What about Preservatives; Nitrites, Gums, and the like?

I

imp

Senior Member
Products packaged as human foodstuffs now bear various proclamations. "No artificial ingredients or preservatives", for example. Think of the great leeway there: "artificial": how the hell is that word defined? If added materials are not man-made, are they "natural"?

Virtually all preserved meats contain Sodium Nitrite, added as a preservative. It works. It also produces carcinogenic materials as it is being eliminated from the human body. Almost all ham products, cold-cuts, luncheon meats, etc., are so preserved. Look at the labels! SOME, are devoid of nitrites, those being vacuum-sealed and likely irradiated to kill all residual bacterium.

Are "Organic Products" immune? Some, not all. "Organic" labeling I think does not imply lack of certain preservative materials. I ask help on that one!

You like ham? I LOVE ham. loaded with nitrites. So, beware. Insofar as organic stuff like milk, dairy products, eggs, etc., I have my doubts. imp
 

I must have been eating nitrites all of my life but I eat a lot more fresh food than factory food. It's all about balance in the end and weighing up whether bacteria are more dangerous than preservatives.

I've eaten my share of bacteria over a lifetime too.
 
Imp, I eat Organic everything for the reasons you've stated and beyond. Organic foods are not sprayed with life killing pesticides. When you visit the produce section of your grocery store, all the flies will be buzzing around the Organic produce, not the conventionally grown stuff because the conventionally grown produce has been sprayed with pesticides which not only kill pests, but can also kill us.
I eat organic poulty and dairy and avoid red meat and pork, ham etc. Oraganic meats are from animals who have lived free range consuming pesticide free grasses and / or grains. Wild caught fish is better for you than "farmed" because farmed fish and shellfish is often fed pesticide treated grains. But be sure the fish you choose is not one likely to be contaminated by mercury in the wild. Mercury is a heavy metal ( as you know) and has been rumored to contribute to neurological disorders. Better to be safe than sorry.

In short - Food is fuel. Our bodies become what we consume IMHO.
 

I also eat organic whenever possible but….

1. "Organic" isn't necessarily pesticide-free. USDA allows lower levels of certain pesticides to be used. USDA organic standards only bans irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms.

2. I use Pasture Raised eggs (NOT "free-range" nor "cage-free"). They actually do roam free in the pasture.

"Cage-Free" only means that the chickens are not in cases. They can still be confined in very close quarters inside a building where they are standing in their own muck and can barely move. They have little or no access to the outdoors.

"Free Range" only means that the chickens are allowed "access" to the outside with no specifications as to the quality or duration of outside exposure. Chickens are allowed to be crammed in large warehouses that have a small door on one end that opens to a few feet of outside dirt space. Most of the chickens never know the door is there and can't get to it even if they try.

"Vegetarian Fed" means the chickens are completely raised on industrialized feed (probably GMO) and is never allowed outside. EVER.

3. Most Dairy has carageenen in it which is cancer-causing but I just limit my intake. I now use Almond Milk (365 brand from Whole Foods is the best). I love cheese so I don't deny myself but try to limit the amount. Cheese is also loaded with salt and fat so that's another reason to limit the amount.

4. Nitrates in food - I wouldn't worry about nitrates causing cancer unless you eat them everyday. Nitrates are in processed meats(the worst culprit) and burnt foods but just limit your intake.

5. Trans Fats occur as soon as you see cooking oil start to smoke. So buy oils that have a high tolerance to heat. Olive oil doesn't have a high tolerance so use that for dipping and drizzling on top of foods after they are cooked. I use Avocado Oil(favorite), Sunflower Oil(no flavor), and Coconut Oil(adds a sweet flavor) for cooking and I watch the temp. I used to cook things on High but now I cook on Low or Medium and watch for smoke.

We all have to Live a Little and enjoy life so just be mindful.
The only thing I'm adamant about is the Pasture-Raised eggs for the sake of humane treatment for chickens. And no processed meats…ick
 
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Sodium nitrite is a preservative that means it stops the normal process of decay. Your body is a system that brakes down and rebuilds if you stop this you can be in trouble.
 
Our body probably metabolises sodium nitrite to sodium nitrate (by oxidation) and we would excrete it pretty much immediately.

Correction - there is a different metabolite that is a worry.

Nitrosamines[edit]

A principal concern about sodium nitrite is the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines in meats containing sodium nitrite when meat is charred or overcooked. Such carcinogenic nitrosamines can also be formed from the reaction of nitrite with secondary amines under acidic conditions (such as occurs in the human stomach) as well as during the curing process used to preserve meats. Dietary sources of nitrosamines include US cured meats preserved with sodium nitrite as well as the dried salted fish eaten in Japan.

In the 1920s, a significant change in US meat curing practices resulted in a 69% decrease in average nitrite content. This event preceded the beginning of a dramatic decline in gastric cancer mortality.[SUP][28][/SUP]

About 1970, it was found that ascorbic acid (vitamin C), an antioxidant, inhibits nitrosamine formation.[SUP][29][/SUP] Consequently, the addition of at least 550 ppm of ascorbic acid is required in meats manufactured in the United States. Manufacturers sometimes instead use erythorbic acid, a cheaper but equally effective isomer of ascorbic acid. Additionally, manufacturers may include alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) to further inhibit nitrosamine production. Alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, and erythorbic acid all inhibit nitrosamine production by their oxidation-reduction properties. Ascorbic acid, for example, forms dehydroascorbic acid when oxidized, which when in the presence of nitrous anhydride, a potent nitrosating agent formed from sodium nitrate, reduces the nitrous anhydride into nitric oxide.[SUP][30][/SUP] Note that nitrous anhydride does not exist in vitro.[SUP][31]
[/SUP]
Sodium nitrite consumption has also been linked to the triggering of migraines in individuals who already suffer from them.[SUP][32][/SUP]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_nitrite
Click to expand...
 
Products that are organic and preservative free are certainly readily available -- organic coffee, eggs milk,cheese, vegetables, meats, fruit, canned foods, breads, etc. etc. They cost a little bit more, but I have no trouble incorporating them into my budget. I read labels carefully and try to eat unprepared, unprocessed foods as much as possible.
 
We don't eat many beef frankfurters, bacon or salami, but when we do I try to always get the uncured nitrate-free, there are several brands around even in regular supermarkets now.
 

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