Nitrates are substances that are considered dangerous for health and enter our body from vegetables and fruits. However, they can actually be useful. Ekaterina Kashukh, PhD, explains that nitrates are essential for the growth and development of plants. They are found in fertilizers that fertilize the soil and then pass into the fruits and vegetables we eat.
In the body, even small amounts of nitrates are beneficial. They help dilate blood vessels and relieve spasms, which helps normalize blood pressure. Additionally, some nitrates, such as nitric oxide, are used in medicines to treat cardiovascular diseases.
However, if nitrates accumulate in the body in large quantities, they can combine with hemoglobin to form methemoglobin. This leads to oxygen starvation as methemoglobin cannot provide oxygen to tissues and organs. Therefore, it is important to monitor the amount of nitrates in the body.
To reduce the risk of excess nitrate, it is recommended to choose vegetables and fruits by removing the parts of the plant that contain the most nitrates. For example, in leafy vegetables these are roots and stems, in cabbage they are the stems and veins of the leaves, in carrots they are seeds, in radishes and cucumbers, on the contrary, they are the peel. In addition, nitrates accumulate in zucchini, zucchini, eggplant, beets and radishes, near the stem, and in fruits – in the core and under the skin.
When cooking vegetables, it is recommended to boil them, as it reduces the nitrate content. However, prolonged defrosting of food can lead to nitrite formation, so it is better to defrost food just before cooking.
Source: Ferra
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