Sodium nitrite is a chemical that can be added to food to prevent spoiling and to increase preservation. It is also created naturally in the body by the conversion of sodium nitrate to nitrite. Therefore, foods that are high in sodium nitrate are also potential sources of nitrite. Debates exist over whether sodium nitrite is bad for your health, including when sodium nitrite is converted to nitrosamines.
Cured Meats
Perhaps the food group that gets the most attention for its use of sodium nitrite is the cured meats. These meats include ham, salami, bologna and hot dogs. Sodium nitrite is added to these meats to protect them from spoiling and from contamination with botulism. Also, sodium nitrite does add a degree of flavor to the food as well as the color change that is associated with curing of meats.
Vegetables
Both leafy and tuberous vegetables are extremely rich in sodium nitrate, which is converted in your body to sodium nitrite. These vegetables include spinach, lettuce and radishes, all of which have high concentrations of sodium nitrate. Sodium nitrate is converted to sodium nitrite due to in interactions during digestion. According to the American Meat Institute, vegetable sources can account for up to 93 percent of your sodium nitrite intake.
Beer and Tobacco
Part of the reason that sodium nitrite has been reported to be unhealthy is due to its conversion into nitrosamine. Increased nitrosamine levels have been associated with cancer risk, but a confirmed link has been difficult to prove, according to Richard A. Scanlan, Ph.D, author of the article "Nitrosamines and Cancer," published on the Oregon State University website. Products high in nitrosamines include beer and tobacco, which have certainly been linked to detrimental health effects, but not necessarily because of nitrosamines. Further research into nitrosamines is necessary to decide one way or the other about their potential danger.
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