The consumer can reduce nitrate intake by eating a balanced, varied and moderate diet. It is a good idea for children under school age to follow the guidelines for the safe consumption of plants containing nitrate (in finnish) and, for example, the use of so-called nitrate accumulating vegetables should be avoided in the nutrition of young children under the age of 1 year.
The quantity of nitrate can also be further reduced by rinsing, blanching/ cooking, peeling and handling the vegetables. It is a good idea to remove the outer leaves from lettuce before eating.
Improper storage can reduce the nitrate in cooked vegetables to nitrite. In this case, there is a risk that the resulting nitrite exposure will become large enough to cause methemoglobinemia. High nitrite levels in vegetables can occur, for example, if cooked spinach is stored and reheated. Bacterial infection of the gastrointestinal tract also increases nitrite exposure by increasing the conversion of nitrate to nitrite in the body, and therefore children with intestinal bacterial infection are not recommended to eat the most nitrate-rich vegetables, including spinach (EFSA 2010).