For those of you who don’t know, the Brat is a staple food in the traditional Wisconsin diet, along with cheese and beer.
For all my non-Wisconsin followers – Brats are a traditional German pork sausage.
This Memorial Day, I will be running a boot camp workout at Brat Fest here in Madison Wisconsin. Yes, an entire festival dedicated to these lovely German pork sausages.
Some might think that a workout that takes place at a place called Brat Fest just seems silly, and counterproductive…so let’s take a deeper look.
The Facts:
1 – Johnsonville Brat on a standard hot dog bug
360 calories – 22g Carb | 23g Fat | 18g Protein (8g Saturated Fat)
Now at first glance, some might say “this is terrible, high in fat, saturated fat, this is a BAD food!”
Remember, food carries no morals – there is no good and bad with food, it is just food.
Also, will you get super healthy and fit from eating one salad?
So why would one be so quick to assume that eating one brat would make you unhealthy, or cause a massive gain in body weight?
This is where the entire lifestyle and daily habits tend to be forgotten about.
Would eating brats every single day be the best choice? Probably not. But what about once in a while, at a festival, at a baseball game, or holiday cookout when you are trying to enjoy time with your family and friends? Sure!
Like anything else, moderation is key, and knowing your goals and parameters is important if you are trying to stay on a tighter plan.
So the brat has a high-fat content. Eat less fat throughout the rest of the day and you are sure to balance it out.
Trying to avoid carbs? Toss the bun, you’re an adult – you can make that decision.
Looking for something a little leaner? Good thing that they serve chicken chipotle brats.
90 fewer calories, and 12 fewer grams of fat.
In the end, some may still think that Brat’s and Healthy cannot go together, and a dietitian teaching a Bootcamp at an entire festival dedicated to Brats is hypocritical. That’s their opinion, and that’s cool.
However, I believe that supporting a community, enjoying being outside and listening to live music, while indulging an occasional brat is a decision that I, and you, can make on your own.
If we stop focussing so much on what we do once in a while and start focussing on what we routinely do – we are all much more likely to be better off, and healthier individuals for that.
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Stay healthy my friends,