Hi everybody it's Monica Reinagle the nutrition diva here with more quick and

dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous today's show is on

nitrates and nitrates compounds that have been linked to cancer in both lab animals and humans.

As you may know, nitrates and nitrites are found in cured meats like ham, bacon, hot dogs, sausage, and cold cuts.

Now there have been a lot of studies on these over the years.

Some have found an association between cured meat consumption and certain types of cancer

and adults, whereas others have found no link. But just this year, there was a

study finding that kids who eat three or more hot dogs a week have a higher

than normal rate of leukemia, and other studies found that eating hot dogs

during pregnancy can increase the risk of brain tumors in the babies.

Understandably, there are now calls to ban the use of nitrites and nitrates in processed foods.

But the truth is that unless you eat cold cuts at every single meal,

cured meats are probably not the biggest source of nitrates and nitrates in your

diet. You know it is? You're not going to believe this. Vegetables account for most of the nitrates and nitrites in a typical diet.

That's right. The more vegetables you eat, the higher your intake of nitrates and nitrites.

Nevertheless, eating more vegetables reduces your risk of cancer.

Obviously, it's an oversimplification to say that these compounds simply cause

cancer. Nitrates and nitrites are both naturally occurring

substances.

They're found in food, water, and they're also produced by living cells, including yours.

They're involved in many important chemical reactions in your body.

In fact, you could argue that nitrates and nitrites are essential to your health.

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