Why we avoid MSG...

        While I was pregnant with my second son, Evan, I started feeling bad... a lot.  Often enough that I wanted to know why.  My face would get tight, and feel flushed, I would get a headache, I had heart palpations, and would feel nauseous.  So after doing some research I realized I was reacting to free glutamates (like MSG).  I had experienced a few MSG related reactions years prior when eating Chinese food, but had not thought of it in ages.  After gathering enough information to confuse me more, I decided to try to eliminate free glutamates from my diet and see if it helped.  I immediately started feeling better, and was relieved to pin point the problem.  However, I was still left with tons of questions, and surprisingly very little information. Everyone knows what MSG is, why is there no real facts on the subject?  What could I eat, what couldn't I eat?  I had to go by trail and error (and still do) to try to figure out what was off limits.  I did find a couple of very informative websites on the subject that helped me tremendously.  I'll list them below.


        So what do I know about free glutamates?  Monosodium Glutamate is the most well known type of free glutamate, but there are tons more.  Another frequently used glutamate is yeast extract, as well as anything hydrolyzed, autolyzed, or "protein"...soy protein, wheat protein, vegetable protein.  Free glutamates are a excitotoxins that are produced from the over processing and denaturing of foods and are often used as a "flavor enhancer" (any one heard of umami?).

       A lot of arguments defending glutamates start with the fact that they are naturally occurring and exist in a large quantity in the human body.  This is true but something happens when glutamates break down from over processing.  They become "free" glutamates and don't bind to each other any more.  This is where the problem comes in, our bodies are not able to process them once "free", much like free radicals.

        Some foods can naturally produce free glutamates like over ripe tomatoes and mushrooms.  Even foods like these can cause highly sensitive people to have reactions react.  Usually its the addition of free glutamates, or the over processing of foods that cause people to have a reaction.  The FDA has labeled MSG and free glutamates as GRAS (generally recognized as safe), however it is believed to be linked to Alzheimer's, cancer, Parkinson's, MS, strokes, ALS, even Autism and ADHD. It can also cause migraines, diarrhea, insomnia, and many other symptoms.  The FDA has acknowledged that a minor percentage of the population is sensitive to MSG, but it affects nearly EVERYONE.  Whether you have symptoms or not it causes negative effects on your brain and endocrine system.  Lots of people have reactions without connecting them to free glutamates.  Like eating fast food makes me feel bad, or these chips give me a migraine. Some people don't even notice because so many foods cause a reaction, people accept it as normal.

        Food manufactures purposely hide MSG in labels by adding other free glutamates that cause they same negative effects as MSG.  Some companies avoid the label all together by adding the free glutamates to say their frying oil instead of the chips or fries themselves, and other various sneaky moves.

      Some foods I had in my house that have free glutamates are:
 Goldfish (even the organic ones), condensed soups, chicken stock & bouillon, flavored potato chips & crackers, store bought salad dressings & croutons, deli meat, and soy sauce.

       So for all recipes I include for Clarity please know I have done my best to insure that they are free of free glutamates (with the exception of tomatoes/mushroom/&like foods-I can't explain those and fortunately I am still able to consume them.

Some websites that do a much better job of explaining MSG are:

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/
http://www.msgtruth.org/avoid.htm
 

Healthy Toddler Snacks: Fruit Leather

Wyatt's first remarks were "yum, cookies", I think he approved.

Fruit Leather

2 cups of fruit (strawberries, peach, apricot, mango - any kind of fruit)

1/4 cup of water

1/2 of a lemon

1/4 cup sugar or honey, optional

Measure your fruit, clean, and chop.  Place in a large saucepan, add water.  I used frozen fruit so I did not add water.

Bring to a simmer, cover the mixture and let it cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat.

Taste your fruit to determine if any additional sweetener is needed.  Sweeten to your preference, and add lemon juice (I don't add sweetener).  Continue to cook another 10-15 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken.   Preheat your oven to 170ºF or lower if your oven will allow.

