Does Sodium Nitrate Have Carbs?

In recent years, there's been a great deal of focus on the carbohydrate, or "carb," content of foods. You may have heard that carbs lead to weight gain and metabolic disorders such as diabetes, and you may be trying to avoid them. Sodium nitrate, while not a healthy component of diet, doesn't contain carbs.

Sodium Nitrate

Sodium nitrate is a chemical salt with the formula NaNO3. It's commonly used to preserve meat, because it helps inhibit bacterial growth. Your body can't use sodium nitrate, or any of the chemicals that the body makes from sodium nitrate, to provide energy. As such, it contains no calories and can't provide the cells with metabolic fuel. Since carbohydrates are energy-providing compounds that your cells break down through the process of respiration, sodium nitrate is not a carb -- and doesn't contain carbs.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates, or carbs, are chemical compounds that help to provide your cells with energy. They include sugars and starch, and are one of the three macronutrient types -- the others being proteins and fats -- that you need in large quantities in your diet to support health and cellular function. When you consume carbs, you break them down in the digestive tract into their constituent compounds, called monosaccharides, that you then absorb into the bloodstream, explains Dr. Lauralee Sherwood in her book "Human Physiology."

Sodium Nitrate Concerns

While sodium nitrate isn't a carb and doesn't contain carbs, it's not a healthy component of diet. The Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University explains that the body converts sodium nitrate into sodium nitrite, a closely related compound. This reacts with chemicals called secondary amines, which are plentiful in the meat that nitrate is typically used to preserve. The resulting compounds, called nitrosamines, are carcinogens and increase your risk of various types of cancer.

Carb Myths

In reality, despite their bad reputation in popular media, carbs aren't bad for you in the right amounts. In fact, they're an important source of cellular energy, and are the preferred fuel for the brain and hardworking muscles. Your body stores extra carbohydrate in the liver and muscles in the form of a molecule called glycogen. The healthiest carbohydrates include fruit, some vegetables and whole grains. Refined flours and sugars are less healthy, and can increase the likelihood that you'll store them as body fat.