Meats cured with nitrates (hot dogs, deli meats, ham, bacon, etc.) are widely considered to be “bad for your health” by most medical authorities.
However, leafy green vegetables, such as kale, spinach, broccoli, & cabbage, on average have similar, or even higher concentrations of nitrates in them. Leafy green vegetables, in contrast, are widely considered to be “good for your health” by the same medical authorities.
On average, hot dogs contains between 10 – 50 mg of nitrate per 100g, while 100g of kale contains 25 – 40 mg of nitrate.
Why is there such a concern about the nitrate concentrations in cured meats, when leafy green vegetables have similar concentrations of nitrates?
In: Biology
>On average, hot dogs contains between 10 – 50 mg of nitrate per 100g, while 100g of kale contains 25 – 40 mg of nitrate.
One hot dog is about 50g, while 100g of kale is something like 5 cups.
People eat 2 hot dogs at one meal *all the time*. No one eats 5 cups of kale at a cookout.
Who said nitrates are bad for you?
Maybe the added nitrates are a problem, as they are typically added with a bunch of salt, but getting a meat to vegetable levels isn’t very tasty.
There is a problem with nitrosamines, which nitrates can be turned into with high heat cooking. Someone with the idea that vegetables aren’t cooked at high heat needs to check their cuisine. Cooking a slice of country ham at high heat isn’t a good idea, for many reasons, and nitrosamines are one of them. So, don’t do that.
I mean, kale is 22g a cup. Hotdogs are 150 per and people often eat two or more. The gram by gram comparison only makes sense in a world people eat the two in equal amounts.
Nitrates and nitrites are not the issue in themselves, it’s the molecule they break down into as part of the digestive process. Nitrates in vegetables start getting broken down by your saliva and becomes nitric oxide in your body. Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels, which in turn can lower blood pressure.
When sodium nitrite reacts with degraded amino acids produced during the digestion of proteins, it forms N-nitroso compounds (NOCs). These NOCs have been shown to cause cancer.
I did read a paper that raised concerns about the nitrate levels in rocket. However, in general most vegetables don’t have the same level of nitrates as cured meats. They also are a source of fibre, which is very useful in lowering the likelihood of conditions such as bowel cancer, which is what has been linked to nitrate consumption.
I eat cured meats 2-3 times a week, is that acceptable? Can I eat a couple more roni slices a month. (Male / 50s).
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