Do you love meat? A burger or a hot dog on a hot summer day? Bacon and eggs a classic morning breakfast? Maybe you’ve noticed your favorite brands of processed meat adding things like, “Nitrates free” or “No nitrates added” to their labels. Maybe you’ve wondered what that means and why it is important. Here’s what you need to know to understand what those labels really mean.
Sodium nitrate is a common meat additive that is also used in explosives, glass and fertilizer. It is used in cured meats as a preservative but notably it is used to produce the pink color we are used to associating with our processed meats. Have you ever thought that it was odd that a chunk of fresh ham or beef was pinkish, light brown especially when cooked but somehow a hotdog (fully cooked as well according to the packaging) was still a bright, two-shades-down-from-pepto pink? Sliced ham as well is known for that pink, deli meat vibe and would be virtually unrecognizable if it were light brown instead. This is mostly due to sodium nitrate and it is a big reason despite the nutrition and science communities’ misgivings of the last three decades, it is still used in curing processed meat today.
Now, you may be ready to point to my earlier statement about your “No nitrate added” label and say, Why is this even a concern if nitrates are being left out of processed meats today? Unfortunately, the truth is a little more complicated. Synthetically derived nitrates are in fact limited in meat today and a lot of companies are touting “no added nitrates,” as the weight of the evidence shows that nitrates may be linked pretty closely to a few very deadly forms of cancer. The sticking point is that nitrate can also be and is derived from celery, a natural source that isn’t regulated in the US. Now, you might think that because celery is natural, there is no issue? The difference is that when you eat celery, there is a balance of nutrients that keep any small amount of celery from forming the same pre-cancerous cell stimulating nitrate variants that synthetic nitrates promote. This balance is destroyed, however, when celery is processed into a concentrated powder and used as a preservative. Because celery powder is not regulated in the US, it causes the same issues as synthetic nitrates and meat producers do not have to explain that. They can claim that something is “all natural” and that there are no added nitrates even while adding and using celery powder which health-wise is just as detrimental.
So, if you are a lover of meat and frequently enjoy processed meats like hotdogs and bacon, keep in mind that more than likely, you are still consuming the cancer linked nitrates health conscious scientists have been warning about for over 20 years. Most health professionals aware of this issue suggest reducing your meat consumption altogether. Additionally, similar to sourcing fruits and veggies, the closer you can get to a privately owned rancher or responsibly sourced butcher shop, the better!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX1KUPZC3Ck
https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/news/is-nitrate-free-uncured-meat-healthy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKlPj9vHcRo