Whole30: Day 28 & MSG Reveiled

"Damn you E621!"

Just when you think you've got this whole30 thing down to a tee, you realize you've been using a spice mix that contains MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), also known as E621,Ve-Tsin, Ac'cent or Aji-No-Moto. It's a big NO on the whole30, and today I wanted to have a closer look at this food additive, (as it's mostly known as) that has the umami taste.
It is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, a non-essential amino acid, and was first created in 1909. The following description I found on Wikipedia:

Pure MSG does not have a pleasant taste until it is combined with a consonant savory smell. As a flavor and in the right amount, MSG can enhance other taste-active compounds, improving the overall taste of certain foods. MSG mixes well with meat, fish, poultry, many vegetables, sauces, soups, and marinades. Since MSG mixes well with many foods, it can also increase the overall preference of certain foods.

There is still a lot of debate as of whether MSG causes the infamous "Chinese restaurant syndrome" but there are a lot of people that claim to be very sensitive to foods containing MSG. There are also claims that an over-consumption of MSG disrupts the endocrine system, responsible for regulation of the appetite & satiation. 
But, what type of foods contain this stuff? Well, a lot of foods that are a part of a lot people's "diets" today:

- soups & bouillons
- crisps
- sauces
- canned foods
- frozen foods, the list goes on.

Now you'll say, cool, i'll just avoid anything that says MSG, right? Well, it gets a bit trickier. Since food manufacturers have noticed that people became more aware, they have found ways to avoid naming it MSG, and simply calling it something else or they name the additives that contain MSG. See the list below:

Ingredients that always contain processed free glutamic acid: Glutamic acid (E 620)2,  Glutamate (E 620) Monosodium glutamate (E 621) Monopotassium glutamate (E 622) Calcium glutamate (E 623) Monoammonium glutamate (E 624) Magnesium glutamate (E 625) Natrium glutamate Yeast extract Anything “hydrolyzed” Any “hydrolyzed protein” Calcium caseinate,  Sodium caseinate Yeast food, Yeast nutrient Autolyzed yeast Gelatin Textured protein Soy protein, soy protein concentrate Soy protein isolate Whey protein, whey protein concentrate Whey protein isolate Anything “…protein” Vetsin Ajinomoto

Ingredients that often contain or produce processed free glutamic acid: Carrageenan (E 407) Bouillon and broth Stock Any “flavors” or “flavoring” Maltodextrin Citric acid, Citrate (E 330) Anything “ultra-pasteurized” Barley malt Pectin (E 440) Protease Anything “enzyme modified” Anything containing “enzymes” Malt extract Soy sauce Soy sauce extract Anything “protein fortified” Anything “fermented” Seasonings (1) Glutamic acid found in unadulterated protein does not cause adverse reactions.  To cause adverse reactions, the glutamic acid must have beenprocessed/manufactured or come from protein that has been fermented.

The following are ingredients suspected of containing or creating sufficient processed free glutamic acid to serve as MSG-reaction triggers in HIGHLY SENSITIVE people: Corn starch Corn syrup Modified food starch Lipolyzed butter fat Dextrose Rice syrup Brown rice syrup Milk powder Reduced fat milk (skim; 1%; 2%) most things low fat or no fat anything Enriched anything Vitamin enriched  (2) E numbers are use in Europe in place of food additive names.

The following work synergistically with MSG to enhance flavor.  If they are present for flavoring, so is MSG. Disodium 5’-guanylate (E 627)      Disodium 5’-inosinate (E-631)     Disodium 5'-ribonucleotides (E 635)

(Source: www.truthinlabeling.org)

So next time, look for those ingredients as well, I wish I knew this before I started the whole30, but I've already decided this won't be my last whole3o anyway :-)

Sunday is always a great day for experimenting, we had some beef burgers in the fridge and I wanted to be a bit creative in the egg department, by cutting a red bell pepper into rings and cooking them in there. Keep the heat a bit lower than usual and cover the pan with a lid so they cook well on the top.

Together with avocado, tomato and some blueberries this was a big success.

It kept me full for the whole day, after a short home workout I just had a boiled egg, some chicken and nuts.

Next, I made tuna bacon burgers, based on this recipe:

2 cans of tuna
2 eggs
125 grams of lardons
1 onion
1 cup of mashed sweet potato
chives
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp coconut flour

I first cooked the bacon, then cooked the onion in the remaining fat. Put all ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Form patties of the mixture and cook in coconut oil, about 5 mins. on each side. Served with some grilled bell peppers and zucchini and topped with a bit of the trail mix.