Autumn abundance of fruits and vegetables allowsto reconsider the habitual diet in the direction of increasing the consumption of the gifts of nature. Fruit platter and fresh vegetable salad are tasty and useful, but do not forget that these vitamin dishes can contain nitrates.
Nitrates are the salts of nitric acid,extracted by plants from the ground in the process of growth. These salts are absolutely harmless, but only until they reach our body. Getting inside, harmless nitrates in vegetables turn into extremely unsafe nitrites, capable of blocking cellular respiration. Most nitrates are found in early vegetables and early greens, since an increased rate of nitrogen-based fertilizers is applied to accelerate maturation. It should be taken into account that the content of nitrates in vegetables grown in greenhouses is usually higher than in those grown in open ground.
Canned and salted vegetables have morelow level of nitrates in comparison with fresh fruits. The process of souring can reduce their content by 2-3 times. But fresh vegetable juices differ even with a higher level of nitrogen salts than the original roots.
Forewarned is forearmed!
- Skin peeling in any root crops reduces the content of nitrogen salts by half.
- Cabbage stump, covering sheets and thickened veins of leaves are to be removed.
- The core of the carrot contains the largest amount of nitrates, and also cut the carrots from the ends.
- Boiled beets must be pre-cleaned of peel, tip and tip.
- In the tops of courgettes and cucumbers contains the least amount of nitrates, and in the pedicels - the largest.
- Leeks accumulate nitrates below, in the white part of the vegetable.
- Soaked, pre-washed greens, cleared of stems, also has a low level of nitrates.
- The radish of the elongated form contains a greater quantity of nitrogen salts than the round radish.
- Early watermelons ripen ahead of time due to a large number of fertilizers introduced into the soil. When eating these berries, it is better to refrain from careful eating of slices.
- Storage of fruits and vegetables with propertemperature (for example, in a refrigerator) also helps to prevent the transition of nitrates to dangerous nitrites. Spoiled, rotten fruits should not be eaten in any way!