http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm
The labels on some "natural" hot dogs and other cured meats brag about "no added nitrite." Be skeptical. While those products may not contain added sodium nitrite, they sometimes are made with celery powder or celery juice which are naturally high in nitrate. A bacterial culture is used to convert that to nitrite. Indeed in 2011 the New York Times revealed that the "natural" cured meats could have 10 times as much nitrite as conventional products. The bottom line: those products typically are high in salt and sometimes saturated fat, so they'd be worth eating only occasionally or avoiding entirely.
At least when you cure your own meats, you know what you are getting.... especially if you use a grams scale, to weigh the stuff accurately.....
The labels on some "natural" hot dogs and other cured meats brag about "no added nitrite." Be skeptical. While those products may not contain added sodium nitrite, they sometimes are made with celery powder or celery juice which are naturally high in nitrate. A bacterial culture is used to convert that to nitrite. Indeed in 2011 the New York Times revealed that the "natural" cured meats could have 10 times as much nitrite as conventional products. The bottom line: those products typically are high in salt and sometimes saturated fat, so they'd be worth eating only occasionally or avoiding entirely.
At least when you cure your own meats, you know what you are getting.... especially if you use a grams scale, to weigh the stuff accurately.....