Little rant about 'unpronounceable' ingredients.

[greenaccord02]

I'm not trying to start an argument. Pretty much everything has a long name, it's just that we use common names to mask this so things sound more wholesome. Sodium chloride is still salt and dihydrogen monoxide is still water.

Now, if you know monosodium glutamate is bad for you, then that's a good reason not to eat it. However, if you say you won't eat it because it has a long name, that just sounds silly.

 

[Lurch]

Oh, OK. I get ya.

I don't eat MSG because I've heard a lot of bad things about it.

 

[greenaccord02]

I also cut way back on my intake of it. I still add just a dash to the batter of shrimp if I'm frying them and I may put a pinch in an injection mixture for pork. A little of it goes a long way in those applications. I figure with all the preservatives and used oil and nitrates and whatnot, I can handle a pinch of it once a month.

 

[PROJECTCAR]

The problem with MSG is that it doesnt have to be listed in the ingredients as MSG. It can appear as natural flavorings etc... So anything with reduced sodium more than likely contains MSG even though it doesnt appear on the ingredients list.

 

[greenaccord02]

I thought that MSG was required to be listed by itself. Is this perhaps a state law? I know here in Texas it can't be the case.

 

[Tom NJ]

Originally Posted By: tom slick
Anyone remember the hysteria over Dihydrogen Monoxide? Cities almost banned the substance because people had no idea what it was.


Nasty chemical - responsible for more death and destruction than any other chemical on the planet, yet virtually no efforts to ban it. Seems to be "protected" by the powers that be. Only found one website with the courage speak out about it:

http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

Tom NJ

 

[mpvue]

Originally Posted By: AlanRebod
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
I think this is an example of a good idea that is being mis-applied. The idea is simply skepticism of the unknown, which is fine. The problem is, skepticism shouldn't mean discarding something out of hand. Instead of avoiding products just because they contain ingredients with unpronounceable names, people should be trying to educate themselves and then making the decision based on the information.

Dihydrogen monoxide is a great example. If you didn't know what that was, and you heard it could do things like corrode steel, of course you'd be scared. But if you looked into it for five minutes, you'd discover that it's water...

This is valid, but in general, food producers are not going to put obscure names for common things on the label. Nobody puts dihydrogen monoxide on bottles of water!

In general though, if you do some research on common food ingredients, many of them are questionable in various regards (taste, quality, health effects).

Sticking to plain and simple ingredients helps a lot, but isn't the whole picture.


only those people that have taken a chemistry course would know that dihydrogen monoxide is one of the chemical names for water. it's not ignorance in general, just ignorant of chemical names that have no application outside of the lab.
some time ago a spoof was circulating about the 'dangers' of dihydrogen monoxide. everyone had a good laugh about how 'stupid' people are. but it was written in such a way as to scare and confuse. most people probably saw the monoxide part and thought 'carbon monoxide'.

me, I'd rather know what is in my food, and I try to avoid ingredients that have numbers in them, i.e., polysorbate 80, or yellow #5. or names that show how processed the food is, like mechanically separated turkey. I don't like 'cheese food' or 'cheese product' either. or propylene glycol.

 

[CivicFan]

Hmm, propylene glycol... Do they use it in ice cream?

 

[greenaccord02]

mpvue, I'm with you on the mechanically separated and AMR (Advanced Meat Recovery) meat. That stuff is pretty rough. I like how potted meat is called "Potted Meat Food Product" it makes me laugh every time I see it. Anything that includes tripe, toungue or hearts I pretty well steer clear of, too.

 

[Samilcar]

Originally Posted By: Lurch


In general, a long name is not good, unless you either have a chemistry degree and/or like to eat chemicals...



I actually eat and drink nothing but chemicals. I feel I have no choice.

P.S. Now that I think about it, I BREATH nothing but chemicals as well!

 

[Vilan]

That's true, I always roll my eyes when I see a food labelled "Contains no chemicals". EVERYTHING is a chemical! Everything!

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: PROJECTCAR
The problem with MSG is that it doesnt have to be listed in the ingredients as MSG. It can appear as natural flavorings etc... So anything with reduced sodium more than likely contains MSG even though it doesnt appear on the ingredients list.
T.G. up here that isn't the case... It has to be listed as it is. Go Canada

 

[jaj]

Originally Posted By: Chuck1986
The only food ingredients I really, really try avoiding are MSG and trans fat. With those, there's actual research that backs my position.


I try to avoid MSG and it's look-alikes ("modified xxx protien" is another name for glutamate without the sodium) because they make me extremely uncomfortable - I'll have a 36-hour stomach ache if I get enough. Along the way, I dropped Aspartame as well.