Your guide to sausages

Time to fire up the barbecue! Dietitians Jess Burvill and Jess Moulds help you pick the healthiest snags.

If there’s one thing we all love, it’s throwing another snag on the barbie. From fundraising sizzles to barbecues with friends, sausages are a staple of summer get-togethers. As tasty as sausages are, many are high in salt and unhealthy saturated fats which can be bad news for your heart. But if you know what to look for, you can still enjoy an occasional fry-up without putting your health at risk.

What’s on the shelf?

With choices spanning everything from simple chipolatas through to high-end gourmet sausages, plus a growing number of plant-based options, there’s a lot to consider in terms of nutrition.

Plain meat sausages

Made primarily with meat, herbs and spices, these will usually be the most nutritious option, especially when made from leaner cuts of meat.

Gourmet sausages

A little fancier than their plain meat counterparts, these sausages will have added ingredients such as sun-dried tomato, caramelised onion and cheese for extra flavour. As delicious as these extras can be, they do bump up the salt content even higher.

Vegetarian sausages

For those looking for a meat-free alternative, there are plenty to choose from. Always check the nutrition label before buying, as many plant-based sausages are highly processed and some may contain more unhealthy saturated fat and salt than the traditional meat versions.

Shop like a dietitian

Here are our top tips for choosing healthier sausages:

➜ Check the ingredients list. Opt for sausages that have at least 80 per cent meat. Watch out for preservatives, additives and other fillers.
➜ Aim for lower saturated fat. Saturated fat can raise your cholesterol levels and lead to heart disease. Look for sausages made from leaner meats such as kangaroo and chicken, and avoid fattier beef, pork or chorizo sausages.
➜ Watch the sodium. Sodium can increase blood pressure so it’s a good idea to limit foods high in salt. Try to find sausages with <500mg sodium per 100g and stick to one or two sausages per person.