Hot Dogs - Are They Really Evil?

I think there are "healthier" hot dogs you can get if you dig around. It sounds like you have already done some digging. My daughter also likes hot dogs. But I think every kid goes through these phases. Im still waiting for my childs mac and cheese phase to be over, 2 years and counting. Thats all she asks for day and night. For every get together I have to make homemade macaroni or else my child will starve or skip the food and go straight to desert. Its exhausting keeping these little kids healthy! Luckily she likes her flinstone vitamans!

Look for the "Hebrew" brand of beef hotdogs ( I think that's what's it's called) or as the another mom suggested, the ones sold at the Whole Food. I would still add other meat to her plate with the hotdog and maybe decrease the amount of hotdog and add more other meats.

NO Xavier is in the stage where basically all he will eat is hot dogs, loves the mac an cheese though with it an he has to have lots of dip it. He might eat some chicken nuggets but not real often, try her on some pasta if she likes cheese that might work to ween her off the hot dog bit for a change of pace.

They are bad, sorry. But so is any packaged meat. Nitrates and nitrites are preservatives added to keep meat from turning gray, a natural effect when it is old like lunch meat, etc. They are poison and have no business being in our food supply, but meat companies know we won't eat gray meat, and they can afford powerful political lobby, so there they are.

In addition, hot dogs have little food value besides fat. Look at the nutrition panel. That isn't so terrible since your child is so small, but it isn't good, either. Besides, if you give in to her food demands at this age, imagine what she'll be like later! You have to try to get her to eat lean protein: beans, hummus, tofu, chicken, beef, etc. Eggs would be better than hot dogs. Wait until she is really hungry and offer her the other foods first. Eventually she will eat them.

Lol! Don't worry! Yes, they aren't the healthiest things but I would be very surprised if I knew a child that didn't go through a hot dog-only phase. Do what you can to introduce new foods but don't worry.

You can get nitrate free hot dogs but I think if you are doing the all beef then you won't have a problem. You could also try the turkey hot dogs. I don't think they have the nitrates, you will have to read the package on that one. Most kids, especially girls it seems, go through a stage where they only want to eat one thing. My daughter did the hot dog thing for a while, now she is on chicken nuggets. My girls love to dip things to maybe try giving her other options with dip and see if she will broaden her horizons a little. Ranch and ketchup are our favorites. They also like cheese and chips. Good luck!

I agree with your mother, the nitrates really are not healthy. But I understand what you mean, by giving her hot dogs is better than nothing. Other moms have mentioned looking for a natural or organic brand. That would be your best bet I think. Since she is growing so quickly at this age, everything she eats is absorbed like a sponge and used to help her grow. You really don't want her growing up full of preservatives and chemicals, etc.

Also remember, she is at the age where she can learn that if she refuses to eat what she is given, she knows she can get a hot dog. She is NOT trying to manipulate you in a negative way, but she is learning the cause and effect here. All she has to do is refuse the healthy meat, veggies, etc, and bam, there's a hot dog. (I know it's probably not that straight forward, as I'm sure you try really hard to get her to eat other things, but you know what I mean). So, my point is, if there aren't even any hot dogs in the house, it won't be an option and she will learn that too, eventually. She will forget about them after a while, and move on to other foods. It can take up to 12 times of introducing a new food for a child to get used to it.

I have worked in child care for a number of years, mostly with toddlers. At lunch time, there is no refusing foods, they all eat what they are given because they know that there is no other option. At home, however, they may be pickier eaters because they know they will get something else if they don't want what is on their plate. I have seen this consistently among all the classes I have taught, they just eat what's on their plate. None of them ever ask for something else because they know it's not an option.

I know some parents give their children the meal, and if they don't want it, then they don't get any snacks or substitutes. But the next time they are hungry, they get that same meal again. (Unless it's from dinner to breakfast, then you would fix a fresh breakfast). I know you are worried about her gaining weight, but now is the time to set the standards you want to have and it will go a long way by starting them early-- especially if you want to avoid becoming a short-order cook for you family.

