When buying ready-made meatballs in a store, it should be borne in mind that in addition to meat, they often contain a significant amount of critical substances – salt, saturated fats, and often sugar. All of them can cause serious harm to health with frequent use of the product. This was told socialbites.ca by a nutritionist-consultant, deputy director of the ANO Research Center “Healthy Nutrition” Alexei Kabanov.
According to the expert, when choosing meatballs, you need to carefully study the label, and even better, cook them yourself at home. After all, the benefit or harm of the product depends on its composition. The proportions of the dough, the composition of the filling, ingredients and additives are important.
“Stuffed meat is a source of protein, iron, zinc and phosphorus. However, poultry, beef or pork contain a lot of saturated fat, the content of which is important to control in the diet. Otherwise, regular consumption of the product can lead to an increase in cholesterol levels and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
He noted that meatballs also often contain significant amounts of salt, which is extremely harmful.
“Excessive salt intake contributes to an increase in blood pressure and the development of arterial hypertension,” said Alexei Kabanov.
The expert also said that because fish, especially fatty ones, contain healthy omega-3 fats, fish stuffing can be a healthier alternative to ravioli with ground beef in it. Meatballs stuffed with vegetable meat are also distinguished by a lower saturated fat content. Vegetable analogues of meat include proteins from peas or soy, dietary fiber, vegetable oils and natural spices. Often vegetable meat is additionally enriched with B vitamins and trace elements.
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