Choosing Canned Meat
by Shereen Jegtvig
Chances are, most of the meat you buy at the grocery store is either fresh or frozen, but there are several types of meat available in cans. The most popular canned meats include fish like tuna and salmon, plus you can also buy shrimp, clam and crab meats in cans. It’s a convenient way to buy and use seafood.
Beyond seafoods, you’ll find chicken and other meat products in cans too, such as deviled ham, the often maligned Spam, corned beef and perhaps your grocery store carries a canned pate or two. These products are good for sandwiches, as additions to salads and as ingredients in recipes. And they last for a long time in your kitchen cabinets.
Some of the canned meat products will combine the meat with potatoes, like corned beef and hash, or other ingredients. These foods are easy to use, just heat and serve, but are they good for you? The main problem with canned meats, as with most canned goods, is the high amounts of sodium from salt and additives. Look for low-sodium varieties whenever possible. Some cured meats sold in canned form also contain sodium nitrite, which has been linked to increased rates of some types of cancer. Read more
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Warning Labels on Hot Dogs?
by Shereen Jegtvig
Just recently, a vegan group called the Cancer Project filed a lawsuit asking the state of New Jersey to require cancer-warning labels on hot dogs. I think most people would find this lawsuit to be frivolous and I doubt New Jersey residents will see warning labels on their hot dogs anytime soon, but it is worth thinking about.
There have been studies suggesting a link between processed meats, like hot dogs, and colon cancer. They’re usually high in saturated fat and loaded with artificial additives and preservatives, the worst probably being nitrites, which are added to prevent bacterial growth and adds that familiar pink color. When the nitrites combine with other substances also found in meat to form N-nitroso compounds that are associated with a higher risk of several cancers. As an aside, many green vegetables naturally contain nitrites, but they don’t convert to the N-nitroso compounds, perhaps due to vitamins or antioxidants also found in the vegetables.
Does this mean that hot dogs should carry warning labels or that you should shriek and run away in horror the next time you see hot dogs at a picnic? Read more
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Under the Microscope: Nitrites
Nitrites have, for centuries, been used as preservatives of meat, fish and poultry. Additives such as potassium nitrite, sodium nitrate and its derivative sodium nitrite act by drawing moisture away from the meat, thereby providing a dry, sterile environment in which bacteria are unable to grow. In addition to their antimicrobial properties, nitrites preserve the color and flavor of cured meat products, and are commonly used to impart smoky flavors, or red/pink colors into meats such as wieners, bacon and sausages. (Epley, 1999), (eNotAlone, 2009.) Read more
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Sodium Nitrite
Ingredient Name: Sodium Nitrite
Alternative Names: Color (250), Preservative (250), Color Fixative (Sodium Nitrite), Mineral Salt (250), Nitrite (250).
E-Number: E250
Use in Food: Have you ever wondered why wieners and bacon are pink? This bright color occurs in meats that have been treated with sodium nitrite. Sodium nitrite is used as a preservative and color fixative in many… Read more
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Top 10 Food Facts – April Week 5
Howdy Everyone!
We have reached the tail-end of the week (only one more day to go.. after this one), and you all deserve to divulge in some of our foodessential food facts. Having a database of over 20,000 foods enables us to come up with quite a few food facts, some of which you may not have otherwise known? This week we have debated the difference between turkey and ham – one of which is higher in calories, saturated fat, sodium and has more nitrites – can you guess which one?
Additionally we have brought to you, some of the most popular food facts on twitter from this past week, including gluten free soy sauces (which aren’t organic or over priced) and convenience meals that contain high fructose corn syrup. But the food fact with the most retweets – a product that contains 101 individual ingredients. This and plenty more…enjoy, and feel free to let us know what you think – like is 101 ingredients necessary in your opinion? Read more
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