Dr. Lisa A. Barker

Most health conscious people know that nitrates and nitrites are not healthy for us and can potentially cause cancer.  There are some nuances to this and so the blanket statement that they are harmful, is not completely true.

What are Nitrates and Nitrites?

A nitrate is a nitrogen atom plus 3 oxygen atoms and a nitrite is the same except it only has two oxygen atoms.  Nitrates and nitrites can occur naturally in some vegetables, such as beets, but they are also added to deli meats as a preservative, flavor, and color enhancer.  They are also produced by our body and circulate between our saliva and digestive tract. Nitrates are converted into nitrites when ingested by our saliva and digested .  Nitrites can either convert into nitric oxide (NO) which is healthy or nitrosamines which are carcinogens.  Nitric oxide is antimicrobial in the digestive tract and is a signaling molecule that dilates blood vessels. Nitrosamines are converted from nitrites when they are heated to a very high temperature in the presence of amino acids or when reacting to stomach acid.  The key here is high heat.  We typically heat meat at high temps compared to vegetables.  Just think how harmful cured hot dogs are, when heated to high temperatures on the grill.  Also, processed meat companies are required to add Vitamin C which interferes with nitrosamine production (4). Most vegetables and fruits naturally contain Vitamin C (6).

Nitrate Food Sources

Sodium nitrate cannot be added to food products that are labeled organic.  Instead organic foods and products choosing to be “naturally uncured” use sea salt, celery juice, or celery salt instead. Vegetables that are high in nitrates can mix with your saliva and can convert to nitric acid or NO. Nitric oxide remember is good for you, and I’ll explain why in a minute. It is therefore, a good idea to incorporate nitrate laden vegetables into your diet.  Beets, celery, arugula, spinach, and iceberg lettuce are all very high in nitrates (5). Fruits are less nitrate dense, with strawberries trumping the list (6).

Benefits of Nitric Oxide (NO)

Cardiovascular Health

Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow thus improving cardiac health.  In one study, dietary flavonoids and nitrates were shown to lower blood pressure depending on the availability of NO, which is dependent on the conversion of nitrate to nitrite via salivary enzymes (3).

Male Sexual Performance

For men, NO can increase testosterone and enhance erectile quality.  NO is a vasodilator, so increased blood flow to the penis.  In fact, the key ingredient in Viagra and Cialis is NO (5)

Exercise Performance

Athletes are using vegetable nitrate supplements for increased endurance and exercise performance.  Beetroot juice and potassium nitrate are popular supplements.  One study showed that a high NO diet decreased oxygen used during moderate intensity cycling, increased muscle work during fatigability tests, and improved agility in repeated sprinting tests (2).

Anti-platelet

Nitrates converted to NO were shown to reduce platelet reactivity but only in males, according to one study.  This is promising for more future studies as a concomitant to anti-platelet drug therapy (1).

My Advice Regarding Nitrates

Bacon is best cooked in the microwave to reduce nitrosamine production or cook it on a lower temperature for a longer period of time. Children have a very hard time processing excess amount of nitrates, so limit their exposure to hotdogs and processed meats (4).  My recommendation for any age, is to buy cold cuts sparingly and when you do, buy them nitrate free or uncured.  Also, when eating out, don’t order meals with cured meats, like a BLT for instance, unless the menu specifically says uncured bacon.  As a precaution, NO can give some people migraines.

1. Velmurugan S, Kapil V, Ghosh SM, Davies S, McKnight A, Aboud Z, Khambata RS, Webb AJ, Poole A, Ahluwalia A. Antiplatelet effects of dietary nitrate in healthy volunteers: involvement of cGMO and influence of sex. Free Radic Biol Med. 2013 Dec;65:1521-32.
2. Porcelli S, Pugliese L, Rejec E, Pavei G, Bonato M, Montorsi M, La Torre A, Rasica L, Marzorati M. Effects of a Short-Term High-Nitrate Diet on Exercise Performance. Nurtrients. 2016 Aug 31;8(9)
3. Lovegrove JA, Stainer A, Hobbs DA. Role of flavonoids and nitrates in cardiovascular health. Proc Nutr Soc. 2017 Jan 19:1-13
4. Gunnars, Chris. Are Nitrates and Nitrites in Foods Harmful? 2017. Healthline 4 June 2017. <https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/arenitratesandnitritesinfoodsharmful?.html.>
5. Kuoppala Ali. 5 Food High in Nitrates to Blast Your Nitric Oxide Levels Through the Roof. 2014. Anabolic Men. <https//www.anabolicmen.com/amp/>
6. Dubois, Sirah.  Fruits and Vegetables That Are High in Nitrates. 2017. Livestrong 3 October 2017. <https://www.livestrong.com/article/5413.

