You would be completely forgiven if you are confused if nitrates are good or bad for your health. The answer is they are both. It all depends on what type of food the nitrates are attached too.
To clear up any confusion nitrates and nitrates are a naturally occurring chemical compound which pair a nitrogen with an oxygen. The difference between nitrates and nitrites is the number of oxygens they have bound to them either three or two respectively. The use of these compounds in the food industry is as a food preservative. You will find it as a listed ingredient in foods like some cheeses, bacon, salami and ham.
What may surprise you is you are getting 80% of your intake of nitrates and nitrites not from these foods but from vegetables! This is because both nitrates and nitrites are part of the soil which ultimately is taken up by the plant growing in it. The number of nitrites found in the soil can be increased if the fertiliser contains it and is why organic produce tends to be lower in nitrites. Top nitrate ‘collectors’ in vegetables are:
- Beetroot
- Celery
- Spinach
- Rocket
- Carrots
Your body does not regularly digest nitrites but when you chew your food the bacteria in your mouth convert it to nitrates. Problems occur when the nitrites go unconverted into your stomach to form nitrosamines in the acidic environment which can be carcinogenic. The key to this formation is ammonia which is found in protein foods or made directly in your cooking method as high heating proteins like bacon will do this before even entering your body.
Before you label nitrites as evil, they are also good for your health and have been linked to improving heart health, immune function and assisting performance for athletes and in the bedroom for men by helping dilate your blood vessels. These health benefits are linked to the vegetables which contain nitrites and nitrates as they have other factors which prevent the conversion to nitrosamine including vitamin C, fibre and polyphenols. So how much do you need to see benefits? A salad of spinach and rocket or a shot of beetroot juice has been found to cause a drop in your blood pressure, so the amount is doable as a daily part of your diet.
Take home message: focus on getting 5 serves of vegetables a day and keep the processed meats as a sometimes food rather than a daily staple and your health will thank you for the lifestyle choice.
