Dharma Feast Cookbook (53 page)

But the process of making it artificially, no matter what natural source is used, transforms the amino acids into neurotoxins, which interfere with the proper functioning of the brain—the direct opposite of what it does in its naturally-occurring form. Whether a person has adverse reactions depends on their tolerance to MSG and the amount of processed free glutamic acid in the product, but everyone is affected. Reactions can include migraine headaches, upset stomach, diarrhea, heart irregularities, asthma, sleepiness, muscle weakness, impaired thinking ability (fogginess), and mood swings.

When eating in a Chinese restaurant, we suggest that you ask if they use MSG in their cooking and if so, request that they not use it in the dish they are preparing for you.

Because it is a well-known health risk, manufacturers now list MSG under one of its hidden names. Many products list several different forms of it, which can add up to a considerable and dangerous amount in one food product. A few years ago a trusted friend recommended an organic vegetable bouillon-type base that she uses. When I (Theresa) checked the label, I saw that it contained maltodextrin, (MSG is a by-product of its production) natural flavor, and autolyzed yeast extract—all forms of MSG.

All of the following are different names for MSG—autolyzed yeast, calcium caseinate, calcium glutamate, enzyme modified, flavoring, gelatin, glutamate, glutamic acid, hydrolyzed oat flour, hydrolyzed vegetable protein or corn gluten (anything hydrolyzed), magnesium glutamate, monoammonium glutamate, monopotassium glutamate, Natruim Glutamate, olyzed protein, plant protein extract, potassium glutamate, anything protein fortified, sodium caseinate, textured protein, yeast extract, yeast food, and yeast nutrient. This list is not exhaustive.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only requires MSG to be listed if it’s in its salt form. Glutamic acid, which is MSG not in its salt form and which can either be added or produced during processing (as is the case with maltodextrin), does not need to be listed. A product can contain this equally toxic acid and still legally say “No MSG.”

The following ingredients may contain glutamic acid—any fermented flavors or flavorings, barley malt, bouillon, broth, carrageenan, citrate, citric acid, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, high fructose corn syrup, disodium inosinate, dried whey, dry milk solids, anything enriched or vitamin enriched, anything with modified enzymes, anything containing enzymes, fermented proteins, flowing agents, hydrolyzed soy protein, “low” and “no fat” foods, malt extract, malt flavoring, maltodextrin, natural flavors and flavorings (e.g. pork, beef, chicken), modified food starch, pectin, protease, protease enzymes, anything protein fortified, protein powders (oat, rice, soy, whey—used in protein bars, shakes, and body building drinks), anything with the word “seasonings,” soy protein, soy protein isolate or concentrate, soy sauce, soy sauce extract, stock, anything ultra-pasteurized, whey protein, whey protein concentrate, and whey protein isolate.

Because it is difficult to carry a list of all of these ingredients in order to check to see if a product
contains them, we suggest that you purchase products with simple ingredient lists.

New names for MSG and glutamic acid are created every year. One good source for lists is www. truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html.

Other sources to learn more about MSG are
www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/MSG.htm,
www.msgmyth.com/hidename.htm,
and www. truthinlabeling.org/nomsg.html.

Sweeteners

Most sweeteners are simple sugars which convert instantly to energy and wreak havoc with blood sugar levels, causing mood swings, fatigue, and even immune system malfunction. Many studies show that two of the most highly-processed sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and refined white sugar, are at the root of a variety of the health issues in the U.S., yet they are found in most of the processed foods sold in grocery stores and served in restaurants.

All sweeteners except raw honey are processed, and processing destroys nutrients. Because there are so many different sweeteners in so many products it is easy to eat too much of them.

We Recommend

Raw honey
is best. Brown rice syrup (made from whole rice, not rice flour or starch), date sugar, maple and yakon syrup, stevia, and one brand of agave syrup (see Agave nectar/syrup in this section) are the next best because they are the least processed.

