msg

[ann teapot]

Im really fed up with the standard of kosher food ingredients especially the addition of msg. I had some Yarden turkey breast which has it, and Ive been ill the last 2 days. Admittedly I did some other food (which I won't mention here) quite ignorantely, what are the odds of eating 2 lots of food with msg....no wonder Im ill. Even the soup powder which one would use as stock in cooking has it in. When is the kosher food market going to catch up, I mean the big companies. I did post something in the allergy forum just to see what those had to say. Any comments pls

[Molly53]

ann teapot wrote:
Im really fed up with the standard of kosher food ingredients especially the addition of msg. I had some Yarden turkey breast which has it, and Ive been ill the last 2 days. Admittedly I did some other food (which I won't mention here) quite ignorantely, what are the odds of eating 2 lots of food with msg....no wonder Im ill. Even the soup powder which one would use as stock in cooking has it in. When is the kosher food market going to catch up, I mean the big companies. I did post something in the allergy forum just to see what those had to say. Any comments pls

General Rules of Kosher Foods
Although the details of kashrut are extensive, the laws all derive from a few fairly simple, straightforward rules:
1.Certain animals may not be eaten at all. This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs and milk of the forbidden animals.
2.Of the animals that may be eaten, the birds and mammals must be killed in accordance with Jewish law.
3.All blood must be drained from meat and poultry or broiled out of it before it is eaten.
4.Certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten.
5.Fruits and vegetables are permitted, but must be inspected for bugs (which cannot be eaten)
6.Meat (the flesh of birds and mammals) cannot be eaten with dairy. Fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and grains can be eaten with either meat or dairy. (According to some views, fish may not be eaten with meat).
7.Utensils (including pots and pans and other cooking surfaces) that have come into contact with meat may not be used with dairy, and vice versa. Utensils that have come into contact with non-kosher food may not be used with kosher food. This applies only where the contact occurred while the food was hot.
8.Grape products made by non-Jews may not be eaten.
9.There are a few other rules that are not universal.

Additives are not prohibited, in many cases. It turns out that MSG is kosher. From KOSHERQUEST.ORG (link) Monosodium Glutamate - Source: sugar, plants, beets and corn. Use: flavor enhancer. Kosher, pareve without supervision. If you scroll down a little on that page, you'll see a whole list of additives you may not have thought would apply to kosher foods.

You might maintain better health if you ate organic or made your own foods from scratch, instead. Making them from scratch, you'll know precisely what's in it.

[ann teapot]

thanks for replying but don't send me "stock" replies, I know all about kosher rules. Its got nothing to do with organic, If I know in advance but I don't really expect to walk into kfc and get sick and then eat some Yarden turkey slices and get sicker. So unfortunately its everywhere and I will certainly eat a lot simpler in future.

[Saralaya]

ann teapot wrote:
Im really fed up with the standard of kosher food ingredients especially the addition of msg. I had some Yarden turkey breast which has it, and Ive been ill the last 2 days. Admittedly I did some other food (which I won't mention here) quite ignorantely, what are the odds of eating 2 lots of food with msg....no wonder Im ill. Even the soup powder which one would use as stock in cooking has it in. When is the kosher food market going to catch up, I mean the big companies. I did post something in the allergy forum just to see what those had to say. Any comments pls

While I am not sensitive to msg I am a compulsive label reader because I do want to reduce; among other things; sodium- which is why I haven't used soup powders in years, it's practically all sodium. I have found that I can find mass produced kosher products that have less additives, but it's not always easy. It helps that I live in an area where there is a plethora of kosher choices including a lot of fresh food and freshly prepared foods. If I lived in a place where I was dependent on mass market items I would not be as successful. Msg remains a very popular additive in MANY foods, so the chances of you eating two lots of food with msg in it are pretty high I'm afraid! Good luck!

[Molly53]

ann teapot wrote:
thanks for replying but don't send me "stock" replies, I know all about kosher rules. Its got nothing to do with organic, If I know in advance but I don't really expect to walk into kfc and get sick and then eat some Yarden turkey slices and get sicker. So unfortunately its everywhere and I will certainly eat a lot simpler in future.

1. You DID say "any comments, please".
2. How was anybody to know what you were or were not aware of, kosher-wise? You were fussing about a kosher ingredient in kosher food.
3. Loads of people read these threads without commenting. I try to give as accurate and complete an answer as possible for everybody's edification.
4. I know you're frustrated and feeing poorly, that's completely clear. There's no need to be sharp with me.

