This Surprising Food Is Making A Huge Comeback Due To COVID-19
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, many people fell victim to the "Quarantine 15." (You know what we are talking about.) Holed up in the house all day, lamenting the short supply of paper towels and hand sanitizer, it was easy to eat and drink whatever you wanted whenever you wanted. Before you realized what was happening, your favorite jeans suddenly did not fit anymore.
In times of distress, such as the international health crisis, food is often used as a tool to help control and cope with emotions. The International Journal of Eating Disorders has reported a rise in both binge-eating disorder and bulimia nervosa (via Wiley). But it's not just the act of eating, it's what America has been eating over the past few months that's concerning to doctors and nutritionists. According to Eat This, Not That, bologna, one of the most highly processed meats, has been at the top of many shopping lists over the past year. But why bologna?
Here's why bologna sales are up during the pandemic
Almost every American has fond memories of bologna and cheese sandwiches in their lunchbox. However, very rarely do those memories include thoughts of how bologna is made here in America. The USDA states that, "frankfurter, hot dog, wiener, or bologna with byproducts or with variety meats are made according to the specifications for cooked and/or smoked sausages, except they consist of not less than 15% of one or more kinds of raw skeletal muscle meat with raw meat byproducts (heart, kidney, or liver, for example)." Yum!
All that aside, bologna is cheap, convenient, and pretty darn good when accompanied by some American cheese, mayo, and stick-to-your-teeth white bread. Heck, toss that same bologna in a frying pan or on the grill and you have got the makings of an artisan sandwich. Adding to the tasty factor of bologna, kids and parents are home and need something quick to eat! For those who want to throw caution to the wind and really integrate bologna into their diet (a move not recommended by anyone ever), try bologna cake, bologna salad, and bologna-wrapped asparagus (via Wide Open Eats).