By Amanda Schupak
A: Long gone are the days when the main way to satisfy a jerky craving was to pop into a gas station and snap into a Slim Jim. Now, you can find a variety of enticing options — like peppered elk, maple-glazed salmon and andouille-style kangaroo — in grocery stores, bodegas and online marketplaces alike.
Wellness influencers have listed meat sticks and jerky among their favourite high-protein snacks. And some jerky products tout short ingredient lists free of unusual chemicals, fillers and additives. So is jerky actually good for you? We asked experts to help us sort it out.
Dr Frank B. Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said he was not aware of any studies that looked into the healthfulness of jerky.
But their nutrition labels offer clues, said Nicole Lund, a dietitian nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City.
One health-related selling point of many jerky products is that they offer a for relatively few calories, Lund said. The venison sea salt and pepper bar from Epic Provisions, for instance, has 12 grams of protein and 130 calories per serving; the “chicken sliders” version from Carnivore Snax offers nearly twice the protein for the same amount of calories.
This can be helpful for people who struggle to get enough protein, like older adults, or those trying to build or maintain muscle, she said.
Meat-based jerkies usually provide some iron, Lund added — a nutrient that many women younger than 50 and older adults could use more of. And compared with other packaged foods, many have relatively short ingredient lists, which generally include a protein source, salt, sugar and seasonings.
That could be “a nice change” from snacks and shakes made with long lists of stabilizers, texturizing agents and other unrecognizable ingredients, Lund said. The fewer ingredients in packaged foods, she noted, the better.
Still, even the healthiest-sounding jerky is a processed food, including the fish-based and vegetarian versions. And if it’s made from meat, it’s considered a processed meat, which the World Health Organization has classified as carcinogenic to humans.
Eating just 1.8 ounces of processed meat per day increases the risk of by 18%, according to the WHO. (A serving of jerky is typically 1 ounce.) And eating processed meat may also raise the risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and dementia.
Dr Stephen Devries, an adjunct associate professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, noted that jerky products tend to be high in sodium.
Also of concern are nitrates and nitrites, he said, which are added to dried meats to prevent bacterial growth and enhance their flavor and color. They can form compounds called nitrosamines in the body, which may increase the risk of cancer. Even products advertised as “natural” or having no added nitrates may contain them — in the form of celery powder or celery extract.
As with all meat products, saturated fats can be problematic; in excess they may raise cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease. One Slim Jim Savage Stick, a larger version of the classic Slim Jim, has 10 grams of saturated fat — half the daily recommended amount. Fish-based options can be lower in saturated fats, Hu said. Plant-based jerkies are also lower-fat options. And many jerkies — especially those in sweet, teriyaki and barbecue flavors — contain added sugars
While it’s fine to eat jerky occasionally, Hu said, it’s “not a good idea” to eat it regularly.
There are many other high-protein foods that don’t come with the same health risks, such as Greek yoghurt, Devries said. Roasted chickpeas, nuts and roasted edamame are also high in protein and portable, other experts said, and they have gut-friendly fiber to boot, which many jerky products lack.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
