Soup On A Cold Day

It's a cold day today in Maine.  Last night we made chicken and now have some left over.  It's a perfect time for a homemade chicken soup lunch. 

You will need about a cup and a half of chicken meat, cubed.  2 stalks of celery diced. 2 carrots diced. half an onion, chopped.  A quarter cup of rice and a 32 ounce carton of Kitchen Basics, or home made, chicken broth.  Add all but the chicken to a pot.  Bring to boil then reduce to a simmer.  Let cook for 15 minutes then add chicken.  Continue cooking for another 10 minutes.  Serve with a buttered roll.  Enjoy... 

It may be easier just to open a can of soup, but is it healthier?  MSG, monosodium glutamate, is unfortunately in most cans of processed foods.  It may be hidden in ingredients like potassium glutamate, hydrolyzed protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed plant protein, hydrolyzed oat flour, textured protein, yeast extract, autolyzed yeast, plant protein extract, sodium caseinate or calcium caseinate.  For more information on this visit www.healthdangers.com.  Look under drugs then click monosodium glutamate.

MSG has been under fire for causing illnessss from migraines to panic attack syndrome.  The FDA has classified the ingredient as "generally regarded as safe."  What is not well known is that the FDA in 1969 banned the use of MSG in baby food.  Does this seem safe to consume if it was banned from all baby food in the US?  Why was it banned?  Research showed that MSG can cause brain damage in the developing brains of infant animals.  So what about the unborn child a woman is carrying?  How dangerous is it for her to consume MSG? 

I know first hand that MSG can effect your health.  Back in my twenties I developed panic attack symptoms.  I was prescribed Xanax as a relaxer.  For almost a year I struggled with the symptoms.  Then for a whole summer the symptoms vanished.  When they returned I tried to find out what had changed during the summer.  The conclusion was found to be simple.  The Chinese restaurant that I would eat at two or three times a week near work had closed for the summer.  The owners had gone back to China to visit family.  When they reopened, my symptoms returned.  I have to restrict my consumption of MSG to below my tolerance level. 

Even though glutamate occurs naturally in our bodies, the mass produced glutamate in MSG is not a pure form.  Impurities present in this form of glutamate may be the culprit in causing neurological dysfunctions.  Glutamate has a role in joining with neurotransmitters.  There is a lot of information online on this subject.

I don't need to have concrete proof that it is harmful.  I just don't want it in my food.  Soup companies now are bowing to the will of the consumers and are removing MSG from their soups.  But be cautious and check the label for the hidden forms listed above.  Or just make your own with homemade broth or some trusted natural brand.

Stay warm and eat well

Bill