The most awesome invention / product ever?

[Torn Mind]

I'll eat my chocolate. It's got everything you want as long you don't overeat it. Stearic acid and Oleic acid are better fatty acids, and the minerals that come in it is what is needed for healthy bones. But it must be 90%+ dark chocolate or the sugar will take its toll.

Dark chocolate is bitter and unappetizing anyway, so I can only eat 2-4 little squares on a Lindt bar anyway.

 

[Ajay]

Wow even cacao too?

Yeah, life's a bitch sometimes . We can have *some*, like two hot chocolates a week in the winter. And something like Swiss Miss, instead of buying semi-processed powered Cacao and making a really good hot chocolate with a bit of cream and Stevia.

 

[BUTCH1]

I spent a few weeks researching MSG in-depth a year or three ago. Whenever I'm in truth-seeking mode, I have to overcome my 3 internal biases:

1. What do I hope for?
2. What am I afraid of?
3. What have I already pre-decided to be true?

Regarding MSG, I lived under the "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" trope growing up. So that rings bell #3, which is that I'd already pre-decided "MSG is bad for you" to be true, simply by default, with no data to back up that assertation. The way I see truth is simple:

* What does the data say?

While we don't know everything about everything, let's look at the currently-available data! Objectively, based on 40+ years of research on MSG:

1. Anyone can be allergic to anything, including MSG. Based on studies, MSG only affects a very small percentage of people are sensitive to it.
2. Within that group, the effects are short-term & typically disappear in less than an hour.
3. Independent testing has tied consumption within that group to 3 grams or more of MSG without food (a typical serving of food with added MSG is less than 0.5 grams).

Multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-challenge evaluation of reported reactions to monosodium glutamate:

https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(00)44233-8/fulltext


A Harvard study on MSG: (really good read)

https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/8846733/Sing05.pdf

MSG exists in a lot of foods, under a lot of different names:

Here’s how food companies sneak MSG into foods

You're probably eating it much more than you think.

www.businessinsider.com

So my takeaway is:

1. I've been eating it my whole life. I haven't personally experienced any of the negative systems associated with it, so for me, based on the data, no reason to keep it off the "allowed" list. I'd imagine 30+ years is a long enough time to see if I'd get any issues from it!
2. Based on the data, a small segment of people do react negatively to it, and the reaction typically lasts under an hour - so if you are sensitive to it, avoid it! If you are personally mega-sensitive to it, ultra-avoid it!
3. I'd imagine that a lot of the foods it in cause the problems, i.e. ultra-processed, shelf-stable foods, restaurants that re-use oil over & over again, etc.

For me, personally, I choose to use it in my home cooking & wish that I had done it sooner!

I sometimes wonder if the whole MSG in Chinese food deal was racism with a cover story, those damm sneaky Asians, there HAD to be something sneaky they were up to!.

 

[nakedfrog]

I sometimes wonder if the whole MSG in Chinese food deal was racism with a cover story, those damm sneaky Asians, there HAD to be something sneaky they were up to!.

 

[Kaido]