I'd like to hear your views about nitrates that we consume

Your always going to have nitrates in everything that lives, and grows. The thing you want is natural nitrates. To make along story short, When it comes to animals, natural in, natural out. When the World is feeding people in masses, you will see more and more chemicals entering into our Eco system. I can't control how the world does thing, but I can control my small corner of it. We raise our own cattle on pasture, pigs, chickens, and grow our own 150' garden. Natural in, natural out. I grilled a few 80z fillets yesterday and i asked my 9yr old how they are, she said good Papa, I was happy to think I was giving her less, (of what ever the heck we are using to grow things now a days)....................Chef Bill

 

I agree with chefbillyb, my parents are lucky enough to be friends with a farmer that raises pigs, cattle, and duck, and also has various produce. Then, we have another organic farm that has the weirdest herbs and fruits and veggies ever. There's striped sage, passionfruit, molberrys, soursap, miracle berrys, various zucchinis, etc. Unfortunately, we don't know anyone that sells fresh fish, so we have to get that at the store/img/vbsmilies/smilies/crying.gif

 

If you don't eat bacon or ham, then your nitrates is 60% coming from vegetables. If you eat meat with nitrates, then your total nitrates raises and normal background from plants is reduced to a small percentage.
The problem with nitratees on meat is not nitrate, as that is hard to believe is unhealthy as part of many biochemical reactions. The problem is nitrites. That is a much powerful preservative and commonly added with nitrates as preservative for meat.
Here in europe the label always tells you which preservative is used. If I see nitrites I don't buy it.
Nitrates in water are a sign that the water does not have a long filter. Nitrate is blocked in the filtering part of a spring and good waters contain no nitrates.

 

What I'm about to post is not Politically Correct..

While, the desire to eat healthy is important to the daily quality of life, I know I have an appointment that I will not miss, and whatever I do will not add or subtract from that appointment.  As a foodie who enjoys cooking as a hobby, it is nothing more than a way to pass time enjoyably.  If I had the means to take my food fancies to the next logical level, all or most natural, I would consider it.  But it wouldn't be any more critical to my life than if my hobby was painting and I moved from painting inside my home to an outside scenic setting.  However my painting might be more inspired.

 

I can buy that about nitrates in water concerning infants.  I have tested my tap water in various places I've lived and found nitrates every time.  When on city water, they send out annual reports and it also shows the nitrate levels.  Other than bacon, we don't eat many processed meats so  I don't really worry about it.

 

 Adding nitrite to meat is only part of the curing process. Ordinary table salt (sodium chloride) is added because of its effect on flavor. Sugar is added to reduce the harshness of salt. Spices and other flavorings often are added to achieve a characteristic "brand" flavor. Most, but not all, cured meat products are smoked after the curing process to impart a smoked meat flavor.

Adding nitrate closely relative to nitrite is good to food as a form of preservation. But we all know it's long term effect. We are the one to decide on what will be good for us. To preserve? or not?

 

It's a set of interesting questions, but are there any Chef Talkers really qualified to address them?  For that matter, is anyone? 

It's an extremely complicated subject, one in which both chaos and complexity play important roles. 

It's not easy to make sense of the studies either.  For one thing, it's hard to isolate all the variables. Worse, is a single axis study even valid?  We don't live and eat in a single axis world.  For instance, what are the long-term effects of substantial amounts of nitrate/nitrite cured meat in a diet which also includes a substantial amount of vitamin C?    

The epidemiology of nutrition "science" is often highly inexact.  That's why you have questions.  I'm very skeptical of facile answers which come from people who don't have enough statistics to even evaluate the studies -- much less the cellular biology.  That goes double for "health" people.

BDL

 

Good discussion. I still circle back to moderation in these situations. Sure, I would like to raise my own cattle and pigs and such, not going to happen for me. when I can I buy no-nitrate sausage for my little girl. Doesn't mean I won't eat some of the nitrate-containing stuff if it is on the menu. Maybe it's not the most considered way to go, but I guess I'm only willing to spend so much time on each of these many food issues.

 

I'm aware of the high rise in nitrates in our food since we started eating in fast food chains and pumping ourselves full of highly processed food. It beggars belief that we can allow this to be done to us. But the manufacturers make it so blooming attractive dont they. Never mind the alziemers etc.
It's not just nitrates, what about phosphates??? The sh*t they spray on root crops is harming the folk who live near the fields.So what the he*l is it doing to the consumers.

My only answer to the dilema is to eat organic. I'm lucky that can afford to. But so many folk cant and they are the ones who will suffer.