Around here - 7 Day Challenge - Additive Free Lifestyle

Last night we finished off the 7 day challenge and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  We do a lot of cooking from scratch however this was a whole other level of knowledge about making our food even better.

Yesterday I made some home made spreadable butter which took about 5 minutes.  I made it in the Thermomix however it can be made in a normal food processor.  So quick and simple.

During the webinar last night I learnt that there is more than one name for MSG [at least 129] and where food says no added MSG could mean it's already there under a different name.  I know my Mum reacts badly to MSG and that dates back to take away Chinese food.  These days even our local Chinese food shop advertised no MSG on the front of the shop so I assume none is used.   Monosodium Gultamate [MSG] is a flavour enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups and processed meats.   This is a list of some of the things that MSG can react in people.  One of the ladies in the webinar last night said that after Chinese food her lips and mouth go numb and tingling.

Headaches
Flushes
Sweating
Facial pressure or tightness
Numbness, tingling or burning in the face, neck or other areas
Rapid fluttering heartbeats
Chest pain
Nausea
Weakness

If you were trying to avoid MSG, naturally you would be looking for MSG on the label and if it's not there you may think it's safe.  This is an article from the Sydney Morning Herald referring to 129 names you need to avoid in order to avoid MSG.  It's a mind field.  Just take a look at this list below which is from the article so to see it up close click on the link above for a more clearer picture.

In the webinar Tracey & Jo went through what could be a normal day's food and they put a post it note on the wall for every preservative they found.  So the typical day was cereal in a box, wrap with ham, a Tim Tam for afternoon tea and roast chicken and a packet of noodles for dinner.  This was just an example and obviously there may be salad on the wrap and fruit for afternoon tea as well.  In just that little scenario there were 30 preservatives or numbers in that one days worth of food.  Again it wasn't junk food or take away food and could be considered a relatively healthy day of food.  We can avoid these things if you know how to swap them or make them.  No one is suggesting you never have a Tim Tam because we know that Tim Tams are really a treat and you wouldn't be eating them every day so that's not a problem.  It's being armed with the information so that you can make more informed decisions for your family when making or purchasing goods from the supermarket.  

I've enrolled in the 30 day course that starts on the 17th June and the course is open for another 30 days after the finish so if you want to go over the course material or life gets busy or you are away on holidays you have time to get through the information.  Approximately 2 hrs per week and you don't have to do it in one block of time you can watch a video interview while you are cooking dinner.  If you don't want to do the course there is lots of free information and recipes on their website as as mentioned in my original post you only have to listen to the 7 day challenge podcasts and you might think differently about wanting to learn how to avoid these things. Knowledge is power and then you have the option to choose for yourself when shopping.

At the end of the day food is food and the less processed the better for our health of ourselves and our loved ones.