Honey
Sold in many forms—the best is
raw
(unprocessed. Folklore says that ingesting local raw honey daily helps allergy sufferers because it contains local pollens.),
comb
(usually raw; contains a piece of the comb) and
strained
(removes impurities, but all the benefits of raw honey remain). The processed forms are
pasteurized
(which destroys over 200 components, including antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, carbohydrates, phytonutrients, and anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties),
crystallized
or
granulated
(in which the glucose content has crystallized),
ultrafiltered
(preferred by supermarkets, as it stays very clear and has a longer shelf life, but the filtering process also pasteurizes it), and
whipped
(processed to control crystallization).

Honey is not recommended for infants under one year because it can contain
Clostridium botulinum
spores, which is the cause of botulism. Until they reach a year, an infant’s digestive system is not acidic enough to kill these spores.

Brown rice syrup
Made by adding sprouted barley or barley malt to rice and cooking until the starch is converted to sugar. The resulting liquid is strained and boiled down. Many commercial brands, however, use brown rice starch or flour instead of whole-grain rice and are to be avoided. Check ingredients.

Date sugar
Made by grinding dehydrated dates. The tiny pieces will not dissolve so it is unsuitable for beverages and any cooking that requires the sweetener to melt.

Maple syrup
Made from the sap of maple trees. Sap is collected and boiled into syrup. Minimally processed, but boiling destroys many of its nutrients. Use Grade B because Grade A is processed using chemicals.

Yacon syrup
Made by pressing the yacon root and boiling the resulting liquid down into syrup. It tastes similar to molasses. Minimally processed, but boiling destroys many of its nutrients.

Stevia
Made from the stevia plant. Stevia is one of the best sweeteners because, even though it is processed, it has few negative effects and several benefits—including not raising glycemic levels.

It also helps with candida, a parasitic, yeastlike fungus, which is a normal part of the flora of the mouth, skin, intestinal tract, and vagina. When this fungus grows out of control, it can cause a number of infections. Many say stevia is healthier than sugar because less is needed in cooking. The green-colored kind is made from the whole stevia leaf so contains more nutrients. The white powder, usually called extract or concentrate, is just the sweet part, so is much more processed. Buy green if available.

Agave nectar/syrup
The juice of the agave plant is processed either with enzymes or by hydrolyzing it (a water-based process that, when used on plants and their extracts, requires the use of hydrochloric or sulphuric acid) and then heated. This liquid is then filtered and boiled into syrup. The lighter the syrup, the more processed it is. Sunfood Organic Raw Agave Nectar (in either Dark or Amber) is the only one guaranteed to be both raw and enzyme-processed. Order from their website:
www.sunfood.com.

We Don’t Recommend

Artificial sweeteners
Acesulfame potassium (Sunett), alitame (Aclame), aspartame (Equal or Nutrasweet, Spoonful, Equal-Measure, Benevia, and Canderel), cyclamate (Sucaryl and Sugar Twin), saccharin (Sweet’N Low), sucralose (SucraPlus and Splenda), and inulin are the most widely-used.

Much controversy surrounds artificial sweeteners and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. Many are banned in some countries but not in others. What is uncontested is that all have neuro-toxic effects—they cause an imbalance in neurotransmitters, the chemicals that transmit signals in the brain. Over time, this can manifest as emotional instability, joint pain, fatigue, insomnia, impairment of memory and concentration, loss of vision, and muscle weakness.

They affect health in other ways also. Aspartame turns into formaldehyde and then formic acid when exposed to temperatures over 86°F, which happens during digestion. This causes metabolic acidosis (too much acid in bodily fluids), the symptoms of which can include severe anxiety, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, headache, abdominal and bone pain, and muscle weakness.

