General Question

elbanditoroso's avatar

Is beef jerky good for you or not?

Asked by elbanditoroso (33550points) October 13th, 2014

I was at Trader Joe’s yesterday and bought some Beef Jerky – first time in probably 10 years.

The package says High Protein / Low Fat – no preservatives, no nitrites, no MSG. Nothing artificial, no hormones, etc. It has 1g of fat. 11g protein. The only ‘bad’ thing is 270mg sodium. But that’s not all that much.

I remember when Jerky was considered “really bad” for you – maybe 20 years ago. So I stopped snacking on it.

What is it considered today? Is jerky reasonably healthy? It seems to give reasonable levels of protein – better that a lot of candy bars.

What’s your take – is it safe to snack on Beef Jerky?

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

6 Answers

johnpowell's avatar

It is certainly not healthy like a apple is. It also isn’t nearly as bad as Arbys. I personally wouldn’t consider jerky consumption a problem. But I make and eat a ton of it.

dappled_leaves's avatar

No nitrates? That sounds very unlikely. Does it actually say that on the label?

ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

It’s not as bad as you may think. Nitrates are not even as bad as you may think. I love the stuff.

elbanditoroso's avatar

@dappled_leaves – No Nitrites – right on the label. (doesn’t say anything about nitrates, however)

livelaughlove21's avatar

The first mistake is thinking there are “good” foods and “bad” foods. No food is “bad” in moderation. Beef jerky is a perfectly good snack and can easily fit into a well-balanced diet. The term “healthy” doesn’t really mean much when it comes to individual food items.

AshlynM's avatar

If you don’t eat it every day, then yes. Everything in moderation.

Answer this question

Login

or

Join

to answer.

This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.

Your answer will be saved while you login or join.

Have a question? Ask Fluther!

What do you know more about?
or
Knowledge Networking @ Fluther