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Deli Counter vs Pre-Packaged Meat

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PierreBear

Guest
Hi PS Friends,

I did some googling on whether it is healthier to get your cold cuts from the deli counter versus the prepackaged meat section but am still feeling a bit torn. Is anyone an expert on nutrition? You still have to read the ingredients but you have a better change of less preservatives at the deli counter than the pre-packaged section but is it worth paying the extra money? Maybe it's better to just buy a rotisserie chicken and shred everything up and put it in a sandwich if I want some convenience? Thanks in advance!
 
Q

Queenie60

Guest
Hi Pierre Bear - You can make a turkey breast in the crock pot. Season however you wish, add a little chicken broth and cook for 3 hours or so until it's done. Makes for wonderful "deli" meat. Also, I prefer the deli counter and will purchase the in-house pan roasted meats. We try to limit our intake of pre packaged foods and processed meats. The deli counter meats go bad after a few days so I tend to buy small quantities and make my way to the grocery store every few days. Good luck to you - practice makes perfect :wavey:
 

kenny

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Costco sells some sliced roast beef and turkey that is not processed.
It just the fresh real thing, sliced!
At my Costco they carry it near the meat department.
It is not frozen.
I think it's around $7 a pound.

Fantastic!

IMO one of the least-heathy things you can eat is 'cold cuts'.
They are chock full of chemicals, fat and sodium, plus I'd worry they contain slop they swept up from the floor of the rendering plant at the end of a shift :o

You couldn't pay me to eat a slice of bologna.

Read the ingredients and Nutrition Label. :knockout:
 

momhappy

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When it comes to processed meats, it's not about where it comes from (the deli counter or pre-packaged). It's about what's in it (chemicals). The main thing you want to avoid is nitrates. Processesing meats involves adding salt, sugar, and nitrates to preserve foods and maintain flavor. Nitrates are suspect in causing cancer (especially colorectal cancers). Whenever possible, you should try to purchase processed meats that are nitrate-free, which are not always easy to find and of course, more expensive.
 

YadaYadaYada

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My husband back in the day used to work at a deli and he told me that most deli meat is a "loaf" basically a bunch of ingredients molded together to look like meat. Ewwwww, I couldn't stomach getting a loaf of "meat". So I started buying Boars Head exclusively and mainly chicken or turkey and low salt because they dump a bunch of salt in there. The price though was outrageous like $11 a pound not on sale.

I second Costco, they have wonderful options for deli meat that is real meat and not processed junk and is delicious. They carry a Rosemary deli ham that is amazing but then there are nitrites in ham. The making your own suggestion is great too because then you can grab it on sale and you know exactly what's in it and you can save a ton of money too!
 
P

PierreBear

Guest
Thanks for the comments. I am not a fan of eating processed meats too but our schedules are changing where we have one night a week were we need to pack a lunch and a dinner for the day, which is resulting in a sandwich to hopefully save the day. I think I'm going to try the shredded chicken in the crock pot! Or if people have ideas for another quick on to go meal, I would love to learn more about it.
 

kenny

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FWIW when I know I'm facing a week of little spar time I'll throw something in the crock pot.
Only one pot to clean for 20 meals.
Separate it into many servings.
Freeze each a ziplock bag.

Then it's super quick to just grab one on my way to work and throw it in a microwave at lunchtime.
Cheap, easy, fast, healthy.
 

ruby59

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Deli or grocery shelf - full of nitrates and salt.

I stopped buying them. Once I did my husband's and my blood pressure went down significantly. I was able to stop one of my meds.
 

momhappy

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^Not all deli or grocery store (processed) meats are full of nitrates, but yes, most are. Just read labels. Those that are nitrate-free typically say so right on the front of the package.
 

the_mother_thing

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If you have a way to heat the meals, as a suggestion, I have made meat 'muffins' (meatloaf in muffin pans vs in a loaf) to have individual portion sizes that I could freeze for later meals, lunches, etc. Just another option for your brown-bag days. :wavey:

I also try to avoid processed meats as much as possible, but I doubt one sandwich a week or every other week will be the death of you.
 

ruby59

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When you buy it at the deli counter there are no labels to read.
 

