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Mediterranean Umami is similar to MSG in its ability to boost taste, but MSG is avoided by some consumers, he said. “Chinese restaurant syndrome” is a term coined in the 1960s referring to a group of symptoms some say they experience after eating foods made with MSG, a common ingredient in Chinese cooking. Today, it’s known as MSG Symptom Complex. These symptoms often include headache, skin flushing and sweating. Hart said Mediterranean Umami offers an alternative. “Being a completely natural combination of vegetable extracts and sea salt, Mediterranean Umami does not trigger side-effects and is a clean-label product evoking no negative consumer reactions,” he said.
Candy bar targets cannabis-inspired munchies
A company based in Israel has found a way to make the iconic ranch-style salad dressing without using monosodium glutamate (MSG). Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural ingredient made from vegetable extracts and seas salt, retains the ranchstyle dressing flavour without the MSG and while reducing sodium at the same time, said David Hart, business unit director for Salt of the Earth Ltd. in a release. “We worked intensively to crack the code of MSG’s unique flavour contribution to traditional Ranch dressing formulations,” Hart said. Salt of the Earth completed multiple trials of Ranch dressing formulations with and without Mediterranean Umami. These trials effectively demonstrated the ability to maintain the true flavour of Ranch dressing, but with 30 per cent less sodium, and without using MSG or yeast extracts.
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Replacing potatoes or rice with pulses can lower your blood glucose levels by more than 20 per cent, according to a first-ever University of Guelph study. Researchers with the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences and Agriculture and AgriFood found that swapping out half of a portion of these starchy side dishes for lentils significantly improves the body’s response to the carbohydrates. “Pulses are extremely Dan Ramdath of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, U of G nutrient-dense foods that PhD student Dita Moravek and have the potential to reduce U of G Prof. Alison Duncan chronic diseases associated with mismanaged glucose levels,” said lead researcher Alison Duncan. Yet very few Canadians eat lentils, she added. “Canada has a huge production of lentils, but we export most of it and only 13 per cent of Canadians eat them on any given day,” said Duncan. “We are hoping this research will make people more aware of the health benefits of eating pulses.” Pulses, such as lentils, can slow digestion and the release of sugars found in starch into the bloodstream, ultimately reducing blood glucose levels.
photo: iStock / Getty Images Plus / egal
Cracking the code for MSG-free salad dressing
Replacing starchy side dishes with lentils photo: Stock / Getty Images Plus / THPStock
With cannabis set to become legal in Canada in October 2018, the makers of the OH HENRY! candy bar have launched speciality packaging to usher in the new era. The play on the 4:20 code term for cannabis consumption among the drug’s fan base, OH HENRY 4:25 is specially formulated to satisfy the intense hunger that occurs five minutes after 4:20, says senior marketing director Jackson Hitchon. “The OH HENRY! 4:25 bar is a true testament of our dedication to not only meeting our consumers’ hunger needs, but also to provide creative and innovative products,” he said. “We as Canadians are experiencing a unique and historic cultural moment with the recent legalization of cannabis and OH HENRY! wants to be part of this moment.” OH HENRY! 4:25 is available while supplies last.