When cooking with oils, there are a few important things to consider.

1. What are you using the oil for: frying, sautéing, or drizzling on food? Also, from a culinary standpoint, what flavors are you looking to enhance your food? For example, when I cook Asian cuisine I like to use sesame seed oil. I love the flavor of truffle oil,  so I like to drizzle it on potatoes after they have been cooked or potato chips.
2. It is important to buy a healthy oil, so look for one high in nutrients and antioxidants and that has a good balance of omega-3’s and 6’s and even some incorporation of omega-9’s.
3. Avoid buying GMO oil.  Assume that canola, soybean, and corn oils are genetically modified unless they say NonGMO or organic.
4. Different oils need to be used at different cooking temperatures. If you heat oils past their smoke point, then you are oxidizing the oil and releasing free radicals that can be carcinogenic.  This also, will deplete their nutrients.
5. All oils can go rancid if exposed to light, heat, and air, therefore it is important to store your oils in a dark and cool environment.  If an oil goes rancid you can typically smell and taste it. Reused oils go rancid quickly, and I recommend throwing them out.  Rancid oils can release free radicals, called oxidative rancidity, and adversely affect your health.

My list of Oils with their Associated Smoke Point

For frying, searing meat and woking – *avocado oil (520), ghee (485), which is a fat, not an oil, look for organic or grass fed, light sesame oil (410),  sunflower oil (460)

For sautéing – unrefined sesame oil (350), butter (350), which is a fat, not an oil, look for organic or grass fed, *grapeseed (420), virgin olive oil (420), olive oil (350) coconut oil (350)

For drizzling or salad dressing – flaxseed (225) or *extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) (320)

For baking – coconut oil (350) and *organic canola oil (400)

* The oils I personally use the most in each category.

Here’s the scoop about GMO’s.  GMO stands for genetically engineered organism.  Are they safe?  The verdict is still out. In rat studies, massive tumors were exhibited at age 13 months old in rats that were fed a small portion of their diet (11% being Genetically modified). In humans this study equates to tumors showing up in our bodies at age 43 if only 11% of our diet is genetically engineered. 95% of corn, canola, soybean, cottonseed, and sugar beet grown in the US is GMO.  If you see any product with any of these foods you can assume it is GMO unless it says organic or non-GMO.  Currently GMO products do not need to be labeled.  GMO are banned in 27 countries excluding the USA.

This is how it works.  Genetically engineered seed (GE seed) is made to be Roundup ready or glyphosate (the main chemical in Roundup weed killer) resistant. So when the seed is sowed and a baby plant starts to grow, farmers spray round up to kill the weeds near the crop.  Now they have room to plant more crop? All the weeds die but the genetically engineered crop which is resistant to weed killer grows and the glyphosate gets into the cell matrix.  Problem? Yes! 1)The chemical spray cannot be washed off the crop and glyphosate is classified as a ‘probable carcinogen’ by the World Health Organization.  2) Milkweed is dying off and now the monarch butterfly population is suffering because it is their favorite food. 3) As mentioned before, probably genicatically engineer food is not safe for human consumption. 

How to eat non-GMO

1) Avoid corn, soy, cottonseed, canola, and sugar beet

2) Look for products that say non-GMO

3) Buy organic

4) Avoid PLU codes ( product look up codes that start with the number 8).  For example bananas are 4011, organic bananas are 94011, and GM bananas are 84011.

5) Shop at grocery stores that promise that they do not sell GMO.  Trader Joe’s is one of them.

6) Avoid farm raised fish

7) Avoid eating out at restaurants that don’t promise non-GMO and avoid processed foods.

8) Eat organic poultry and eggs only.

9) Buy grass fed beef, because it is not grain fed.