Here are a couple of good articles:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030800.asp "Feeding Toddlers: 17 Tips for Pleasing the Picky Eater" It has good ideas for introducing new, healthy foods to toddlers.

and
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040200.asp "ABC's of Teaching Nutrition to Kids" I thought this one was especially good because it teaches parents how to make learning about healthy food fun for kids. It talks about how to educate kids so that they make healthy choices on their own later on and so they know which kinds of food are healthy and why. The only thing I didn't agree with was that he suggested rewards, but everything else was pretty good advice. The article talks about referring to "grow" foods for kids. At her age, you could start by letting her hold fruits and veggies in the shopping cart and talking about the colors, etc. She can wash them in the sink and let her watch you prepare them. Anything she can do to become familiar with different foods and feel a part of the cooking process will help.

Best wishes!
C. G.

All kids go on food jags from time to time. If you are really worried, you could try to offer her hot dogs with something else, and if all she wants is the hot dog portion and asks for more, just tell her that the hot dog is all gone/all done. (Make sure all the packaging, etc is well out of sight.) It works for me... sometimes.

If you are looking at healthier hot dogs to give her during this hot dog obsession, here is a link that could help: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/.... It talks about nitrates and what goes into hot dogs, and gives concrete suggestions for organic and grass-fed, nitrate-free hot dogs.

Good luck!

Yeah, as long as you're buying the higher quality hot dogs and not "frankfurters" you'll probably be OK. Frankfurters can by law contain up to 30% other stuff (stuff we don't wanna know about.) Kosher hot dogs have to be all beef and can't contain fillers, I think its the same with "all beef." There are nitrites in hot dogs, you can get some nitrate free ones at places like Wild Oats and Whole Foods but I'm not sure they'd taste the same to your daughter. Keep offering other things though so one day she may decide she's through with hot dogs and is now only eating___________ (fill in the blank.) Aren't kids fun!

I suggest finding a healthier hot dog to eat as suggested by other moms, then trying to "cut her off" in spurts, offer other items INSTEAD. Banana/pnut butter sandwiches? Turkey roll-ups (rolling up turkey slices) was one of my kids favs, try mixing the hot dogs in pork and beans, I call "beany weinies", at least gives them the wholesome fiber from the beans. Let her snack on hi-fiber cereals in a little cup. I rely on that to cover a multitude of sins when I know my kids aren't eating the best. The hi-fiber cleans out toxins from the highly processed food. Check out kraftfoods.com, here is a nice link for fantastic ideas:

http://www.kraftfoods.com/KF/HEALTHYLIVING/HealthyLivingL...

Also, be sure to click on "food and family" at the top right corner of the site, and register to get the free magazine every month. Full of marvellous quik/healthy meal ideas! Not all Kraft items are all that healthy, so read labels, but the recipes give great ideas, and insert healthier ingredient substitutions is what I do...

Yes, I think conventional hot dogs are so terrible they shouldn't be considered food. Did you know they are not "legally" able to be "MORE than 20% HAIR????" Um, yuck! There are better options like Kosher, all beef, & nitrate/nitrite free. We still don't eat them though just b/c the thought of them makes me sick.

I agree with others about finding the healthiest hot dogs you can. My daughter was not big on meat when she was a child either... didn't eat her first hamburger till age 5. Have you tried introducing yogurt into her diet? It will give her the necessary protein and probably be something she likes. I think the texture of meat is a problem for some children.

I, too, stay far away from the nitrates/nitrites in processed meats, as your mom said. The great thing is there are hot dogs out there in most regular grocery stores without the added processed preservatives. Oscar Meyer has a "natural" brand hot dog without all of that, but it does have celery juice, I think, which apparently has natural nitrate. So she'll still get nitrates with natural hot dogs, apparently, but not so processed maybe? I tend to go toward the more organic or uncured, like Applegate Farms or Coleman Natural. The natural casings have a different texture and not all taste the same, but it'd be worth trying. Even at $6 or more a package, I find it's worth it. And you can get pork, beef, or chicken to vary her taste buds. If that's not going to work, try looking for local all-beef dogs (Good Natured Family Farms here,) or bison dogs. Good luck!

