Buy organic to avoid additives entirely, and know the labeling terms that are red flags for mistreated meat.

Can you tell which choices might push your blood pressure into the red?

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Next time you buy a pound of ground chuck that looks fresh, red, and juicy, read the fine print. It may have been “enhanced” with potassium and phosphorus, two food additives used on meat to keep them fresh and juicy until you get home. The added nutrients also carry health risks for people with kidney disease and other groups that shouldn’t be eating high-potassium foods, and a study just published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology finds that the levels in some meats could trigger a potentially fatal condition.

THE DETAILS: Phosphorous and potassium are often added to meat to help preserve them, give them a longer shelf life, and help them retain tenderness if people happen to overcook the meat, says study author Richard Sherman, MD, professor of medicine at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The substances are usually injected into meat in the form of water or broth; you can usually tell if a meat product has been treated with them if you see the word “enhanced” somewhere on the label. Meat products do contain small levels of these nutrients naturally.