On this quest for a healthier lifestyle one thing I have not been able to give up is lunch meat. I know it's not the best for you, it's full of sodium nitrates & nitrites, heavily processed and the majority of today's lunch or deli meats are full of meat bi-products. Applegate Farms is changing all of that! They are a great source for many of your "processed" meat needs. They are an anti-biotic, anti-additive, low-sodium and nitrate free company! They make MANY different meat products such as lunch meat, turkey bacon, canadian bacon, low-sodium & no bi-product hotdogs, uncured hams, breakfast sausage, gluten free chicken nuggets & so much more. We are lucky here in Texas as their products are stocked at both Kroger & HEB, as well as Target Super Stores. If you live up north you can find their products at Cub Foods, Trader Joes & Target Super Stores.
What's the big deal with Sodium Nitrates?
"Sodium nitrate (NaNO3) and its close relative sodium nitrite (NaNO2) are preservatives that you find in lots of processed meats. Stuff like salami, hot dogs, pepperoni, bologna, ham, bacon and SPAM all normally contain sodium nitrate as one of the ingredients. Fresh meats generally do not contain any added chemicals, so the question is, "Why is sodium nitrate added to all of these processed meats?"
There are two reasons for adding these chemicals to processed meats:
They preserve the color of the meat (meaning that it looks pink like SPAM rather than gray like cooked hamburger). You have probably noticed that nearly all meats that contain sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite remain pink or red even though they are cooked during processing.
These chemicals inhibit botulism to some degree." - TLC Cooking
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