Nitrates in fruits and vegetables can be checked with a tester

Nitrates in fruits and vegetables can be checked with a tester
Nitrates in fruits and vegetables can be checked with a tester

Video: Nitrates in fruits and vegetables can be checked with a tester

Video: Nitrates in fruits and vegetables can be checked with a tester
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Autumn abundance of fruits and vegetables allows you to revise the usual diet in the direction of increasing the consumption of gifts of nature. Fruit platter and a salad of fresh vegetables are tasty and he althy, but do not forget that these vitamin dishes may contain nitrates.

nitrates in vegetables
nitrates in vegetables

Nitrates are called s alts of nitric acid, extracted by plants from the soil in the process of growth. These s alts are absolutely harmless, but only until they enter our body. Once inside, harmless nitrates in vegetables turn into extremely unsafe nitrites that can block cellular respiration. Most nitrates are found in early vegetables and early greens, because an increased rate of nitrogen-based fertilizers applied to the soil is used to accelerate ripening. It should be taken into account that the content of nitrates in vegetables grown in greenhouses is usually higher than in those grown in the open field.

nitrate content in vegetables
nitrate content in vegetables

Size matters! Most nitrates can be found in beets,radish and cabbage. The least nitrogen s alts are found in eggplants, bell peppers, tomatoes, green peas and garlic. Fruit size is directly proportional to nitrate content. Nitrates in ripe vegetables are contained in smaller quantities than in unripe ones. Heat treatment can significantly reduce their number. Thorough washing of fruits reduces nitrates in vegetables by 10-15%. When potatoes are cooked, up to 50 percent of nitrates are in the broth, the same happens with beets, and with carrots, and with cabbage. Frying reduces nitrates in vegetables by 15 percent, and deep frying by 60 percent. But steaming is the champion for destroying nitrates!

Canned and pickled vegetables have lower nitrate levels than fresh fruits. The fermentation process allows to reduce their content by 2-3 times. But fresh vegetable juices have even higher levels of nitrogen s alts than the original root crops.

Forewarned is forearmed!

- Peeling any root crop reduces the content of nitrogen s alts by half.

- Cabbage stalk, covering leaves and thickened leaf veins to be removed.

- The core of the carrot contains the highest amount of nitrates, should also be cut off the ends of the carrots.

- Boiled beets should be peeled, top and tip removed.

- The tops of zucchini and cucumbers contain the least amount of nitrates, and the stems the most.

- Leek accumulates nitrates at the bottom, in the white part of the vegetable.

- Soaked, pre-soakedwashed and de-stemmed greens are also low in nitrates.

- Elongated radishes contain more nitrogen s alts than round radishes. fertilizer soil. When eating these berries, it is better to refrain from over-eating the slices.

- Storing fruits and vegetables at the right temperature (eg in the refrigerator) also helps to prevent the conversion of nitrates to dangerous nitrites. Spoiled, rotten fruits should not be eaten in any case!

vegetable nitrate meter
vegetable nitrate meter

The best solution to the above problem is a nitrate tester! This small vegetable nitrate meter allows you to measure nitrate levels in fresh fruit. All you need to do is pierce the skin of the fruit with a tester. The numbers of the nitrate content in the checked vegetable will be displayed on a color display. In addition, the memory of the device contains norms for the content of nitrates for 30 types of fruits.

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