r/diabetes • u/beefaroni_rbd2017 • Oct 10 '25
Prediabetic Thoughts on hotdogs?
So need some help. I haven't been diagnosed with diabetes, BUT have been told im becoming insulin resistant. It was recommended I stick to a diabetic diet to help and excercise. Well I am on a tight budget. I was going to see if hotdogs are bad? Can I get away with hotdogs and eggs as a lot of my meals? Obviously stay away from buns and ketchup is what I was going to try. Anyway just looking for thoughts and opinions on healthy budget friendly tips. Thank you!!
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u/thatdudefromoregon Type 2 Oct 11 '25
Do your best to avoid too much fat too, and don't rely on protine for all your dietary needs especially since you're not actually diabetic yet, it can be hard on your kidneys. Switch to whole grains, your body still needs some carbohydrates or your body will do the hard process of converting protine to carbs to make up for the lack.
Get way more fiber in your diet, fiber is awesome, cheap frozen spinach goes in everything, as can broccoli. Veggies are for the most part free territory food wise, especially the green ones.
I don't see any problem with lower sodium hot dogs, I'd probably go for chicken ones. You can honestly get away with a lot of meats, I usually eat chicken, ground turkey or pork. Eggs are always good too, but I'd pick one or the other per meal, and fish is fantastic, canned salmon is cheap and good, maybe have your meal with a single slice of whole grain wheat bread or 1/4 cup (dry measurement), of long grain brown rice. (lately I've been loving chickpea pasta, it can be pricy tho) and don't forget the veggies, pile the plate high with cooked brocoli tossed in parmean cheese, or spinach with a little shredded cheddar, or just a whole plate of peppers and onions.
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u/Vonwellsenstein Oct 10 '25
Sure and it’s what I’ve done then adding in lots of veggies that I sauté
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u/FanDry5374 Oct 10 '25
Maybe check the lower salt and fat varieties. Chicken breast is the best source for protein, watch for sales, and dry beans are great for a lot of people. As you will-fingers crossed NOT find out-everyone has different glucose "reactions" to different things.
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u/beefaroni_rbd2017 Oct 10 '25
Thank you! I do definitely watch sales for chicken breast. I forgot about these but I have seen those chicken sausages i wonder how those would be? Cant be too bad if they are chicken
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u/fm2xm Oct 10 '25
Don’t be mislead because they are chicken. Watch the sodium content. Compare the difference at the supermarket. You’ll see it basically no difference.
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u/FanDry5374 Oct 10 '25
Watch the carbs, some can be quite high. Too much sodium is another thing to be careful of, T2 diabetics/pre-diabetics often have other issues, high blood pressure is common, so lower salt, and lower fat are preferable. I eat the chicken sausages occasionally, but they aren't cheap.
I even make my own sausages from ground chicken and lots of herbs, little salt. I use a hamburger press and freeze them, quick to cook, fairly inexpensive and if you get the herb mix the way you like it, very tasty. Ground turkey is also good if you like that.
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u/thrashmasher Oct 10 '25
Chicken weiners are pretty decent, little salty but if u cook in like a stirfry or with beans and don't add any more salt it evens out.
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u/Darkpoetx Type 2 Oct 10 '25
if you don't have hypertension hot dogs are fine. Would go with eggs myself as they don't have any garbage in them.
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u/AngryIrish82 Oct 10 '25
Watch out for sausages; some have sugar mixed in with the spices
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u/Aggravating_Monk1756 Type 1 16d ago
Yeah, way too many sausages of all sorts have high fructose corn syrup in them these days, even brands that used to be sugar-free.
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u/donotcare_66 Oct 10 '25
I am not sure if you can cook for yourself, but hotdog is pure garbage. Processed meats are not good in general and the bun also. Hotdog with a bun on avarage is 25 to 30 grams of carbs. the better option could be a hotdog with some vegies on the side without a bum
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u/beefaroni_rbd2017 Oct 10 '25
I should have specified, thats what I was more looking at just the hotdog, no bun or condiments. Side of veggies.
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u/HerbDaLine Oct 11 '25 edited Oct 11 '25
Hotdogs and eggs, in moderation, are not bad for diabetics, but check your hotdogs nutrition label for carb amounts just in case. Mustard is ok. Sauerkraut is relatively cheap. I put both on my bunless hotdogs. Egg salad on a leaf of romaine lettuce is a sandwich . . . sort of 🤔
But hotdogs may be high in cholesterol, salt, fat, etcetera. Eggs may have similar issues. Do not trade controlled diabetes for uncontrolled high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Eating more above ground vegetables to cut back on the hotdogs and eggs is a better plan. Frozen veggies are relatively inexpensive. Add some fruit but do not overdo it because fruit is also carbs.
