The Best Jerky

David Mendosa Living With It Medical Journalist Living with Diabetes and Author of Fitness and Photography for Fun, www.mendosa.com/fitnessblog After earning a B.A. with honors from the University of California,... Send Message Subscribe: David Mendosa

Saturday, September 19, 2009
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Jerky is the obvious trail food. It's energy dense and doesn't require any preparation. High in protein and fat, it should be low in carbohydrates, especially for those of us with diabetes who need to control our blood glucose levels. But all the brands I've found in the stores are too heavy on the c...

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Thanks David, but...
BoulderDiabetic
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 07:59 PM

I'll stick with Lumen Foods vegetarian soy Jerky. Your vegetarian animal loving diabetic friends may alternately like to know about:

http://www.soybean.com/products/productsmain.html

I especially like their Heartline meatless meats "Chicken" Fillet for snacks on the hiking trail...

-Barry in Boulder

Luman Soy Foods Ordering Experience
Anonymous
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 06:51 PM

Ordered three 8-ounce bags of Stonewall's Nuggets to try them out . . Original Mild, BBQ Beef (very spicy flavor), and Teriyaki Beef. 3 x $1.99 plus $10.72 UPS regular ground shipping (Louisiana to Nevada . . the shipping amount is NOT shown when ordering online).

Taste and texture is pretty much what one would expect for cooked soy flour and spices . . artifical (as compared to actual beef jerky strips . . NOT chopped & formed). But it is a vegan option with a few more calories and less sodium.

Nutritional information for 1-ounce Original Mild:

110 calories

4.7g carbs

358mg sodium

re: Luman Soy Foods Ordering Experience
BoulderDiabetic
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 07:22 PM

The shipping was way too much for what you ordered! I agree that they should disclose the shipping price before you place your order. That's not good business!

Also, you might want to subtract the fiber amounts to get a net carbs total. That would make it more palatable.

Again, I'd recommend the heartline product now...

World Kitchens
Anonymous
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 09:52 PM

A local Kroger affiliate sells a one-pound (16 ounce) bag of World Kitchens jerky for around $10 . . managers special (store card required).

1-ounce nutritional information for the "Old Fashioned Beef Jerky":

80 calories

6 grams carbs (6 grams sugars)

580mg sodium

http://www.worldkitchens.net

At my local Walmart the "World Kitchens" brand has been replaced with "Great Value" 12-ounce bags.

Nitrites
Anonymous
Friday, October 23, 2009 at 10:14 PM

I had stopped eating beef jerky because of the nitrites. Does it not contain enough nitrites to worry about? I'm referring to about a small pac of peppered Oberto jerky a week.

re: Nitrites
David Mendosa
Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 11:24 AM

Excellent question! So good, in fact, that I had no idea how to answer it. So I asked Steve Liberati, who founded Steve's Club, which makes the Paleo Kits that I wrote about here. Here is Steve's reply:

"Currently our jerky has the minimum amount of sodium nitrate necessary to prevent the growth of the bacteria that causes botulism. However, we expect to roll out our new recipe in the next few weeks that will have zero nitrates. In collaboration with the Food Innovation Center from our local university, we've discovered an alternative to preventing this potentially deadly bacteria, without the use of nitrates.

"We're excited to introduce our updated product in the new 2-3 weeks. Should you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

"Thanks again.

"Steve"