What's really in that hot dog?

Ok, so I thought getting an all beef hotdog was better for me. What in the world am I suppose to do now? I am one of those people that really only eat hotdogs at cookouts. I really prefer a good brat or polish sausage over a hotdog. But this is some very interesting information to say the least.

Each year between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans consume 7 billion hot dogs (that's 818 every second!), according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

But before you top these summer standbys with ketchup and relish and dig in, there are a few things you need to know.

"A hot dog is a processed meat that is generally high in unhealthy saturated fat and sodium and contains nitrites, which may be cancer causing," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD.

So how do you pick out the healthiest hot dog?

Prevention magazine walks you through the nutrition label so you know which harmful or suspicious ingredients (mechanically separated turkey, anyone?) to look out for — and how to pick a more nutritious dog.

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