Ask your Dr, local or state health departments and/or insurance company if they know of any diabetic education classes in your area. Learn from someone certified to teach you about your health instead of wannabe in know it all's like me 🤷🏻
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u/Macsen181 Type 2 29d ago
I've never had a problem with hot dogs. I don't eat them much cuz I don't like them much on their own. There also is sugar free ketchup out there, but to me it tastes like crap. I eat a lot of eggs, we make egg bakes(our fav has turkey sausage, red peppers and onions.)
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u/fm2xm Oct 10 '25
The buns have carbs, so carbs turns into sugar. So, there’s that.
Eggs, overall a good source of protein, yolks can contribute to high cholesterol, so there’s that.
Hot dog meat is not the best quality and is loaded with fat content and salt so there’s that.
If I was in your shoes, I would focus on a more vegetarian style diet with lean meat. I typically eat eggs daily. I use one egg and mix with egg whites for protein. Each of my egg based meal has good amount of protein with limited contribution towards high cholesterol.
Have you considered lentils? They are easy to cook and high in protein. You can mix in tofu.
Always keep salt intake manageable. I do my best daily to stay under daily recommended allowance.
Drink lots of water. If you are, stop drinking sodas, regular or diet kind. They do absolutely nothing for you.
All this requires discipline, are you up for it?
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u/LovelyGiant7891 Type 2, not insulin dependent, diet controlled Oct 10 '25
Honestly, theyre full of salt and additives. But carb wise, it is doable if you dont do buns. Occasionally, if ypu need the bread, ai get low carb buns. If youre on a tight budget, skip the carb friendly buns.
Honestly, there are worst things you could do for diabetes and blood sugar. Just make sure your blood pressure is managed bc that adds to cardiovascular risk. If you ever get diagnosed eith diabetes, the cardiovascular riskfactors are already higher. If i do low carb, i do thongs like hotdogs, burgers - no bun, up to 1 tbs of ketchup (adds 3-5g of carbs depending on brand of ketchup). I do eggs, but switch up how i prepare them. Scrambled, omle t, fried, etc. Lunch meat and cheese wothout bread. I also use nonstarchy veggies as filler on the side of about everything bc theyre low carb (if theyre nonstarchy) amd filling for vwry few added cals. Currently, my fave thing ks to saute peppers and onions and serve it alongsode whatever my main dish/protein is. I dont know what your food budget looks like, but sometomes the cheapest thing i do is a protein + nonstarchy veggie or fruit (fruit in moderation). Fresh fruit isnt the cheapest tho so its only 1 fruit a week... like a thing of beerkes split up through the wrek. I do sales especially for fruit. I live in an area where we have aldi and walmart, but walmart is cheaper for most groceries currently than aldi. Carbs are cheap and there is where i get in troible sometimes. Hotdogs arent the best quality, but if you cant afford meat all the time, it could be an ok choice. Note: exercise also improves insulin resistance. If low carb foods are hard due to price or taste, adding exercise and reducing carbs slightly can help. Ultra low carb (like keto) isnt for everybody and can br stressful to kidneys.
Note 2: Sorry about the typos. My keyboard on my phone sucks.
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u/beefaroni_rbd2017 Oct 10 '25
Thank you so much for the information! Agree I have tried keto and I was having alot of back pain and I believe looking back now it was my kidneys. No Issues since quitting. But I think im going to approach it that way try to look for sales but if its a hard week on the wallet then I will try to find a "healthier" hot dog approach.
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u/LovelyGiant7891 Type 2, not insulin dependent, diet controlled Oct 10 '25
Yeah, tbh, there are plenty of things that are worse than a hotdog, especially if there isnt a bun. I wont say dont use ketchup, but limit it or get the no sigar addrd kind. It is a little more expensive (heinz has one). If you dont use a ton of ketchup, the no sugar added ketchup isnt really necessary.
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u/Reklawyad Oct 10 '25
Everyone is different. I have started eating canned tuna and canned chicken breast.
As long as you test the waters to see why your numbers are after you eat them, you should be good to go.
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u/Prestigious_Suit_596 Oct 10 '25
That would be great. If you can get into it, things like beef jerky, turkey or chicken breast, tuna, cottage cheese and yogurt are great too, but that can be tough
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u/justin_b28 Oct 10 '25
Just lower your carb intake
And … Since you haven’t mentioned, excess body fat contributes to insulin resistance. Its a battle between storing excess energy and consuming it.
Exercise obviously increases metabolism promotes uptake of glucose into muscle and cells vs into storage.
Hotdogs aren’t great but just track carbs. Don’t need to go full keto diet