House Cat

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kenny|1473874561|4076468 said:
Costco sells some sliced roast beef and turkey that is not processed.
It just the fresh real thing, sliced!
At my Costco they carry it near the meat department.
It is not frozen.
I think it's around $7 a pound.

Fantastic!

IMO one of the least-heathy things you can eat is 'cold cuts'.
They are chock full of chemicals, fat and sodium, plus I'd worry they contain slop they swept up from the floor of the rendering plant at the end of a shift :o

You couldn't pay me to eat a slice of bologna.

Read the ingredients and Nutrition Label. :knockout:
Is this Kirkland brand? I want to buy this!!
 

iLander

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6,731
kenny said:
Costco sells some sliced roast beef and turkey that is not processed.
It just the fresh real thing, sliced!
At my Costco they carry it near the meat department.
It is not frozen.
I think it's around $7 a pound.

Fantastic!

IMO one of the least-heathy things you can eat is 'cold cuts'.
They are chock full of chemicals, fat and sodium, plus I'd worry they contain slop they swept up from the floor of the rendering plant at the end of a shift :o

You couldn't pay me to eat a slice of bologna.


Read the ingredients and Nutrition Label. :knockout:

Oh, I think we could pay you, Kenny. :Up_to_something: Everyone's got a price . . . :naughty:
 

kenny

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33,225
House Cat|1473887182|4076574 said:
kenny|1473874561|4076468 said:
Costco sells some sliced roast beef and turkey that is not processed.
It just the fresh real thing, sliced!
At my Costco they carry it near the meat department.
It is not frozen.
I think it's around $7 a pound.

Fantastic!

IMO one of the least-heathy things you can eat is 'cold cuts'.
They are chock full of chemicals, fat and sodium, plus I'd worry they contain slop they swept up from the floor of the rendering plant at the end of a shift :o

You couldn't pay me to eat a slice of bologna.

Read the ingredients and Nutrition Label. :knockout:
Is this Kirkland brand? I want to buy this!!
Yes.

screen_shot_2016-09-14_at_2.png

screen_shot_2016-09-14_at_0.png
 

kenny

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Messages
33,225
iLander|1473887258|4076576 said:
kenny said:
Costco sells some sliced roast beef and turkey that is not processed.
It just the fresh real thing, sliced!
At my Costco they carry it near the meat department.
It is not frozen.
I think it's around $7 a pound.

Fantastic!

IMO one of the least-heathy things you can eat is 'cold cuts'.
They are chock full of chemicals, fat and sodium, plus I'd worry they contain slop they swept up from the floor of the rendering plant at the end of a shift :o

You couldn't pay me to eat a slice of bologna.


Read the ingredients and Nutrition Label. :knockout:

Oh, I think we could pay you, Kenny. :Up_to_something: Everyone's got a price . . . :naughty:

Oh all right.
For a 4 ct GIA-graded fully-natural Fancy Intense Blue VSS1 Octavia I'll eat one slice of bologna, if Im' allowed to put my finger down my throat and barf it up one minute later.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
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ruby59|1473885852|4076566 said:
When you buy it at the deli counter there are no labels to read.


Good point, so put your trust in Oscar Mayer.
 

House Cat

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kenny|1473888084|4076580 said:
House Cat|1473887182|4076574 said:
kenny|1473874561|4076468 said:
Costco sells some sliced roast beef and turkey that is not processed.
It just the fresh real thing, sliced!
At my Costco they carry it near the meat department.
It is not frozen.
I think it's around $7 a pound.

Fantastic!

IMO one of the least-heathy things you can eat is 'cold cuts'.
They are chock full of chemicals, fat and sodium, plus I'd worry they contain slop they swept up from the floor of the rendering plant at the end of a shift :o

You couldn't pay me to eat a slice of bologna.