Saralaya is right....some ingredients are just about everywhere. I'm sure celiac people feel the very same about gluten the way you do about MSG. The remedy is probably for you to make your own food from scratch. I hope you find a solution and feel better soon.

[ann teapot]

u've forgotten me!, Ive been on here for about 10 years now and as you said would have liked some discussion.
I don't come on very often now as Ive got older. I was actually referring to the sliced kosher meats which have so much chemical in it and all those wursts we used to eat as children they are very unhealthy.
I would just like the kosher food manufactures to make their food with less chemicals. I must say in America you have a much larger choice of kosher food than we have here in England so that doesn't help when people try to make a choice. As I said about the stock powder which most cooks use,(unless you make your own) we here have very little choice and nothing that matches Marigold or Kallo..

I would just like to say that Im better today but its taken a week to get it out of my system. Have you the lo-sodium salt?

[Molly53]

It's good you're feeling better, Anne.

I wonder if you might try this company and see if they might have kosher items for you. Their blurb says, "As the UK’s leading organic frozen food company, Pure Organics supplies major supermarket chains with both own-brand products and the award-winning Pure Organics brand, ‘For Georgia’s Sake’. Through ‘For Georgia’s Sake’ Pure Organics has been recognised for the quality of its products, and for the company’s contribution to opening up consumer choice. In addition to being additive free, the majority of the recipes are also gluten and dairy free":

Stockport Farm, Stockport Road, Amesbury, Wiltshire, SP4 7LN
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.additive-free.co.uk
email: [e-mail]

Or, GOODNESS DIRECT (link). They offer free shipping for orders over £35

[Saralaya]

ann teapot wrote:
Im really fed up with the standard of kosher food ingredients especially the addition of msg. I had some Yarden turkey breast which has it, and Ive been ill the last 2 days. Admittedly I did some other food (which I won't mention here) quite ignorantely, what are the odds of eating 2 lots of food with msg....no wonder Im ill. Even the soup powder which one would use as stock in cooking has it in. When is the kosher food market going to catch up, I mean the big companies. I did post something in the allergy forum just to see what those had to say. Any comments pls

Hi Ann,

I'm also glad you are feeling better! To be fair, it was difficult to know from your original post that you wanted a discussion on MSG in kosher foods. It seemed as though you were having a hard time with a specific brand (Yarden) and some "other food" and "soup powder".

Even here in the US many kosher purveyors use MSG as a flavor additive. It's cheap and apparently they haven't gotten enough complaints from people who are sensitive to MSG to address is. I am lucky that MSG does not bother me but I know a few people who have very nasty reactions to it.

Unfortunately in order to avoid it entirely one must be vigilant in label reading and as Mollie has said, look for "natural" and "organic" items which are most often more costly. Even there you must read the labels.

Many people are also sensitive to sulfites, which are used as preservatives in SO many products. All the kosher wines sold here have SULFITES ADDED - or NO SULFITES - prominently on the labels. (I don't buy non-kosher wines so I'm not sure about them, but I'm guessing so). I see the 'sulfites / no sulfites' notation on many foods now.

I was surprised to learn recently that the kosher food market in the UK is so much smaller with less choices than we have here in N. America.

Here is some info I found via GOOGLE regarding Organic Kosher food in the UK.

http://www.biggreenjewish.org/articles/organic-kosher-foods.php

http://biblicalfoods.co.uk/ (a list of places one can get kosher organic meat and poultry)

I'm sure you have this, but for people who don't:

http://www.kosher.org.uk/

http://www.mbd.org.uk/TheBethDin

It's difficult to stay away from additives entirely in a restricted market.

We do have low-sodium salt substitutes here, but again you have to read the labels to see what is giving them flavour! I have been on a sodium restricted diet for years and I avoid the salt substitutes. I use other spices and a teeny bit of the "real" thing once in awhile. Of course meat and chicken are kashered by being soaked and salted but not enough of the salt is transferred to the meat to be a significant issue since it is rinsed off.

Good luck and come back and vent whenever you need to!

[duonyte]

We use Nu-Salt salt substitute - it tastes quite good and has no MSG. The nutritionist at the hospital recommended it. I had to go to a couple of grocery stores before I found it. I myself use regular salt but Mr Grumpy is of the salt before you taste school yet needs to watch his sodium intake quite closely.