eat healthy foods...

[djm]

Too much information!

djm

[Lambchop]

Too much information!

djm

That, coming from a man who admits to stinky feet.

[djm]

Mea culpa.

djm

[Flyingcursor]

I confess, I use Accent food flavoring in everything. It's pure unadulterated MSG. Of course I woudn't use it if my guests were allergic. But I never have guests so it doesn't matter.

[fearfaoin]

Tell that to my husband, who can tell you within less than10 minutes of eating it that "there must have been some MSG in that...."... and lo and behold... there always has been ... He gets a specific kind of headache with it.

Isn't that what one of the guys on Heroes can do, or am I thinking of X-Men?

[Flyingcursor]

Tell that to my husband, who can tell you within less than10 minutes of eating it that "there must have been some MSG in that...."... and lo and behold... there always has been ... He gets a specific kind of headache with it.

Isn't that what one of the guys on Heroes can do, or am I thinking of X-Men?

I'm going to have to confess a real LOL with that one.

[hyldemoer]

Glutamate as a natural ingredient in Kombu?

As I've mentioned before, I'm not one to follow recipes but that doesn't mean I haven't taken a fare share of classes in cooking.
I clearly recall a teacher in a Macrobiotic cooking class suggesting about a measure of Kombu about the size of one's thumbnail as the recommended amount for what one usually uses it in a bean dish.
I imagine there isn't much glutamate in that amount.

Last semester in Biochemistry of Chemical constituents of Herbs class I learned its fruitless to take herbs the same way one consumes isolated chemicals. Herbs are too complex. There are too many thousands of chemicals all working to compliment each other. Its generally thought by many herbalists that its the compliment of chemicals within the herbs that constitute the herbs' benefit.

The value of "savory" in Asian cooking is rarely thought of to be taken isolated either. All 5 or 6 flavors (as interpreted by various traditions) are recommended to be consumed in the same meal in a balance of each other.
For specific therapies there are specific balances of those 5 or 6 flavors.

If someone is undergoing a health adventure that warrants the taste of savory I can understand how someone might interpret MSG as good for the health. Unfortunately thats not taking into consideration how the glutamate works in integration and balance with other chemicals its usually found with in a natural source.

[Nanohedron]

Glutamate as a natural ingredient in Kombu?

That's my understanding, and that it's that whitish stuff on the surface of the "leaves", or whatever the proper word is. Of course, some of it may be sea salt, but I don't recall the same characteristic in wakame or other dried seaweeds.

As I've mentioned before, I'm not one to follow recipes but that doesn't mean I haven't taken a fare share of classes in cooking.
I clearly recall a teacher in a Macrobiotic cooking class suggesting about a measure of Kombu about the size of one's thumbnail as the recommended amount for what one usually uses it in a bean dish.
I imagine there isn't much glutamate in that amount.

I would say that's probably right, but enough to give a nice flavor. When I used to use the stuff, I'd throw a couple of good-sized pieces into the soup broth if it was a large quantity, but really more for the other nutrients in the kombu than anything else. Used it for years before I found out about the natural MSG it has. Never had a reaction that way.

I remember one time in a Chinese restaurant where I had some soup that clearly raised my blood pressure and made my head feel like it might pop. It was probably too much commercial "taste powder" and not kombu. Bad experience. Not into that at all.

[Doug_Tipple]

I received a couple of coupons in the mail for two free items at a new up-scale market in my neighborhood. I went in today to look the place over and pick up my free organic peanut butter and fruit jam. If I happen to receive an inheritance from my rich uncle Herbie, I think that I will shop there more often. My impression of the store was that everything was fresh-looking and beautifully displayed. I enjoyed going into the green vegetable cold room with automatic sliding glass doors. I am going to keep that in mind for a real hot day in the summer. However, when I got home, I was disappointed to read the label on the back of my free jar of organic peanut butter. The ingredients read: organic peanuts, organic palm oil, organic sugar ...... I stopped right there and threw the jar into the trash. Palm oil is not my idea of a healthy ingredient. It is loaded with saturated fat and is just about the worst (cheapest) food oil. It upsets me that manufacturers put this oil into what is advertised as a healthy food.

[Nanohedron]

Hey, death angel mushrooms are natural and organic, too.

[hyldemoer]

As I've mentioned before, I'm not one to follow recipes but that doesn't mean I haven't taken a fare share of classes in cooking.
I clearly recall a teacher in a Macrobiotic cooking class suggesting about a measure of Kombu about the size of one's thumbnail as the recommended amount for what one usually uses it in a bean dish.
I imagine there isn't much glutamate in that amount.

I would say that's probably right, but enough to give a nice flavor.

Here's something we need to keep in mind when using food as Asian culturally influenced medical therapy (where MSG might be interpreted by a wild stretch of imagination as a health food suppliment).
Sometimes its the stuff that really appeals to us (and all of us are different in what appeals to us) that has gotten us in the most trouble. One tends to over medicate when aiming at "nice".

There's also a tendency for people to "burn out" (desensitize) their taste buds for certain flavors they like. Some one might think a food is totally lacking in some flavor to make it "nice" but the truth is that they're just too used to too much of it for too long.

[hyldemoer]

However, when I got home, I was disappointed to read the label on the back of my free jar of organic peanut butter. The ingredients read: organic peanuts, organic palm oil, organic sugar ......

Doug, the truely anal of us read the labels while still standing in the aisle at the store, any store,
AND
I have bonded with so many people while reading labels in those aisles!

I stopped right there and threw the jar into the trash. Palm oil is not my idea of a healthy ingredient. It is loaded with saturated fat and is just about the worst (cheapest) food oil. It upsets me that manufacturers put this oil into what is advertised as a healthy food.

I think cotton seed oil strikes me as the cheapest oil available. It isn't even grown intended as a food.

I'm not sure we can discuss this in any depth and not get medical, but I'll try.

Personally, if any oil is added to something I prefer a saturated fat to a transfat.
I haven't researched the benefits of organic palm oil. I know they sell the stuff at health food stores. Its always been too expensive by comparison to the coconut oil.
I cook with coconut oil.
Coconut oil is in the oil blend that I suppliment with for various reasons.

[Jerry Freeman]

Palm oil is not my idea of a healthy ingredient. It is loaded with saturated fat and is just about the worst (cheapest) food oil. It upsets me that manufacturers put this oil into what is advertised as a healthy food.

You might want to take a closer look.

I believe I read recently where tropical oils (palm, coconut) have been recently discovered to be beneficial, and not anything like sources of saturated fats they've been conflated with.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Tyler]

Isn't that what one of the guys on Heroes can do, or am I thinking of X-Men?

I'm going to have to confess a real LOL with that one.

Yeah, that brought a chuckle to a really dark day...thanks.

[Doug_Tipple]

Palm oil is not my idea of a healthy ingredient. It is loaded with saturated fat and is just about the worst (cheapest) food oil. It upsets me that manufacturers put this oil into what is advertised as a healthy food.

You might want to take a closer look.

I believe I read recently where tropical oils (palm, coconut) have been recently discovered to be beneficial, and not anything like sources of saturated fats they've been conflated with.

Best wishes,
Jerry

I agree, Jerry, that dietary advice seems to be changing with the seasons. I try to stay marginally up-to-date by subscribing to two monthly publications, "Consumer Reports, On Health" and Dr. Andrew Weil's "Self Healing". In a February 2007 issue of "Self Healing" Dr. Weil is critical of palm oil, saying that, although it is better than trans fats, it is still highly saturated fat. For that reason he recommends, instead, using monounsaturated oils, such as olive oil or canola oil. That being said, I will keep my eyes open for new research on the tropical oils.