Meg Haworth

Additives, preseratives, food chemicals, etc., etc.  The ingredients in our foods contain far too many unpronoucable syllables, and syllables that should not be put together in a single word.  I always think that they name these ingredients in this way just to throw us off and make them sound so official that we wouldn't possibly question them.  They sound so scientific and semi-somehwhat legitimate.  They must be time tested and approved by all the top labratories and organizations that say what's ok to have in our foods. Anyway, there are so many food chemicals to choose from that I thought I would start with a very popular lunch meat preserative . . . nitrates.

So, I googled Nitrates and put in the word "Mayo Clinic" so I could find some connection to science from a reliable source.  I experienced a "duh moment" (the opposite of an aha moment) when I read the page on Nitrates in medicine: used to stop a heart attack and decrease the symptoms of chest pains, a condition woefully named angina.  Not what I was looking for but I was entertained by the mis-Google.

Next, I decided to read a package of turkey sandwich meat I got from Trader Joes.  I found a list of ingredients that made me shudder - especially since it was in my refrigerator and I was about to make a sandwich with it.   So the cat's out of the bag on that one.  The owner of Delicious and Healthy is eating preserative laden sandwich meat.  It's a budget thing that I am rethinking as I write this.  More on that later. For now, let's get to the serious stuff . . .

Sodium Nitrite (not Nitrate), according to Wikipedia, is a preservatie used in meats to do two major things - preserve the color of the meat and to prevent the growth of botulism (a nasty neurotoxin that can cause paralysis and death).   While botulism is not likely to grow in our  meats, it is likely to grow in canned foods, particularly low-acid foods like corn, green beans and asparagus.  The  acquisition of nitrite free meat is easy at health food stores like Whole Foods Market and really should not be a concern to the consumer.  I guess what I'm saying is sodium nitrites are not necessary to keep our lunch meats from spoiling.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the use of sodium nitrites is the link between the high consumption of foods containing this preservative and colon cancer.  If you eat sandwiches every day with turkey, ham, roast beef or other sandwich meats, you may want to cut back or get sandwich meat that's nitrite free.  When this substance builds up in your system, you may well become terminally ill.

So, I am rethinking that occasional bit of sandwich meat I get from Trader Joe's and have decided that if I really want a good sandwich it's worth it to go to Whole Foods for some lunch meat without sodium nitrites.  In the long run, it's better to spend more on your food now then on your health care later when your insurance company has cut you loose because you ate way too many nitrites . . .

Need help with what to eat when you are gluten and dairy free?  Think food additives may be causing your allergic reactions?  Get the help you need at www.DeliciousAndHealthy.com where you can find my cookbook "Dining Out Without Wheat and Dairy; 14 Days to a Delicious and Healthy You" and my new guide "Dining Out Without Wheat and Dairy" with all the questions you need to ask in restaurants to keep from having a food reaction.