Sodium Nitrate sounds delicious! I think I'll have a second helping of it in my next turkey....oh wait, that's very likely since it's very commonly used as a food preservative in poultry and meat products here in the states. I won't have to look any further to find a good whopping helping of it. Just check out the lunch meat aisle!
Sodium nitrate may be used as a constituent of fertilizers, pyrotechnics and smoke bombs, glass and pottery enamels, as a food preservative and a solid rocket propellant. It has been mined extensively for these purposes. (Wikipedia)
Wow, really? Rocket propellant? Fertalizer? That sounds AWESOME! Who knew my bologna was so explosive! Well, the FDA knows. Sodium Nitrate and Nitrites make nitrosamines in the human body, which have been linked to cancers including esophageal and gastric. They are also known to increase the death rate of those who have parkinsons, diabetes and alzheimers, through their damaging effect to DNA. Coincidentally, these nitrosamines are also formed in humans from potassium nitrate or nitrites.
You'll find these, as I said above, used a lot in the preservation of meat products (hot dogs, bologna, sausages, chicken, lunch meats...) Definately something to think about when you pack up your kids lunches.
I did NOT want to read this post today! We do love us some hot dogs and deli meats here. I know I should buy nitrate free ones, but I just haven't. It's very interesting to know that the nitrates can especially harm diabetics. Yowza! Thanks for sharing, I think.
ReplyDeleteDiabetics in general need to be especially careful with what goes into their bodies. Think of all the excess sugar like tiny shards of glass going around in your blood slicing into your cells and organs, it leaves you vulnerable in a way healthy celled people are not. (Also why tight sugar control is so important!)
ReplyDeleteThere are nitrate/nitrite free lunch meats and hot dogs out there, increasingly more so as people become more aware of them and the affects they have on their body. It does cost more though, which is always a problem.