Nitrate/nitrite, The Dark Side Of Cured Meats

Nitrates and nitrites belong to the same family. These two chemical compounds naturally occur in our water and in certain types of vegetables. Both are used in curing meats although nitrate is more often used in industry such as in the production of fertilizers, explosives and glass while nitrite is mainly used as a food preservative. Nitrates and nitrites from nature are, for the most part, non-toxic so ingesting them in fair amounts under normal circumstances should not be a cause for alarm. However, in large doses they can be quite dangerous thus their use should be carefully regulated.

Many people may be wondering why these compounds continue to be used in food processing despite the fact that they can be toxic if not strictly controlled. Unfortunately, a safer alternative has not yet been discovered. Here are the reasons why nitrates/nitrites are used in meat processing:

1It gives meat a pink color makes meat it look more appetizing and fresh.

2- It gives a smoked, cured flavour to meats. This is the reason why bacon tastes so good. In taste tests, bacon not cured with nitrite/nitrates fared very poorly. It was also greyish in color which most people associate with rotten meat even if the bacon was not.

3It prevents botulism and controls the likelihood of food poisoning.

A small amount of these compounds in the diet would not really ruin your health, however if you consume cured and processed meats such as luncheon meat, bacon, hotdogs, and sausages on a regular basis, then perhaps you need to rethink your diet. According to the Environmental Health Investigations Branch, ingesting nitrates/nitrites can cause the hemoglobin in blood to change to Met hemoglobin. When this happens, the blood's ability to transport oxygen is decreased.

Children are more at risk for this than adults because they are more sensitive to nitrates/nitrites. Ingested nitrates are converted into nitrites upon contact with saliva and into the intestinal tract. In adults, the change from nitrates to nitrites is only 5% but for infants it is 10%. The "Blue Baby Syndrome" which is known to cause brain damage and death, is attributed to the inability to transport oxygen through the blood in infants. This same problem is manifested in adults by symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, irritability and blue tones around the eyes, mouth, hands and feet.

Processed meats preserved with nitrates/nitrites can cause the body to produce nitrosamines which have been proven to be carcinogenic. This happens when preserved meat is heated or cooked. The sad truth is, although these foods have been our breakfast favourites for many generations, they can be harmful to your health. The upside however is that the negative effect of nitrosamine can be neutralized by vitamins C and E taken regularly in sufficient doses. Some processed meat manufacturers have actually started to add these vitamins to their products although most still do not.

Vegetables such as kale, celery, spinach and lettuce contain nitrates so you ingest a certain amount of these compounds when you eat these foods. Organic vegetables are a better option as the fertilizers used on them are those which do not contain extra nitrates. In addition, organic vegetables are less bitter than conventionally grown ones. For this reason, it would be easier to get young children to eat vegetables if you serve them the organically grown kind.

If you cannot completely do away with the breakfast meats, take your vitamins at least. You may also try to consciously develop a taste for healthier foods that you can eat in place of nitrate/nitrite treated meats. Go for organically grown fresh produce. The less nitrate/nitrite you expose yourself to, the less risk you put on your health.