what do you think about this? nitrite, meat danger etc

[samy23]

Totally clueless here, just have seen some posts on here about nitrites added to meats being toxic to our health and some people try hard to avoid them, however I just came accross something interesting.

It explained -Nitrite in meat greatly delays development of botulinal toxin (botulism), and prevents the toxin malonaldehyde from being produced in the meat -which naturally happens when meat is exposed to the air. (oxygen) -Which is also strongly linked to causing colon cancer.


So because all meat at some stage, before reaching our supermarkets and during the time it is there and in our homes etc, comes into contact with oxygen in the air causing malonaldehyde to be produced in the meat which is dangerous to us, does that mean we are risking colon cancer by eating meat due to this?

And if you get the "nitrite free" meats, are you risking this even more?

[Sol_y_Paz]

Interesting, will be watching this thread. I don't eat pork or beef or lunch meat, so this isn't a subject that comes up much in my daily life. I have noticed that people in America eat way too much meat - processed and not processed, which common sense tells me is not healthy. My personal opinion of course However, many government and independent studies have shown reduced meat consumption can be beneficial for overall individual health and also for global health, as it takes a lot to feed cattle and hogs and costs in acreage and processing for our human consumption. Time also did an article on red meat: http://www.time.com/time/health/arti...887266,00.html
As far as cancer goes, red meat has been linked to certain cancers (including colon) according to this government research site:
http://progressreport.cancer.gov/doc...&coid=731&mid=
Hope you get more information

[fresh_veggie]

People avoid nitrites mostly because they're an additive that has been proven to cause cancer - but in very, VERY high dosages that you won't get just by eating normal portions, if you actually read the studies.

My solution is just to avoid meat, and if you do choose to eat it, make sure it's not the processed packaged kind - just fresh, whole, local meats and in small quantities.

It really is one of those things that backs you into a corner...cancer, or cancer?

[treemom2]

We try to avoid foods with added Nitrites in our home. It is an additive, and we try to avoid foods with additives. Also, my DH has just discovered that when he consumes foods with nitrites (ham, sausage, lunch meats, prebasted turkey, hotdogs, etc. . .), he breaks out in horrible eczema.

[Pookietooth]

There is a lot more nitrate in comfrey, celery and arugula than in cured meat, yet folks seem to think arugula and celery are healthy. A lot of the so-called uncured meats have celery juice, a natural source of nitrates/nitrites, along with a culture to create more. I don't think it's that big a deal. Personally though, cured meats give me migraines so I avoid them. But so do soy and peanuts and green peas, and I would bet a lot of people here don't avoid those.

[treemom2]

Originally Posted by Pookietooth

There is a lot more nitrate in comfrey, celery and arugula than in cured meat, yet folks seem to think arugula and celery are healthy. A lot of the so-called uncured meats have celery juice, a natural source of nitrates/nitrites, along with a culture to create more. I don't think it's that big a deal. Personally though, cured meats give me migraines so I avoid them. But so do soy and peanuts and green peas, and I would bet a lot of people here don't avoid those.

hmmm, I wonder then why my DH is allergic and has severe skin reactions to eating meats/foods containing Nitrites as an ingredient but has no reaction to comfrey, celery, arugula, etc. . .interesting. . .

[savithny]

Originally Posted by Pookietooth

There is a lot more nitrate in comfrey, celery and arugula than in cured meat, yet folks seem to think arugula and celery are healthy. A lot of the so-called uncured meats have celery juice, a natural source of nitrates/nitrites, along with a culture to create more. I don't think it's that big a deal. Personally though, cured meats give me migraines so I avoid them. But so do soy and peanuts and green peas, and I would bet a lot of people here don't avoid those.

The natural pork providers at our farmers market told me they use small amounts of nitrites in their hams and sausages. She said they found out that the "no nitrates" deli meats are generally cured with beet or celery juice -- so much that they have higher levels than their meat winds up with when they use the very minimum the USDA requires.

[Karamom]

Very interesting.

Its seems that celery juice would be healthier simply because it is real food, I'm assuming that the nitrates in regular are probably man made. But that is my completely uneducated guess.