I don’t know if you’re old enough to remember when Ralph Nader offered congressional testimony on the American hot dog and called it a “torpedo of death.” The year was 1968. If you continue to have doubts about whether or not conventionally processed and preserved meats aren’t great for you, especially if you’re a child or someone who eats Oscar Meyer wieners in abundance, read this report. Scroll down to the parts about sodium nitrate.

You do not have to completely eliminate hot dogs from your barbeque menu however, now that the New York Times has rated the best healthy/natural franks for you! Dining writer Kim Severson claims tht the most widely available grass fed frank is made by Applegate Farms and that it “organically replicates the old ballpark hot dog’s taste.” Additionally, she says that Organic Valley’s beef frank, once among the worst of the natural dogs out there, has greatly improved thanks to new curing techniques. Other boutique brands in different parts of the country did well in the Times’ tastings; click here for the whole article.