In addition to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and poor diet, preservatives are a top source for health problems across America. The compounds used as preservatives in food today tend to be incredibly toxic and detrimental to health on a long enough timeline.
There are natural preserving methods, such as pickling and honey curing. Aside from the sodium and sugar ingestion, these original methods are not particularly unhealthy. There are now synthetic and very high sodium additives, however, which can be detrimental to your health over a long enough period when consumed frequently enough. Frozen dinners (or T V dinners), for example, are extremely high in sodium in great part due to the large proportion of preservatives added.
Sodium nitrite is a top inorganic chemical compound additive in packaged and processed foods consumed by Americans today. It is used for its preserving of and adding flavor to everything from cold cuts to breakfast meats to hot dogs. It has been fundamental preventing lipid oxidation and pathogen growth in foods since the early 20th century.
As frequent as sodium nitrite is used in so many of the foods we eat on a regular basis, it is responsible for a large portion of our sodium intake. Aside from all the pitfalls of high sodium intake, such as heart disease and hypertension, sodium nitrite has been shown to encourage cancer growth. This is of particular concern to those who eat a lot salted cured meats, frozen food and commercially produced beef jerky.
According to a study conducted by the University of Hawaii, processed meats high in preservatives increase pancreatic cancer risk 67% and for every 50 grams of processed meat consumed daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 21%. It is so toxic, as a matter of fact, it used to kill feral boar in Australia.
Feeding your family all natural meats and vegetables with no preservatives is the best option to keep them healthy and active. Canned meats and vegetables with no preservatives is especially important to look for when shopping for your family.