Nitrates in vegetables and fruits can be checked by a tester

The autumn abundance of vegetables and fruits allows us to 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 during 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 noted that the content of nitrates in vegetables grown in greenhouses is usually higher than in those grown in the open ground.

Size is important! Most nitrates can be found in beets, radishes and cabbages. The least amount of nitrogen is found in eggplants, Bulgarian pepper, tomatoes, green peas and garlic. The size of the fruit is directly proportional to the content of nitrates. Nitrates in vegetables of ripe are kept in smaller quantity, than in unripe. Thermal treatment can significantly reduce their number. Thorough washing of fruits reduces nitrates in vegetables by 10 - 15%. When cooking potatoes, up to 50 percent of nitrates are in the broth, the same happens with beetroot, carrots, and cabbage. Fry reduces nitrates in vegetables by 15 percent, and deep frying by 60. But the champion for the destruction of nitrates is steaming!

Canned and salted vegetables have a lower level of nitrates compared to fresh fruits. The process of souring makes it possible to 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!

- Removal of the peel in any root crops halves the content of nitrogen salts.
- 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 it is also necessary to cut the carrots from the ends.
- Boiled beets must be pre-cleaned of peel, tip and tip.
- At 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, peeled from stems, also has a low level of nitrates.
- A radish with an elongated shape contains more nitrogen salts than a 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 carefully eating slices.
- Storage of fruits and vegetables at the right temperature (for example, in a refrigerator) also helps prevent the transition of nitrates to hazardous nitrites. Spoiled, rotten fruits should not be eaten in any way!

The nitrate tester is the best solution to this problem! This small nitrate meter in vegetables allows measuring their level in fresh fruits. All you need to do is pierce the skin of the fetus with the tester. The numbers of nitrates in the vegetable under test will be displayed on the color display. In addition, the device contains nitrate content for 30 kinds of fruits.