I have been examining many ingredient labels lately, and Xanthan gum is present in nearly all the processed foods I look at. This ingredient, which sounds like some sort of martian chicle, is a type of sugar that has been fermented with a bacteria species called Xanthomonas campestris .
The bacteria consumes and digests the sugar, creating a starchy byproduct. This substance is used to thicken foods or create a creamy texture in low-fat dairy foods. It is also a substitute for wheat gluten. (1)
Xanthan gum is naturally made, so in terms of my yearly commitment, it makes the cut. However, I wonder how the body digests and processes this type of ingredient. Most importantly, is it necessary? If I can have natural oil and vinegar salad dressing, is that better than a low-fat basalmic vinegarette that contains Xanthan gum?
To me, yes.
1. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-xanthan-gum.htm
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
A project in all-natural gastronomy.
Ingredients, Okay
- Calcium chloride
- Dextrose
- Disodium phosphate
- Water
- Xanthan gum
Ingredients, No Way
- BHA
- EDTA
- FD & C Red #40
- Vanillin--Lignin, Ethyl, Cumarin
Nietzche:
Stupidity in the kitchen; woman as cook; the terrible
thoughtlessness with which the feeding of the family and the
master of the house is managed! Woman does not understand what food means, and she insists on being cook! If woman had been a thinking creature, she should certainly, as cook for thousands of years, have discovered the most important physiological facts, and should likewise have got possession of the healing art! Through bad female cooks--through the entire lack of reason in the kitchen--the development of mankind has been longest retarded and most interfered with: even today matters are very little better. A word to High School girls.
thoughtlessness with which the feeding of the family and the
master of the house is managed! Woman does not understand what food means, and she insists on being cook! If woman had been a thinking creature, she should certainly, as cook for thousands of years, have discovered the most important physiological facts, and should likewise have got possession of the healing art! Through bad female cooks--through the entire lack of reason in the kitchen--the development of mankind has been longest retarded and most interfered with: even today matters are very little better. A word to High School girls.
Research Sources
1. 2006 Encyclopedia of Food Additives
2. A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, 5th ed.
3. Whole Foods list of Unacceptable Ingredients for Food
2. A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, 5th ed.
3. Whole Foods list of Unacceptable Ingredients for Food
No comments:
Post a Comment