Read the ingredients and Nutrition Label. :knockout:
Is this Kirkland brand? I want to buy this!!
Yes.

Thank you!!
 

Elizabeth35

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 24, 2011
Messages
754
I would second what Kenny says and we also use Costco Kirkland packaged lunch meat, if we use purchased lunch meat.
I am assuming you are using for sandwiches?
Normally we use leftovers for sandwiches and use ciabatta bread or bagels for the bread or Kaiser rolls or French bread-whatever is leftover!
For meat--typically chicken leftover from a roast chicken or Parmesan chicken ( boneless breasts oven baked with Parmesan/mayo/green onion topping). Slice breast meats thin crosswise. If we roast chicken-always do two and have leftovers plus use carcass to make stock. Purchase boneless breasts on sale for $1.50-2.00/lb. and make extra for leftovers.
Beef--make a nice tenderloin on the weekend and then slice leftovers thin for sandwiches.
Don't normally make ham so don't do ham sandwiches.
Would not eat something like bologna--just personal preference. Not sure what would be the healthier option there!
We eat very little processed food and virtually nothing out of frozen food aisle.
If you get deli meat--I see lots of brands that do have nutrition available either at the deli or online. I guess it depends on what you are trying to avoid-sodium, nitrates, cholesterol, etc. so read the labels.

But--good for you thinking about what you area eating and making healthy choices. I see heaps more organic food now at Costco and at Aldi.
 

momhappy

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Messages
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ruby59|1473885852|4076566 said:
When you buy it at the deli counter there are no labels to read.

All you have to do is ask. If it comes to them packaged in some way, then there is likely a label.
 

lambskin

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3,053
I am a deli meat snob. I buy corned beef at a jewish deli, salami at an Italian butcher who cures it himself and roast my own turkey and ham for sandwiches. I was never raised on bologna so I hate the stuff. But we had an old german butcher who made his own bologna and would give my kids free pieces of the stuff and they loved it. I always politely refused until he convinced me it was not typical bologna. It was good but still not a fan. I am also a bacon snob and buy it at an amish butcher or at small butcher shops. I am a bread snob too.....
 

Gypsy

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You can get nice deli meats from whole foods. Their roast beef is made in house. Just salt pepper and an oven.

I am a deli meat snob too.

You can get Turkey that's made on site too, at some places (not my whole foods, but other higher end local chains carry it sometimes).

Honestly, if you are really worried about it. Spend 200 bucks on a slicer and roast your own meats.
 

asscherisme

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Mar 6, 2006
Messages
2,950
kenny|1473874561|4076468 said:
Costco sells some sliced roast beef and turkey that is not processed.
It just the fresh real thing, sliced!
At my Costco they carry it near the meat department.
It is not frozen.
I think it's around $7 a pound.

Fantastic!

IMO one of the least-heathy things you can eat is 'cold cuts'.
They are chock full of chemicals, fat and sodium, plus I'd worry they contain slop they swept up from the floor of the rendering plant at the end of a shift :o

You couldn't pay me to eat a slice of bologna.

Read the ingredients and Nutrition Label. :knockout:

I was going to say the same thing. I buy meat at Costco. I won't buy anything with nitrates or other other nasty stuff in it. They have a lot of precooked choices that are not full of chemicals and minimally processed.
 
P

PierreBear

Guest
Thanks again for all the comments. I haven't gone back to the grocery store yet to verify but thought I would continue the thought on the chain.

So the overcounter deli meat that I purchased, before starting this thread, actually does contain sodium nitrate. I still ate it because I don't want to waste food. Anyhow, I was wondering since it's one of the last ingredients listed, is it still terribly bad for you or are other brands (sorry haven't compared others yet at the store) are listing this chemical near the front end so there is more of it? Or regardless of how much is in it, you are really creating harm to your body that you can't naturally remove? Thanks again for keeping me healthy and informed!
 
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