Evaporated cane juice
Made from sugar cane syrup. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now requiring that this ingredient be called “cane syrup.” One brand name is Sucanat. While its reputation is as a less-processed, healthier version of refined white sugar, it is still heavily processed. In many studies its effects were identical to those of sugar. See
Refined white sugar
in this section

Fructose
This highly-processed sweetener (not to be confused with naturally-occurring fructose in fruits) is chemically derived from sugar beets, sugar cane, and corn. It is used widely because it is inexpensive. It has no nutritional value, and more importantly, fructose is not entirely absorbed in the small intestine. When it moves into the large intestine it ferments, where it can cause bloating, gas, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal pain. It has been scientifically linked to heart disease, insulin resistance, and obesity (especially central body obesity, the most dangerous kind) and can lead to metabolic syndrome, which causes cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It is also linked to liver disease and gout (an inflammatory arthritis). Because it is so widely used as a sweetener it is easy to eat a significant amount without being aware of it.

Golden syrup
is a treacle product left over from processing sugar. It can also be made by treating a sugar solution with acid. Unlike molasses, it has no nutritional value.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
is a highly refined sweetener made from the cheapest corn, which is genetically modified. It is suspected to be a major cause of childhood obesity in the U.S. and there is also a link between high HFCS intake and adult-onset diabetes.

One of the problems with HFCS
⁴
is that it does not trigger chemical messengers that tell the brain the stomach is full. This leads to over-ingestion, especially of HFCS-sweetened drinks, which do not have a solid food component. An article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states: “We propose that the introduction of HFCS and the increased intakes of soft drinks and other sweetened beverages have led to increases in total caloric and fructose consumption that are important contributors to the current epidemic of obesity.”
⁵

HFCS is widely used in everything from commercial salad dressings and tomato sauce, to soda, because it is inexpensive to make. It’s in much of the food served in restaurants.

The Corn Refiners Association, aware that HFCS has a negative association, is asking that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allow them to call it “corn sugar.” They are marketing it as a “natural ingredient made from corn” but it is still HFCS.

Corn syrup, which lacks the final processing used on HFCS, is also made from genetically modified corn. Dark corn syrup is made by adding food coloring.

Refined white, brown, raw or Turbinado sugar

A highly-refined sweetener made from either sugar cane or sugar beets. White sugar contains phosphoric acid, formic acid, sulphur dioxide, preservatives, and bleaching agents. Brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added back in. The differences between Turbinado and raw sugar are slight—both are less refined than white sugar and the natural molasses is intact.

The list of health hazards associated with all forms of sugar is long and well-documented—colon cancer, adult-onset diabetes, suppression of the immune system, depression, worsened premenstrual symptoms, and depletion of vitamins and minerals as they are pulled to process it during digestion, to name a few. There is evidence that it contributes to osteoporosis in older women by stripping them of magnesium and calcium.

Sugar is an appetite-stimulant and can lead to overeating and obesity. It can be addictive—the more we eat, the more we crave. Eating other sweeteners does not necessarily satisfy the craving. Getting “off” sugar is not easy.

Sugar can also be named dextrose, glucose, or sucrose. A new trend is to use the word “crystals,” as in cane juice crystals, dehydrated cane juice crystals, unrefined cane juice crystals, raw cane crystals, washed cane juice crystals, Florida crystals (a trademarked name), unbleached evaporated sugar cane juice crystals, crystallized cane juice, and unbleached crystallized evaporated cane juice, but these are all just other names for sugar.

Sugar alcohols
Chemically-derived sugar substitutes. Common names are glycerol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol (Maltisorb and Maltisweet), sorbitol, and xylitol. They aren’t very sweet on their own so are usually combined with high-intensity artificial sweeteners. The simplest one, ethylene glycol, is the sweet and notoriously toxic substance added to anti-freeze. The others are generally classified as “for the most part non-toxic,” but some toxicity remains. Sugar alcohols are not absorbed in
the intestinal tract which can cause bloating, gas, and diarrhea, even with one serving.

Approach With Caution

Barley malt syrup
Produced by sprouting and then quickly heating malt. The resulting mash is strained and the liquid is boiled into syrup. Beware of brands which contain corn syrup.