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Sodium Nitrite
Sodium Nitrite
Sodium Nitrite
What is it:
Sodium nitrite is a chemical compound with the formula NaNO2. It is a white, crystalline powder that is commonly used as a food preservative and color fixative. Sodium nitrite is often added to processed meats such as bacon, ham, and hot dogs to prevent the growth of bacteria and extend their shelf life. Sodium nitrite is naturally occurring in soil and is present in many vegetables. Commercially, sodium nitrite can be synthesized through a process of extracting nitrate-rich minerals such as saltpeter from the ground and treating them with sodium hydroxide, to produce sodium nitrate. Sodium nitrites can be formed from the reduction of sodium nitrate.
Rating:
While nitrates and nitrites are naturally occurring in many vegetables, when they are heated to high temperatures along with protein, compounds called nitrosamines can form under the acidic environment of the stomach which may be carcinogenic. This may be the reason that processed meats that are cured with nitrites have been linked to cancer more than other uncured meats.
Resources:
- Dietary nitrosamines in processed meats may be associated with stomach cancer (prospective cohort study)
- The process of curing with nitrates and carcinogenic formation of nitrosamines (review)
- General information and carcinogenicity of nitrosamines
- Nitrosamine and nitrite intake associated with increased gastric cancer risk
(systematic review of epidemiological evidence)
How we rate ingredients
Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:
Clean
It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.
Caution
It goes into one or more of the below categories
- It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
- It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)
We Avoid
It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)
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