How to Stop Eating Nitrites

Probably no other food additive has caused as much controversy as sodium nitrite. Added to cured meats, nitrites protect meat from spoiling and causing botulism. Sodium nitrite has also been linked to increased cancer and triggering migraines. If you're concerned about what nitrites might be doing to your health, use the following steps to stop eating nitrites.

Instructions

1. Stop eating processed meats. Sodium nitrite is found in highest levels in hot dogs, bacon, ham and some lunchmeats. Substitute fresh meat or other protein sources like eggs or beans for processed meats.

2. Try nitrite-free hot dogs and lunchmeats. Increasing numbers of lunchmeat are advertised as "additive free." Look for "nitrite-free" or make certain nitrite is missing from the list of ingredients.

3. Look for antioxidants added to your meats. Researchers investigating ways to treat meat without the use of sodium nitrite have discovered that vitamins C and E inhibit the ability of nitrites to be converted to nitrosamines, the carcinogenic element. Some manufacturers have already added these vitamins to bacon, one of the worst offenders in terms of nitrosamines.

4. Add vitamin C powder to recipes that use cured meats. If this isn't possible (vitamin C and relish might not be good toppings together for a hot dog), consider keeping a shaker of vitamin C powder available to shake on side foods like salads or other vegetables.

5. Eat your veggies. Nitrites also appear in green leafy vegetables like spinach. But the presence of naturally occurring vitamins C and D are believed to prohibit cancer-causing substances. Vegetables have been linked with lowering your cancer risk.

6. Aim for an additive-free diet. Nitrites are present in many additives. Concentrate on whole grains and fresh foods whenever possible.

Tips & Warnings

• If your goal is eating healthier, understand that the danger is the nitrite load of your entire diet over a period of time. Limit servings of processed meats to low-fat versions no more than two or three times a week.

• Nitrites may not be all bad. This additive might offer some protection for the heart by keeping arteries flexible.

• Beware that sodium nitrite also gives processed meats their nice pink color that shoppers associate with freshness. Nitrite-free meats are often brown.

• Important studies about nitrites have focused on the risk of leukemia in children who eat more than twelve hot dogs a month, which may lead to an incidence of childhood leukemia nine times greater than normal.