The first thing that comes to my mind is to get Hebrew National, tofu dogs or veggie dogs instead of the regular stuff. Your mom's right though & it's not just the nitrates, it's the massive sodium & all the stuff they let fall through the grates @ the factory that's also going into your girl's body. Calories don't mean a thing if you don't give her the right ones. See what she doe's with the other dogs. I remember being told I did something similar when I was a bit older ( I think I can actually remember this so I had to have been @ least 5) I wouldn't eat anything but fried chicken, no breast just the dark like wings drums & theighs. Before that I wouldn't eat anything at all. Just try to sneak in a few more nutritious things into her diet. Good luck.
P.S. I love some of the suggestions from the other moms. Try being creative. My mom, to increase the variety in my/our diet, would take me with her to the grocery store & we'd have the "Fruit of the Week" where I would pick out something that I had never had before & we'd all eat it as a family. We had a BLAST the first time we picked coconut! My dad got his drill & a malot so we could drain the milk then bash it open like a pinata! It was awesome. Some of the things we tried that are still some of my favorites were; 'star fruit', kiwi,& pomagranit.

Keep offering other things, one day she'll try it. If she will only eat hot dogs, and she is tiny, give her hot dogs. I promise she will not eat them at her wedding, it's just a phase.
If you are concerned about the nitrates and such, go to Whole Foods or Trader Joes and see if they have any all natural hot dogs.
Don't beat yourself up about what she's not eating, I swear my kids have survived on frozen waffles and cereal for years. They were both excellent eaters until they started feeding themselves, then it was all over.
Good luck, and I'm sure this is just a phase, and tell your mom if she can get your daughter to eat something else, she is more than welcome to try.

Good Morning B., sometimes it's really hard to find something little folks will eat. Ours ate alot of Mac N Cheese constantly. Then our gr son Corbin was stuck forever on PBJ, now he doesn't want it at all. Can't even bribe him at lunch time to eat one.
He does like Hot dogs, fish sticks and chicken nuggets but he is almost 4 also. His baby brother Zane is 14 months and if he see's cheese puffs he will throw everything off his plate or tray until you give him CP's.

I think your little gal is doing fine as long as she is getting some varity of fruits and veggies with the hotdogs.

God Bless
K. Nana of 5

Yes the nitrates, nitrites are bad, but it is pretty easy to find hot dogs without these these days. Trader Joe's has a pretty good selection especially of ones that are actually meat (I also wouldn't feed my kids unfermented soy products which is what most tofurky/tofu dogs are). And I'm sure Whole Foods would as well. As for the sodium issue, they probably still aren't the best nutritional bet (we've avoided them so far, just so we don't get to the point of only eating them, LOL!), but check the packages, you can at least avoid the main carcinogens, nitrates/nitrites. And if you go to Trader Joe's, they aren't any more expensive than the ones you are buying. Toddlers are pretty funny about their eating habits, I have one just like yours who will eat about 3 things total and the other will eat ANYTHING!

Hot dogs are not the best but I have found a healthier solution. Depending on where you grocery shop, most stores carry a brand called Morning Star. They make veggie hot dogs, corn dogs, chicken nuggets and all kinds of other yummy stuff. They are geared toward vegetarians but I feed them to my kids and they dont know any different. Good luck to you and give them a try! E.

Hi B., I don't really know a lot about hot dogs but I can say as a child I was like your daughter and ate hot dogs 24/7. I eventually out grew it without any ill effects. I would say just keep trying to give your daughter other meats and maybe have her eat her veggies first before you give her the hot dog just to be sure she's getting the nutrients she needs and eventually she'll get tired of the hot dogs. It's very common for kids to go on food jags, so I wouldn't be too worried at this point.

Not to scare you but my 18 year old foster child ate a hot dog for breakfast this morning (I think that has a lot to do with her up bringing her mother didn't bother to cook for her) . She would eat hot dogs for every meal if I would let her. Like everyone else said find the healthy ones. Introduce other foods and make trade offs with her.

According to their website, Hebrew National still contain nitrates. You have to hunt for the nitrate/nitrite free processed meats and they are usually found at natural food stores.

Lori K

Read the ingredients in your hotdogs. My son was about 6 or 7 when he read the ingredients and he hasn't touched a hot dog since. He's 18 now. Besides the ingredients and the choking hazard of hot dogs, your a re-enforcing her narrow food choices. Just because she is in a certain place on a chart shouldn't dictate what you feed her, you need to feed her a well balanced diet in amounts that suit HER. Is she growing? Does her skin and hair look healthy? Is she active, happy? She won't starve herself. In the long run she will have much better eating habits later in life if you start now.
Forget the charts, focus on what your daughter needs now and in the future.
My son was off the charts for height and weight, I didn't reduce his food, that's what he needed, he's 6'8" now.

