Manufacturers add nitrates and nitrites to foods such as cured sandwich meats, bacon, salami or sausages to give them color and to prolong their shelf life. When added to processed foods in this way, both nitrates and nitrites can form nitrosamines in the body, which can increase your risk of developing cancer.
The major concern is a class of synthetic food preservatives that includes sodium or potassium nitrates and nitrites, which food companies put in cured meat to preserve its color, prevent fats from going rancid and keep bacteria from growing.
Nitrates is a known yet little publicised cause of bad behaviour in children. It crops up in ham, luncheon meat, peperoni, bacon, processed turkey and chicken, hot dogs. Watch out for pizza toppings as well.
Feingold diet
Late 1960's and early 1970's, a pediatrician and allergist, Dr. Ben f.. Feingold, developed the K-P diet (later called Feingold diet). To prevent and treat behaviour (Hyperactivity) disorder and learning difficulties in children, Dr. Feingold recommended a diet free of sodium nitrate and other artificial additives.The taconow website writes that:
Foods containing nitrates or nitrites, like those in preserved meats, bacon, ham, hot dogs and pickles should be avoided, since children with autism are known to have higher levels of these toxic derivatives of nitric oxide stored in their bodies due to an inability to detoxify.
http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/toxins-in-foods-the-environment/
This next website advises there are several preservatives that may cause behavioral problems in children. They include but are not limited to nitrates, nitrites, and sodium benzoate.
http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/adhd-add/five-foods-negatively-affect-childs-mood/
How about you? Have you or your child experienced adverse effects after consuming nitrates? Please leave a comment,
I want to tell you about my personal experience with Potassium Sorbate (e202). I do not have a behavioral problem with PS, but a digestive problem.
ReplyDeleteAfter some 20 years of working to track down the source of my digestive problems, I was able to determine that Potassium Sorbate is at least one of the culprits.
The problems it causes me show up only some 7-8 hours after I have eaten it, and even a very small amount causes noticeable problems. Last night late I had a small (2 sq inches) of bread with cream cheese that had e202 in it (that I only noticed after eating it), and when I woke up at around 7 am I had my usual symptoms: flatulence, burping, very loose bowels. At that time all of the PS is apparently in my lower digestive system, and after going twice to the toilet the symptoms largele ceased.
I think what made it hard to connect the source was the fact that my digestive problems show up only several hours after ingesting the PS. However it has been several years since I discovered this phenomenon, and I am quite sure that it is correct.
Generally I am in good health and do not have digestive problems. I do not have any problems with sulfites or metabisulfites. I do not know if this is classified as a food allergy or not. I have not noticed any problems with high potassium foods like beans or potatoes.