Each of us has heard more than once that nitrates harm the human body, up to the occurrence of cancer. Therefore, in no case should you eat early vegetables, fruits and greens. And even better to to to buy shops, where they are probably pumped up with nitrates and chemicals. From a scientific point of view, this is a big mistake. Nitrates can really be dangerous, but it's quite difficult to get poisoned by them.
- When nitrates are harmful to health: myths and true
- Myth 1. Nitrates — it's poison
- Myth 2. Fertilizers affect the amount of nitrates in plants
- Myth 3. Most of all nitrates — in watermelons
- 5 tips to minimize the harm of nitrates
- How to reduce nitrates in vegetables and fruits
When nitrates are harmful to health: myths and true
Most of all nitrates enter our body with products of plant origin. We used to think of them poisons, but this is not always so.
Myth 1. Nitrates — it's poison
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Nitrates are salts of nitric acid (nitrate), which plants need for growth and development. They absorb them from the soil and can accumulate. However, nitrates can also be found in the body of a person who does not eat vegetables and fruits at all. Scientists hasten to reassure, arguing that this is quite normal.
Nitrates are harmful to health if consumed in large quantities. Then they turn into toxic nitrites, which can cause oxygen starvation, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and oncology.
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Signs of nitrate poisoning may not appear immediately, but for 1-6 hours . Poisoning symptoms look like this:
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Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
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Liver enlargement
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Low blood pressure
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Rapid pulse and cold extremities
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Headache, weakness, loss of consciousness
Mild poisoning is characterized by nausea, diarrhea and drowsiness.
However, nitrate poisoning — a very rare occurrence. To do this, you need to eat several kilograms of vegetables at a time. For example, 5 kg of green salad.
The World Health Organization recommends sticking to the daily dose of nitrates — 222 mg for a 60 kg person. However, many experts believe that this dose may be higher. For a healthy diet, where a lot of vegetables and fruits are included in the diet, these figures will still be higher.
Myth 2. Fertilizers affect the amount of nitrates in plants
It is widely believed that vegetables and fruits are full of nitrates due to excessive mineral fertilizer. But this is only one of factors. Even naturally grown plants contain nitrates.
The amount of nitrates in plants is affected by:
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Chemical composition of the soil
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Amount of light
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Water for irrigation
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Technology of cultivation and application of fertilizers
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Air temperature
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Features of some plants
What can increase nitrate in plants:
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High doses of nitrogen fertilizers
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Misuse of organic fertilizers
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Untimely fertilization
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Growing in greenhouses (lack of light)
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Dense crops in open ground.
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Myth 3. Most of all nitrates — in watermelons
We used to be careful of early watermelons and out-of-season fruits. It is believed that they are crammed with nitrates, which can easily be poisoned. But in most cases, watermelon poisoning is not associated with nitrates, but with microbes. Bacteria settle on watermelons and melons sold outdoors. That's why you can't buy watermelon halves and you shouldn't ask to cut it.
To to the watermelons are far from the largest amount of nitrates: 60 mg per 1 kg. Much more harmful salts are found in & nbsp; beets, spinach and & nbsp; cabbage. In these plants, the dose of nitrates is 1.5 thousand per 1 kg.
Each plant has its own developmental characteristics, so the amount of nitrates in different species will fluctuate. Most of all, nitrates accumulate in the roots, in potato peel, stalk and the upper leaves of cabbage, tails of cucumbers.
Eggplants, peppers, green peas, apples, strawberries contain the least harmful salts.
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5 tips for minimizing nitrates
Vegetables, fruits, greens — basis of a healthy diet. They improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, are an important source of vitamins and minerals, protect our body from free radicals, diseases and pathologies. An adult needs to eat 450 grams of vegetables and fruits a day and in no case restrict them in their diet because of the fear of poisoning with nitrates.
If you eat a kilo of apples from the market or a few kilos of strawberries, you still won exceed the allowable intake of nitrates. But for those who are still worried, there are effective measures that help minimize the harm to health of nitrates.
How to reduce nitrates in vegetables and fruits
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Thoroughly wash and peel vegetables and fruits. This will help to reduce the amount of nitrates up to 25%.
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Heat treatment reduces nitrate levels by 40-80%. Cooked vegetables are safe for health.
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Buy fresh and ripe vegetables and fruits.
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Vegetables can be put in a solution of soda (1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water) for half an hour. They should then be rinsed with cold water. Soaking reduces the level of nitrates by 25-50%. It is enough to cut beets, zucchini, pumpkin, greens and pour water for 10 minutes.
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Try not to eat vegetables and fruits from the first harvest. They will have slightly more nitrates than seasonal ones.
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