Pour the fruit mixture into a food processor or blender (you can use an immersion blender as well).

Line you baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking liner and pour the puree onto the sheet.

Bake for 6-8 hours.

 Alternate cooking options: in the sun on a hot day, or with a food dehydrator.  I think I may try using the dehydrator next time.

Enjoy

Healthy Toddler Snacks Part 1: Fruit

I was recently asked for some ideas on healthy toddler snacks, now everyone has different standards for "healthy" snacks.  To clarify, for me healthy snacks mean all natural, non-gmo (genetically modified organisms), preferably organic, unprocessed, no artificial colors/flavors, no high fructose corn syrup, and no MSG or like substances.  Using natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup is also important, but I'm not terribly bothered by using organic cane sugar.  So over the next few weeks, I'll try to add a few ideas for snacks that meet my standards for healthy.  I'll also throw in a tutorial here and there.

Fun Snack Ideas: Fruit

  My toddler LOVES helping me make his snacks, and he usually enjoys his snack more when he gets to help.

• Bananas dipped in yogurt and rolled in chopped nuts. Freeze them on a popsicle stick.  You can use chocolate instead of yogurt for a special treat (still much better than packaged candies/cookies).  You can also roll them in homemade granola or graham crackers instead of nuts.  Strawberries are also yummy but if you don't eat them right away they get mushy.
• Yogurt mixed with pureed fruit and honey.  Pour into ice trays or popsicle molds and freeze.
• Frozen bananas blended in the food processor or blender.  Super creamy just like ice cream, you can add peanut butter or chocolate as well.
• Apples or bananas with peanut butter.
• Fruit salad, add as many colors as possible & discuss the colors/fruit in the mixture.
• Fruit kabobs, have your toddler help skewer the fruit.  Great for hand-eye coordination, you can use a wooden chop stick for a safer alternative to skewers.
• Frozen blueberries are an easy yummy snack, and can be eaten right away.
• Homemade applesauce is easy and a toddler favorite.  Cook apples down, add cinnamon, and sugar (if desired) blend in food processor.   
• Smoothies are fun and easy to make.  You can add pretty much anything to them, of course fruit and yogurt, milk, orange juice, peanut butter or any nut butter, honey, ice (or you can freeze your fruit).
• Fruit Leather, tutorial coming soon.
• Dehydrated fruit, you can dehydrate the fruit in a dehydrator or a conventional oven.

I hope these give you some ideas, there are more to come.

A note about ingredients. I use organic peanut butter, because peanuts are a "dirty" food for pesticides, and because most peanut butter has a lot of garbage in it like hydrogenated oils.  I make my own chocolate syrup with cocoa, sugar, and water.  I use plain whole milk yogurt (I buy organic as well) because once they start adding flavors the extra sugar and garbage gets added as well.  I also always buy full fat dairy products due to free glutamates (more on that later).  

Curry Chicken

Food, is appropriately my first blogging topic.  Curry chicken to be specific, my first attempt.  All and all things went pretty well, this was a use what I had kind of dish.  Fortunately my cabinets were surprisingly filled with Indian ingredients.  So here goes:

I put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven over high heat.  Seasoned my choice of chicken, thighs with skin, with curry powder, salt, pepper, and a dash of cinnamon and paprika.  I seared the chicken on both sides and removed from the pot.

I added an onion, coarsely chopped, garlic, and two carrots.  Once softened I added a handful of cherry tomatoes and grated ginger, and I deglazed the pot with some white wine.  

I then added a splash of water and a can of coconut milk.  I added the chicken back in, and threw in a sprinkle more curry & cinnamon.  Covered it and put it in the oven for approximately 40 minutes.

Served with saffron rice, and curry lentils.

The "gravy" was delicious, I could have eaten it on anything.  But I guess I am a gravy lover.  The chicken was super moist.  Matthew made the lentils, they were the best I've ever had.  He browned them, and seasoned them with garlic, ginger, coriander, anise, cinnamon, and curry.