No, nitrates have nothing whatsoever to do with weight loss as far as I can determine. The whole idea behind Neanderthin is health, not so much weight loss. The diet is about trying to mimic the diet of prehistoric peoples as closely as is possible in our modern age. Nitrates are converted in the intestine to something which is a carcinogen, although at this moment I cannot remember the name of it. I can't tell you if the sugar in the bacon will stop your weight loss. I personally try to avoid all sugar. It is anti-nutritive (your body has to deplete its' own resources in order to process it), damaging to the endocrine system, and possibly even poisonous, contributing to the weakening of the immune system and opening up the body for such niceties as heart disease and cancer. Read "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty if you get a chance. Also check out "Lick the Sugar Habit" which I believe is by Nancy Patterson (I might have the name wrong, but I know the title is right). You'll never consider eating refined sugar again. Take care, John Pavao ---------- > Try to find a health food market. That's probably the only place you'll > find uncured bacon. When I was in Plano, TX, last week they had a Whole > Foods Market. It was a great place to find foods. But even there, the > almighty sugar is tough to avoid. So, in order for me to lose weight on Neanderthin, I have to cut all nitrates. Correct? This bacon says it has sugar, and then it says it has no carbs per serving. So it must be a tiny amount of sugar. If I eat the tiny spec of sugar in this bacon, I will not lose weight on Neanderthin. Correct?