Read and Think about

... the label of the food products you are about to consume! I know some of you get really frustrated with me when grocery shopping because I ALWAYS spend too much time reading and thinking in front of a shelve, the workers at my local market welcome me by now. But it is damn necessary if you want to be a free educated consumer trying to act sustainable at the point of sale. That´s all I have to say to this: nyt. It discusses the use of taste enhancer mostly all sorts of glutamine in modern food products. It is a protein that is found naturally in all sorts of dairy products, meat or soy (the highest natural content) and of course within ourselves. It is supposedly good for muscles so bodybuilders love it.... It can be extracted  as Glutamin acid in a rather complicated process and is then being sold as crystalline white substance which is then being added to food as E 620 or other salts like E621, E 622, E 623 ... 

Any clinical study on the substance didn´t show any indication of health risk when used in regular doses. But since it is a taste enhancer everything (supposedly) tastes better and therefore: what is a reasonable doses? I observed that kids who are used to canned and processed food (which generally include all sorts of Es because aroma just doesn´t stay) do not like the taste of natural fresh food. Even as adults they have to have their Maggi or others when they cook. I grew up with mom´s delicious home made chicken-broth. I do eat processed food (how can you not in this world)... but I would prefer fresh any time also because of the taste (not to mention the resources that are used to produce most processed food). Smell, taste and feel the structure of different fresh foods with your tongue, nose, lips - whatever, learn the difference between with and without enhancer and make up your mind. Try and enjoy food. It might be weird at first but it is like art, when it´s most disturbing it is the best. Go into a grocery store (organic or a better regular one) and smell the apples, most of them don´t smell anymore, but sometimes you find one and then buy the smell you like the best. You will notice a delicate balance between sweet and sour with an aroma explosion on the sides of your tongue. When it tickles like champaign you are hooked to apples... the good ones (which cost a fortune and need to be treated like treasures!!! no refrigerating!!!) :)

Food enhancer only contribute to convenience and globalized taste. The differences in tastes will be lost and therefor varieties in food. But it won´t kill us immediately.