Nutritional German Deli Meats

Food from a delicatessen can be a good compromise between cooking recipes from scratch and going out for a fancy meal. At a German deli, you may find sauerkraut, bakery items, such as pretzels or strudels, dumplings, hard and soft cheeses and a variety of meats. German deli meats may be tempting, but you should eat them only in moderation because of their unhealthy nutritional profile.

German deli meats include fresh, dried or canned sausages, such as bratwurst, frankfurters and blood sausage, liver pate made from poultry, beef or pork, cold cuts and pickled meats. The nutrition information of German deli meats varies depending on the product that you purchase and the particular preparation method and ingredients that the deli uses. The nutrition information may be available on package labeling or when you ask for it, but you may need to estimate the values of the nutrients that are of most concern to you.

Fat

German deli meats can be high in saturated fat, which raises levels of bad LDL cholesterol in your blood and can increase your risk for heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. A four-slice, or 100-g, serving of blood sausage has 35 g total fat and 13.4 g of saturated fat, and one link of pork bratwurst has 25 g fat and 8.5 g saturated fat. Sausages and cold cuts made with chicken or turkey can be lower-fat alternatives to pork and beef at a German deli.

Sodium

A link of pork bratwurst provides 719 mg sodium, and a beef and pork frankfurter has 504 mg. A high-sodium diet can cause high blood pressure, and healthy adults should have no more than 2,300 mg per day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. German deli meats can be high in sodium from added salt in their flavorings, as well as ingredients such as sodium nitrate. Sodium nitrate is a common preservative in processed meats, and it may increase your risk for heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Other Information

Higher-fat German deli meats are likely to be higher in calories; blood sausage, for example, has 389 calories per 100-g serving. Meats are naturally good sources of protein and low in carbohydrates or carbohydrate-free, but cured or flavored deli meats may have added sugars in them. Beef, turkey, chicken, pork and other meats provide essential nutrients, such as iron, niacin and vitamin B12, but they may be high in cholesterol. Cholesterol from your diet raises levels of cholesterol in your blood, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.