I was always under the impression that curing meats was simply a process of making meats taste better, but now it looks like curing has a double meaning. No, the meats aren’t exactly going to cure you of anything, but they just might help you treat some and prevent some diseases. The key is the nitrates and nitrites that we’ve all been taught to avoid.
According to Feedstuffs.com, “…the dietary inclusion of nitrites and nitrates may provide a rescue or protective pathway for people at risk for cardiovascular disease…[and] may also provide protection against tissue damage.”
These nitrates and nitrites are converted to nitric oxide in our bodies, which really helps a lot of bodily processes go more smoothly. According to the research, “The human immune system also uses nitric oxide in fighting viral, bacterial and parasitic infections, and tumors.”
Please pass the bacon-wrapped foot-long hot dog.
(via Feedstuffs.com)