Monday, March 23, 2009

Sodium nitrite

Steve came home one day and searched through the fridge for cold cuts, bacon and hot dogs. Then he pulled out the trash can and threw it all out.

WHAT?? Especially to Canadians like me, you just don't throw out bacon..

For goodness' sake, we ALL know that bacon isn't exactly a source of Omega 3 or the "good fat”..

Steve explained the food additive, Sodium nitrite, is found in these products. Specifically, processed and cured meats, hot dogs and preserved fish.

Known to kill bacteria, and add color, this ingredient is linked to cancer and toxins are most evoked by high temperatures. This means frying bacon or grilling hotdogs.

Oh.

The biggest issue is how carcinogenic these toxins are when ingested. “When consumers eat sodium nitrite in popular meat products, nitrosamines are formed in the body where they promote the growth of various cancers, including colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer, says Adams. "Sodium nitrite is a dangerous, cancer-causing ingredient”.*

I would think the more genetically predisposed one is to cancer based on lifestyle and family genetics, the more higher the risk this is.


The good news is that there is sodium-nitrite free deli meats and bacon. In fact, we now eat these products by Hormel. I will post more links to preservative-free products as I continue my education and awareness.

Here is some links that aided my research:


Processed meat consumption results in 67% increase in pancreatic cancer risk, says new research

12 Food Additives to Avoid

*Quote pulled "Processed meat consumption results in 67% increase in pancreatic cancer risk, says new research".<http://www.naturalnews.com/007024.html> March 2009.

1 comment:

Hapavixen said...

yikes, that's pretty scary!