Nitrate/nitrite is found in a variety of fruits, vegetables and other foods. Actually over 90% of our dietary intake is from foods other than prepared meats. For example, you’d have to eat 120 slices of Natural Selections cured meats to equal the amount in a single stalk of celery.

Nitrate and nitrite are naturally-occurring molecules that are everywhere in our environment. Green leafy vegetables, beets and radishes contain the highest levels of nitrate. The nitrate in vegetables, cheese, cured meats, and even our drinking water, are naturally converted into nitrite and nitric oxide in our bodies.

According to health experts and many research studies, nitrite and nitric oxide are essential for a healthy metabolism as they:

• Signal arteries to relax and expand
• Decrease blood pressure
• Protect against heart attack and stroke
• Signal immune cells to kill bacteria and cancer cells
• Signal brain cells to communicate with each other
• Reduce asthma symptoms
• Regulate insulin signalling and secretion

How do our bodies get nitrate, nitrite and nitric oxide?
Vegetables such as beets, celery, lettuce, radishes and spinach contribute about 85-90% of our dietary intake of nitrate. In our mouths, good bacteria react with nitrate to produce nitrite and provide approximately 50% of the body’s nitric oxide. The highest levels of nitrite are found in colostrum - the breast milk produced immediately after birth. This is nature’s way of supplementing the production of essential nitric oxide to keep babies healthy.

Nitrate and nitrite in cured meats
To safeguard Canadians, Health Canada requires that nitrate and nitrite be used in certain cured meats to protect against the growth of harmful spore-forming bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum. Nitrite can be added to meat products in two ways: either through sodium nitrite, which is synthetically produced, or through a natural source like cultured celery extract. Either way, they provide the same important food safety benefits.

In the United States, nitrate and nitrite from cured meats as a percentage of total dietary intake is estimated to be at less than 10%. The average daily intake of nitrate and nitrite by Canadians are at the lower end of the range of estimates by the World Health Organization.

Cured meats can be part of a healthy balanced diet. They are an important convenient source of protein, iron and minerals.

Maple Leaf Natural Selections and Schneiders Country Naturals
Increasingly consumers are looking for products made with simpler, natural ingredients. In response, we developed Maple Leaf Natural Selections and Schneiders Country Naturals, which offers a full line of premium quality, cured meats made with all natural ingredients.

We spent four years developing these products and they are very different from our conventional products. We removed the following synthetically produced preservatives and ingredients:

• sodium nitrite;
• sodium phosphate;
• sodium diacetate;
• potassium lactate; and
• sodium erythorbate.

• lemon juice;
• sea salt;
• vinegar; and
• vegetable-based ingredients, such as cultured celery extract.

Cultured celery extract is cultured to produce nitrite through a process similar to adding bacterial culture to milk to produce yogurt. In combination with vinegar, lemon juice and sea salt, cultured celery extract is a natural preservative that plays an important role in food safety. For more information about these products, please read our product brochure.

These are premium products. We removed artificial preservatives and replaced them with natural ingredients. We only use the finest cuts of meat. These products are among the very best tasting sliced meats in the market.

Summary
Nitrite and nitrate are vital to the formation of nitric oxide, which is essential to cardio-vascular health and provide numerous other health benefits. The more we learn about nitrite, the more aware we become that they are an important nutrient.

Cured meats are part of a healthy balanced diet. They are an important source of protein, iron and minerals. Refer to the Health Canada’s Food Guide for more information about a recommended healthy diet.