Go nitrite-free

Sodium nitrites make processed meats look fresh and pink and prolong their shelf life. But their effect on the human organism appears to be the opposite: the chemical is a known carcinogen. This “preservative” is so dangerous that the United State Department of Agriculture tried to ban it the 70s. But, as it happens in this just world, the mighty meat industry fought the ban and won.

So how do you go nitrite-free? One, quite radical I must say, option is to become vegetarian and eat organic root vegetables. If you think you were born a carnivore, the following options can help:

- Cut out most all commercial hot dogs, lunch meats, sausages, bacon, and processed meats (even that in canned soup).

- Look for nitrate/nitrite-free varieties, such as nitrite-free O’Doherty’s Black Bacon from Co. Fermanagh.

- Don’t be fooled by the word ‘organic’ on processed meat labels. Many organic farms still use nitrites in the curing process.

- Eat RAW fruit and veg rich in antioxidants, particularly vitamins C and E, which inhibit the conversion of sodium nitrate into those nasty nitrosamines. I say raw because vitamin C is easily destroyed during cooking. You can also use good strong vitamins C and E supplements.