems like unless you make all your own food you just can’t be sure what is in it.

(Matthew Hughes) #15

Pretty much spot on, I was at the local store with my wife on Christmas eve and it shocked me how many carbs were actually in your normal everyday sausage. We did find some Chevups which were around 1.8g carbs per serving which was okay.

That said we are going to figure out how to make out own because then we can make sure we know whats going into them.

(Mark Myers) #16

You can buy ground pork and make your own sausage. There are several recipes online, just leave out the sugar.

(Jacquie) #17

There a relatively small local meat market here in rural Nova Scotia where they raise their own hogs (no antibiotics, etc used) and make breakfast sausages that have no gluten, pork by products, MSG, etc. in them. Very much a homemade sausage.What a nice surprise. :slight_smile:

(Erin Macfarland ) #18

I’ve made my own lots of times, we get pasture raised pork from our raw milk farmer, but I was being lazy!

(Karen Parrott) #19

Yes!!! I’m in long term recovery from Food Addiction. I’ve gotten some of the worst flare ups of the cravings and thoughts after eating Sysco Bacon off the buffet lines. Worst of all it was at a No Sugars, No Grains conference in LA- LOL!!! :scream:

Turns out I’m super sensitive to fennel and have what seems like a mild allergic response. So between sugar and fennel, I make my own sausage with my own herbs. I don’t do well with pork, but if I choose to have bacon once and a while, I have to buy the no sugar added bacon or a brand - I’ve had okay luck with Trader Joe’s that sugar content is below my triggered thresh hold.

Good luck everyone. Making home made sausage is nice- I can grab herbs from my garden and my choice of salt. Karen P.

(Mirissa Joy Beavers) #20

This is what I do! I love it!!