I realized yesterday how far I've come on the trek toward a healthy diet.
I spent the day snacking on apples and cashews. Meals were full of whole grains and other healthy foods. Here's the amazing realization: It never once occurred to me that I was sacrificing or depriving myself in any way.
You have to understand that while I have opted for healthy foods in the past, those decisions came with a bit of discipline. I enjoyed them, but if I were to hit the grocery store uninhibited, I would have often opted for something else. I wasn't forcing myself with clenched fists, but at the same time, it wasn't the most natural change in habit, either. Yesterday, I realized how much I have weaned myself off of those temptations.
I can still give a bag of chips a run for its money. No, I'm not as good as I once was, as Toby Keith will tell you, but I'm still as good once as I ever was. However, when it comes to chips, you can find me munching on Kettle Brand or some organic corn chips with salsa instead of Doritos (which I absolutely never, ever touch anymore). I don't miss Doritos at all. In fact, I resent them. They are addictive (probably due to the high MSG content). Even worse, I have always blamed them for getting cancer. Whether that is fair or not, I don't know, but I stay the hell away from them, and I have all sorts of vicious anger toward them. A couple times I have bought a bag of Doritos and then just sat there as I realized my rage for being hooked on something that might be killing me, and I then suddenly grabbed the bag and threw it into the trash with all my might. It's personal.
Note: There are mixed reports as to whether Kettle Brand products are all perfect angels with regards to additives, but in any case I consider them to be significantly better than Doritos.
I am disappointed as I scan the contents of grocery carts of other people. They are stuffed full of frozen pizzas, prepared meals, candy, pop tarts, deli counter meals, carbonated beverages, you name it. There is hardly anything that hasn't been significantly modified and chock full of additives. My cart? Potatoes, onions, 100% juices, whole grains, dried beans, etc. "Prepared" foods are still very basic and would include things like hummus, salsa and guacamole and the Ezekiel Brand cereals.
People often offer my 1 1/2 year old son a cookie. They are always surprised when I tell them he hasn't had cookies yet. He gets so excited for fresh fruit, I hope I can keep it that way for a long time. Me, on the other hand, I eat sweets after he goes to bed :)
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about the Kettle additives...what are they maybe adding to their delicious chips?
There have been allegations that some of the Kettle flavors contain MSG. The people who make that claim are those on the Truth in Labeling website, which is usually a good website.
ReplyDeleteMSG is often "hidden" in other ingredients, like "natural flavors" or "yeast extract" or "hydrolyzed protein". Sometimes it is produced in the manufacture of certain products, so they can claim it is not an "ingredient", even though they know it is there.
Here is what Kettle Brand says about their products:
Kettle Brand
Here is the website with the allegation:
Truth in Labeling
I have to admit that the last time I researched this, the Truth in Labeling website wrote more about this and actually mentioned certain flavors by name--such as my beloved Sea Salt & Vinegar and I believe the Buffalo-ish flavor of some kind. Maybe they got some heat for it and toned it down, because I can no longer find it. But they still do call out Kettle Brand by name.
This website shows a number of the names that MSG hides under:
How MSG Hides
Thanks, Frank! My favorite is the sea salt and vinegar too. The info on MSG is really interesting, I didn't know it can "hide" in other ingredients.
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to do a post about MSG for a while. It is in just about everything. People think it is just in Chinese food, but in reality you can pretty much guarantee that if a food is processed, it probably has MSG in it. Even raw chicken in grocery stores sometimes has it!
I think it is the next thing we need to fight as consumers. We won the fight against trans fat, but we have barely begun to fight against MSG.
It is really hard to avoid, but I know I can cut it down significantly, because I can really notice it when I eat it now, so that must mean I've been able to avoid it other times.
I did a big grocery shopping trip this weekend and after reading many labels on natural soups and other natural canned goods, it looks like MSG is lurking on the ingredient label. Bummer! I had been relying on some of these brands, such as Nature Valley, for a quick lunch for myself and my son. I don't want either of us eating MSG. I think I need to go back to making a big pot of soup on the weekend. Cheaper and healthier, anyway! I will contact Nature Valley and ask them about MSG in their canned goods.
ReplyDeleteYes, the hard part is not knowing if MSG is really in there or not. Some of those ingredients like "natural flavors" may have MSG, but may not.
ReplyDeleteYou can make that homemade soup, but most broth has MSG. You can buy your own chicken to make broth, but 30% of chicken out there has MSG broth injected in it, and just because it says "organic" or "natural" doesn't mean it's free.
Arg. Frustrating! I wonder, if I ask the meat department at my local co-op about the chicken they sell. Would they know if it has MSG in it?
ReplyDeleteThe meat you have to worry about is the stuff where they inject extra broth or flavoring. I would hope the butcher would know that, but sometimes they might not. Usually people at a co-op have that kind of information.
ReplyDeleteThe worst MSG is what you'll find in restaurant food and processed foods such as frozen dinners. They say that chicken at fast food restaurants is the worst, especially KFC.