One addition... PLEASE cut up the hot dogs in small enough pieces! I worked at a church and they got a call that a three year old had died... choking on a bite of hot dog! So, please, please cut them small! Not to be an alarmist, but I'm a grandma and this thing at church really hit me hard. I called my daughter and told her to cut them up small for her little ones.

There are hot dogs that are nitrate free and more natural. An excellent book to read (especially because she is so young) is Feeding with love and good sense by Ellyn Satter. I wish I had read it for my first when she was younger.

Yes....hot dogs are evil!! I recently took a health & wellness class and there is proven information that there is a link between hot dogs and carcinogens. If your daughter must eat hot dogs, you really should only feed her organic hot dogs, which can be a little costly, but are very worth the safety factor. Your mom is right about nitrates in hot dogs...they are gross and even if all beef, can't be considered "meat". I would definitely do research on the links between hot dogs and the likelihood of cancers due to eating them. Hot dogs are evil in our house and have been banned since I took that class! I don't want to scare you, but want you to be informed about what you daughter is eating.

I haven't read the other responses, so sorry if this is repetitive. Aside from the nutrition issue, hot dogs are dangerous to toddlers. My mother-in-law's best friend's grandson choked and died on a hot dog when he was 2. When hot dogs are cut up in little disks, they can get lodged in the throat. So, make sure they are cut up in smaller pieces. Sorry to scare you, but since it happened so close to home, it's a little too real.

I agree that you should buy the Hebrew National Hot Dogs. They are healthy, lower in calories but they are expensive.

Suzi

Kids go through phases of what they like to eat. You can try Turkey dogs too, they are supposed to be "healthier". Keep offering other foods, they sometimes take a few tries for the kids to actually eat them, sometimes they never eat them period...part of the joy of parenthood! I too have a girl who is on the small side, yet very healthy. She's now five, still petite, but has a healthy attitude about trying (most) new foods. Don't focus on the hotdogs too much, it'll just turn into a battle that you lose. She'll get tired of them eventually and move on to something else. Enjoy your little one!!

Hot Dogs were a staple for my girls for years. They still eat them every now and then. We gave them the all beef hot dogs by Bryan. A little more on the dollar side, but worth it. I don't eat traditional hot dogs because of the by products in them. Try all beef or kosher hot dogs and she'll be okay. It's a phase and it will pass. Good luck and God Bless.

Hopefully, it's just a phase that she'll soon grow out of, but just wanted to let you know that my best friend (who has 3 girls) went on the hot-dog only "diet" for a long time when they were little...2 of her girls are asthmatic...and started having more asthma attacks...she took them to the doc and he told her the hot dogs were triggering them...you didn't mention she has any health issues, so I'm sure she'll be fine, but just in case, wanted to let you know! By the way, she started feeding them the "healthier" hot dogs (nitrate-free turkey dogs) and the asthma attacks stopped, and they're all healthy as ever now! Good luck to you and yours!

I don't think they are eveil, but I don't think they are good food source. Do my kids LOVE them? YES! Do they eat more than their share? Unortunately, YES! Not only do they have the Nitrates, but they also have the High Fructose Corn Syrup! My youngest is going through NAET treatments & I have to read the labels on EVERYTHING. It's amazing what is in our foods. I'm not a health nut, but am trying to clean up my children's diets. Anyways, anything she eats beats nothing at this point. Just keep offering her different things & as her taste buds change she will (hopefully)latch on to something new as her favorite. I grew up on hot dogs & bologna & so far so good :)

My son loves to drink half & half, he doesn't need the weight gain so I limit it, but she might like it.

Ahhh...hotdogs! LOL Whenever my daughter doesn't want to eat much, (and I make the mistake of telling my own mother about it LOL), she tells me to just give her a hotdog (and maybe mix it with beans for some other nutrition). I love a hotdog now and then, but I hate to be feeding them to her all the time...
I wonder if there is a way to "trick" them a bit...
Does she eat it whole (like a stick?) or cut up?
If it is whole...maybe you can figure a way to make something that looks and tastes a bit like a hotdog (like turkey sausage or something?) or if cut up, cut some other meats in similar shapes and mix them all up?
Finally, you could try different types of hot-dogs...the all beef, the turkey kinds, the meatless kinds (give a few pieces of each?) to see if she'll eat some other types just for some variety in nutrition?
We are luckily on a "Good" food jag right now...brocolli and cheese! Let's see how long that lasts! (We just got over the "dookies" (cookies) for breakfast that my mother-in-law got her on over the holidays! YIKES!)

