Baloney is a lightly-spiced sandwich or luncheon meat that is already cooked and ready to eat. It has a smooth-texture, very much like the meat in North American hot-dog wieners. Traditionally made from pork or beef, you can now also find it made from chicken or turkey.

Bologna is a cooked, smoked sausage made of cured beef, cured pork or a mixture of the two. The bologna might include choice cuts, depending on who’s making it, but usually contains afterthoughts of the meat industry – organs, trimmings, end pieces and so on.

Much like hot dogs, bologna is commonly made of beef, pork, turkey or chicken that is finely ground and stuffed into a casing for cooking which is often later removed. The bologna is cooked or smoked and then either packaged whole or sliced.

In the U.S., on the other hand, the USDA says all cooked sausages (including bologna and hot dogs) must be comminuted, or “reduced to minute particles.” In other words, the ingredients are emulsified and churned into a homogenous pink meat paste. Aside from the meat, the recipe contains a blend of spices.

Lunch meats, including deli cold cuts, bologna, and ham, make the unhealthy list because they contain lots of sodium and sometimes fat as well as some preservatives like nitrites. Some experts suspect that certain substances used as preservatives in meats may change into cancer-causing compounds in the body.

Whether you call it a frankfurter, hot dog, wiener, or bologna, it’s a cooked sausage and a year-round favorite. They can be made from beef, pork, turkey, chicken, or a combination — the label must state which.

German bologna Sometimes referred to as garlic bologna, this sausage differs from traditional bologna due to various seasonings, most typically garlic being added to the recipe. The original, larger and less finely ground Mortadella is called Italienische Mortadella.

1. Bologna. No matter if it’s coming from pork, chicken, or beef products, bologna packs an unhealthy punch to your gut. One slice of beef-based bologna contains 7.9 grams of fat and 302 milligrams of sodium, about 13% of your entire daily intake.

Halal Fresh Beef Bologna Chub, 4 lbs | Costco.

While Costco does sell good quality meat and poultry, their prices tend to be much higher than local grocery stores. Stew meat, which is a relatively cheap cut of meat, is currently sold at Costco for $5.99 per pound.

Rotisserie chicken is no health bargain The federal FDA notes that Americans consume 3,400 milligrams of salt every day, way more than the recommended amount of 2,400. Excess sodium can raise your risk for high blood pressure, which in turn increases your chances of heart attack and stroke.