Sodium nitrite & sodium nitrates, are used in food to preserve, add flavor and to maintain a red color in processed meats. Most commonly we know it as a preservative that can be found in bacon, sausage, lunch meats, hot dogs, pepperoni, smoked fish, canned meats, jerky and some cheeses. But interestingly it is also an ingredient in fertilizers, pyrotechnics, smoke bombs, glass & pottery enamels and solid rocket propellants.
Sodium nitrite is more commonly used over nitrates, since nitrates revert to nitrites when added to food. When used as a preservative, they form nitrosamines or human carcinogens known to cause DNA damage. Studies have shown that nitrates & nitrites can cause prostate, breast & stomach cancer & nitrosamines have been linked to esophageal & colorectal cancer. A 2007 study by Columbia University also suggests a link between eating cured meats and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nitrates are associated with increased miscarriages, fetal death and birth defects in laboratory animals. Sodium nitrite has also been linked as a trigger of migraines in individuals who already suffer from them.
Dr. Martha Gorgan, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic states that sodium nitrate may damage your blood vessels, making arteries more likely to harden & narrow, leading to heart disease. They may also affect the way your body uses sugar, making you more likely to develop diabetes. Here’s a link to article if you are interested in reading it yourself: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium-nitrate/AN02119
That's all about the additive food manufacturers use, but did you know that most vegetables contain sodium nitrate? Why? Because the fertilizers used on vegetable crops contain sodium nitrate. This is true for both organic & non-organic vegetables. This sodium nitrate is broken down in your body differently then the food preservative. The antioxidents in vegetables reduce the formation of nitrosamines & increase the amount of nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide helps relax blood vessels, lowering blood pressure & helps to stop the formation of blood clots with it's anti-inflammatory properties.
So, now that we gotten the nasty information regarding side effects of sodium nitrite/nitrates out of the way, let’s take a look at some alternative products out there that don’t contain nitrites or nitrates.
So, now that we gotten the nasty information regarding side effects of sodium nitrite/nitrates out of the way, let’s take a look at some alternative products out there that don’t contain nitrites or nitrates.
Let’s start with what’s lurking in lunchboxes across America- delectable saltiness with nitrites/nitrates packaged to look like sandwich meat. There are healthy alternatives. Try Boars Head® All Natural which contains no nitrate, nitrite or MSG. Even Oscar Mayer’s Selects® brand contains no preservatives & Applegate Farms® has a complete line of preservative free sandwich meat.
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| www.boarshead.com |
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| www.oscarmayer.com |
Other alternatives for bacon, sausage & hot dogs are Applegate Farms®, Oscar Mayer’s Selects® and Coleman Natural®.
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| www.applegatefarm.com |
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| www.oscarmayer.com |
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| www.oscarmayer.com |
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| www.colemannatural.com |
As always, the choice in what you eat is ultimately yours, but I hope this information will guide you in feeding your family a diet without sodium nitrate/nitrites.
Until the next post…..
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