Breaking Down The Effects That Hot Dogs Have On Our Bodies
Did you know that Americans eat approximately 150 million hot dogs every July 4th? They’re a staple on any great Independence Day barbecue menu, but it’s no secret that they’re not exactly the healthiest food around. So as people all over the country dust off their grills and fire up their smokers, let’s take a look at what exactly eating our favorite July 4th snack does to our bodies.
818 hot dogs per second
Hot dogs are arguably the biggest summertime food in America right now, and the numbers certainly back up that suggestion. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, it exists!) claimed that people in the United States eat around 818 franks each second between Memorial Day and Labor Day. And we're not only talking about the competitive hot dog eating contests that happen every year!
Millions of franks
Americans are estimated to consume around seven billion hot dogs over a roughly three-month period. And if that wasn’t enough, the same post also noted that around 150 million franks are eaten over the course of the Independence Day celebrations, too. It's safe to say that hot dogs are the go-to food for those celebrating the 4th... but why? It's not like the colonists scarfed down hot dogs during the Revolutionary War.
Nathan's Famous
The connection between hot dogs and Independence Day was actually formed back in the 1980s. That decade, the hot dog business Nathan’s Famous created a yearly competition that would be held in New York City on Independence Day. And “Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest” would soon tie the popular food to the holiday. After all, nothing screams "freedom" quite like a belly stuffed with hot dogs, right?
There are healthier alternatives
But as we suggested earlier, this delicious summertime staple is far from healthy. Just ask those poor competitive eaters! The good news is that you can celebrate the national holiday with more nutritious foods, all without losing an ounce of patriotism. So, if you want to celebrate the summer without making major alterations to your seasonal diet, you might be in luck.