I am a mother to a 3 yr old and 16 mo old twin boys. With my daughter I never started the hot dog thing. But with the twins I picked some up and found out that my boys LOVE them. I buy the all beef hot dogs. They love them. I will give the kids what I fix for the family but if they won't eat the meat I whip out the hot dogs.
I know how you feel, there are times that all my boys want to eat is hot dogs, green beans, string cheese, and fruit. It is a great no brainer!!! Give your daughter what she will eat. Keep introducing new foods and she will start finding other stuff she likes too. I know that my boys will always eat hot dogs, my daughter will always eat chicken nuggets, and all 3 will always eat pizza. Pick your battles and don't get stressed out. If she is eating, healthy, and active then you are doing a GREAT job. My daughter has always been in the 5th percentile in weight and 10-25th in heighth. Same with one of my twins. They are doing great on the developement side and in general in great health.

Being the mom of a picky eater myself, I feel your pain, I tend to believe that most things in moderation are not so bad, I don't think hot dogs are evil ( LOL) I have a very healthy 32 year old sister who is model skinny and stunningly beautiful who grew up eating nothing but cold hot dog and a slice of cheese every night for about 10 years for dinner ( my stay at home make it from scratch mom was mortified) and by the way my sister is very well adjusted now and eats a lot of foods = ) Anyway, if you are really stressed about it I would maybe limit the amount you let her have, maybe look into turkey dogs? Or heavens I think they may even make a tofu dog now at health food stores ( not sure) but in this crazy world, I think a hot dog is very low on the be alarmed list for parents...and I am sure you will hear other opinions, just use your mommy instincts and hold your head up high...kids are very resilliant and goodness knows kids have survived and thrived on far worse = )
Good luck
B.

I feed my kids only Oscar Mayer Low Fat turkey franks. I feel like I am at least giving them something a little bit better. Try searching out your grocery store for a healthier hot dog variety to feed her all the time. Good luck! I have a picky eater too, who right now has decided that he doesn't want to eat any meat because it comes from animals and he tells me he doesn't eat animals. So he is eating a lot of cheese and peanut butter!!

There are other options other than feeding her hotdogs to get some fat in her.Avocados are a great option also baked potatoes adding some butter to them will help increase her fruits and veggies kiddos will eat in stages and we all find out after asking questions about our childrens eating habits but as long as she is offered a well balanced diet no worries she may be just tiny for her age at this time if your dr is concerned he will let you know and give other options as well.As for the hotdogs I hear they get a bad rap i'm not one to eat them so I don't buy them we only eat them at picincs and parties when its summer time.

HI, I haven't taken the time to read all of your responses so I hope this isn't a repeat. I hear how bad hotdogs can be too and wouldn't want my kids eating them ALL the time. I have an eight year old that loves bologna and have to limit her to a package once every couple of months. As far as your daughters size though, I wouldn't worry. She is exactly in the same percentile my 12 year old was when she was little and now she is just the right size, definately not the tallest kid but taller than a lot of girls her age and not heavy at all but not extremely bony skinny where she looks unhealthy either. I used to fret all the time she was going to be a weak child but she is very active, athletic, a very good swimmer and just the right size. Her doctor was always testing her for anemia when she was little but was healthy. If you really don't want your daughter eathing hotdogs all the time I bet if you don't offer them for a few days she'll forget about them and go back to chicken.

It's just a "food jag" My daughter rotates between hot dogs, peanuttbutter/jelly and cheese!! When she get tired of it, she will move to something else. I do like the turkey dogs and the veggie dogs. The turkey are the most like regular hot dogs. They also have more fat in them, so that may help with the weight... My daughter is still in the 25% of weight and she's 3. If you are like me, you are just happy she's eating something :) Good Luck

Hi B.,

Depends on the hot dog. Read the ingredients for any creepy fine print that shows ALL that is in it. Marketing of food can be deceptive! There are several kinds of healthy alternatives. Ask your local dietician or health food store.

Best Wishes,

J. H.