The Three Unhealthy Sides Of Delicious Beef Jerky

Posted by bullandcleaver on September 27th, 2017

If you ever tasted biltong or jerky, admit it that you want more and more of these South African delicacies. These savory, salty dried meat products have always laid their popular influence on the taste buds of their lovers- something which always excites people from their mere name.

For jerky or biltong, dried beef is preserved with a rub of spices and other preservatives, so that it could last longer. And apart from their taste, these dried meat products are healthy too, containing a good content of proteins, with some other important nutrients.

The Unhealthy Traits:

So, if they are healthy too, how could they prove unhealthy to the human body?

It is through the inorganic products and processes that are used to prepare beef jerky. You would never come to know of this until you read the label of the sited product well.

Some of the most unhealthy beef jerky aspects to be aware of are:

Sodium:

Biltong and jerky manufacturers are never too greedy to forbid an extra content of sodium since: one- it offers a good shelf-life to the product, two- it also adds considerably to the taste of the dried meats.

However, an excess of the amount of sodium is always an unhealthy condition. While buying a pack of beef jerky or biltong, in USA or elsewhere, ensure to read the labels well and forbid those that mention the high content of sodium.

Preservatives And Adulterants:

Almost any kind of meat, upon drying, curing and aging has a natural inclination towards turning gray. However, this gray color is not as enticing as the other products that have more of a reddish tint on their outside.

So, how to turn it ‘red and tempting’? This is done by mixing a chemical known as sodium nitrite with the preservatives.

Sodium nitrite has been found to cause cancers and to reduce its harmful effects, an additional preservative known as sodium erythorbate is added.

High Fructose Corn Syrup:

Each and every commercial product, whether sweet or savory, could contain high fructose corn syrup as a flavoring as well as preservation agent. However, this preservation-cum-taste-enhancer is just as bad to your health as any other artificial and adulteration agent.

These are the three major chemicals or ingredients that greedy manufacturers do not hesitate to mix with beef jerky and biltong. This is done to offer them an appealing view, enhance their taste and also offer them a long shelf life.

However, if you spot any of these products on the labels, do not think twice to stay away from such injurious products. You might get attractive products that have even better taste, but you are surely purchasing disorders for your body in disguise of pretty packages.