Nitrate Free Bacon - Are Nitrates in Bacon Causing Cancer?
Bacon is a favorite among keto, paleo, and Bulletproof Diet fans, but there are plenty of health concerns about cured meats. One of these is the use of nitrates in processed meats, like bacon, which may cause cancer.
Cured Bacon
Sodium nitrate is an ingredient commonly used in the process of curing bacon to help preserve it and give it a pink color. It also helps keep the bacon fresh and prevents it from getting soggy. Nitrates have been used as food preservatives for over 100 years, and are widely found in a variety of foods from processed meats to vegetables. Get tips here on how to prepare nitrate free bacon now.
Natural Nitrates
Vegetables like celery and radishes contain nitrates, but they also contain vitamin C which helps prevent nitrites from converting to nitrosamines in your stomach, which can cause cancer. So if you want to stay safe from nitrates in your diet, choose vegetables instead of processed meats like bacon.
Nitrate Free Bacon
A lot of nitrate free bacon is nitrite free, but they use celery powder as a substitute for sodium nitrite in the curing process. The FDA has allowed this because it makes the product appear more wholesome, but lab tests show that these products actually create more nitrites than curing with sodium nitrite itself.
Primal Cut offers nitrate free bacon that is truly nitrate free without using any of the tricky additives like celery powder that other brands of nitrate free bacon utilize. This nitrate free bacon is not only darker in color, but it is free of all those tricky ingredients that are "naturally occurring" but still pose some dangers to your health and overall well-being.
Bacon nitrite free
The term "nitrate free" refers to meat that does not contain sodium nitrite, but it can be difficult to tell from the label. It's important to remember that nitrates are added to many processed meats to make them pink in color and extend their shelf life.
When it comes to nitrates, it is important to know that there are two types: naturally occurring and artificially sourced. Typically, naturally occurring nitrates are found in green leafy vegetables like spinach and beets. The antioxidants found in these foods may lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of colon and pancreatic cancer, according to WebMD.
Syntheticly sourced nitrates, however, can be harmful and may even lead to cancer. This is why you should always read the label and be careful to look for ingredients that are not added as a preservative or artificially sourced.
Why Nitrates Are Hazardous
Sodium nitrate, the ingredient that is often used in bacon to help it maintain its pink color, has been linked to a number of different types of cancer. The World Health Organization has classified nitrates as Group 1 carcinogens, which means that they are known to cause cancer in people who consume them on a regular basis. You can go to website for additional info on why nitrate free bacon is the best.
This is why the USDA has banned sodium nitrite from being added to bacon to avoid a potential link between nitrates and cancer. The agency also requires nitrate-free bacon to contain a vitamin C additive to prevent nitrosamine formation in the curing process, which is another reason why nitrite free bacon is a good choice for those who are trying to keep their nitrate consumption to a minimum. This post will help you understand the topic even better: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_bacon.