HWN Suggests

Are Nitrates Bad? The Real Issue

Over the last decade nitrates have gotten a bad rap. Manufacturers began adding vegetable-sourced preservatives, instead of sodium nitrite, usually celery juice or celery powder.

Is celery juice a good alternative to chemical nitrites? The short answer is “no.” Nitrate-free has become a popular selling point for many bacon producers. However, celery juice contains high levels of nitrates, which is why it is being used.

The use of celery juice as a source of nitrates is not regulated by the USDA. Strict guidelines are in place for all foods containing sodium nitrite; so its quantity is limited to a small fraction of the recipe. 10 parts per million (or less) remain once…

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Featured

 The Health Menace Inside Your Sandwich

Research linking processed meat to health problems has many doctors urging people to skip deli meat, bacon and sausage

 Why nitrates and nitrites in processed meats are harmful – but those in vegetables aren’t

Many of us know that we should steer away from processed meats and eat more vegetables if we want to be healthier and lower our chances of developing certain types of cancers. While there are many reasons processed meats aren’t great for our health, one reason is because they contain chemicals called nitrates and nitrites.

Articles of Interest

Duped In The Deli Aisle? 'No Nitrates Added' Labels Are Often Misleading

"Until industry provides strong evidence that nitrites in celery juice have different biologic effects than nitrites from other sources, it's very misleading to label these as nitrite-free," he says.

Are nitrates and nitrites bad for you?

When used in processed meat, these chemicals have the potential to cause cancer, but just how bad for us are they?

Dietary Nitrates, Nitrites, and Nitrosamines Intake and the Risk of Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

In summary, this meta-analysis suggested that dietary nitrates intake was associated with a reduced risk of gastric cancer, and high consumption of nitrites and NDMA could increase the risk.

Nitrates, Nitrites, and Nitrosamines

Extensive research is needed to establish how great a food hazard these nitrogenous substances present.

Nitrites: One Reason Our Food is Safe and Bacon is Tasty

Their use in food preservation is nothing new. The Romans were the first to note the benefits of nitrites as early as 850 B.C. While it remains a key component of many products to this day, its use is misunderstood. Let’s learn more about this food ingredient and what it adds.

Stop adding cancer-causing chemicals to our bacon, experts tell meat industry

Starkest warning yet about nitrites that turn cured products pink.

The Medical Controversy On Nitrates and Nitrites

The main purpose of these chemicals as they are currently being used is cosmetic, to retain the bright red color in the meats during processing and cooking, rendering them more appetizing to the eye than they would be if they turned the normal brown color of cooked meat. Neither nitrate nor nitrite are cancer hazards as such. But when combined with amines (substances found in proteins, cigarette smoke, beer, wine, many patent medicines, prescription drugs, and even within the body itself), they form nitrosamines that have induced cancer in numerous laboratory animals.

The truth about the nitrates in your food

Usually associated with processed meats, nitrates and nitrites are potentially cancer-causing compounds. But what are they, really – and are they always detrimental?

What’s Inside the Bun?

Since the 1970s, concerns about the health effects of nitrate and nitrite have focused on the potential for nitrite to combine with meat protein to form carcinogenic substances called nitrosamines. The U.S.D.A. responded by limiting the amount of nitrate and nitrite that goes into processed meats, and today they contain far less than they did 40 years ago.

Yes, bacon really is killing us

Decades’ worth of research proves that chemicals used to make bacon do cause cancer. So how did the meat industry convince us it was safe?

Resources

ScienceDirect

Nitrosamines have no known industrial use. However, they can be found in processed foods as unintentional by-products of food preparation and processing. Nitrosamines are formed by a reaction between nitrates or nitrites and certain amines.