Avoiding Nitrates and Nitrites in Bacon
Bacon is a beloved food, especially on keto or paleo diets. However, it doesn't come without a few pitfalls. Many people are afraid to buy bacon because of concerns about the ingredients it's cured with, particularly nitrates and nitrites. Nitrates and nitrites are common additives that manufacturers add to cured meats to preserve them, prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and keep them pink in color. They're also used to add a salty, cured flavor to processed foods like hot dogs, sausages, salami, ham and jerky. But nitrates and nitrites can be unhealthy. They're linked to cancer and are a known cause of high blood pressure. The good news is that there are products that offer nitrate free bacon that's still tasty and technically cured. But it's important to know what to look for and avoid these products if you have a high sensitivity to nitrates or nitrites. Uncured bacon (or 'nitrate free') is a type of bacon that doesn't use sodium nitrite to cure it, but instead uses celery powder and other natural nitrates. These nitrate free bacons will usually be labeled as "uncured" or "pure bacon."
It's essential to read the labels of any nitrate free turkey bacon you're considering purchasing. These bacons will typically have a "nitrate free" or "sodium nitrate free" tag on them, as well as a disclaimer that states that these nitrate free products may contain celery powder. Unfortunately, some of these nitrate free bacons are a scam and actually do contain nitrites. They're often sold as nitrite free or pure bacon, but they're actually cured with nitrates to make them 'uncured'. These nitrate free bacons can be very high in nitrates, with some brands of nitrate free bacon testing more than double the amount of nitrites found in regular nitrate-cured bacon.
While nitrates and nitrites are natural substances that naturally occur in vegetables like celery, they're not good for your body when consumed in large quantities. They're converted to nitrosamines when you eat them, which are also cancer-causing and can trigger high blood pressure. The World Health Organization has warned that nitrates and nitrites in processed meats can cause a range of adverse health effects, including heart disease, high cholesterol and cancer. In addition, nitrates and nitrites also raise your blood pressure by causing water retention in the body. Most nitrate free bacon is sold as a "natural" product, but the FDA allows companies to use terms like “nitrite-free,” and even “nitrate-free” if the manufacturer uses celery powder. But these so-called nitrate free products have been shown to be more than twice as high in nitrates as nitrate-cured bacon, according to WebMD and Cook's Illustrated.
Thankfully, there's an easy way to avoid these harmful chemicals in your bacon: Choose a nitrate free bacon from a brand that uses only celery powder to cuddle their pigs. This is the only way to ensure that you're getting a nitrate free bacon that's both delicious and safe to consume. Visit this website at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxFQEdI3XvU for more info about foods.
