Another reason to eat raw:

The following is an article from the Fall 1997 newsletter of the NOMSG
group. It is copyrighted by the National Organization Mobilized to Stop
Glutamate. They can be reached at: P.O. Box 367, Santa Fe, NM 87504 or
800-BEATMSG (800-232-8674).

COOKS CORNER

Have you been getting MSG reactions even when taking pains to cook from
scratch at home? One possibility is that you are using cooking methods that
manufacture MSG right in your own kitchen!

Hydrolysis of a protein is the process of breaking down its structure by
using water, heat and an acid to produce a mixture of amino acids,
including glutamate (MSG). This is easy to duplicate in the kitchen when
making soups, stews and reduced sauces which require long cooking times.
The addition of acid foods such as tomatoes, lemon juice or vinegar speeds
up the hydrolysis. In commercial production, this process goes very
quickly, achieving a 50% of protein in 2 hours. The amino acid mixture
typically contain from 20% to 40% MSG and are added to our foods as
"hydrolyzed vegetable protein" (HVP) or "natural flavors."

Therefore, you should avoid any recipe that requires long cooking times.
Soups can be made fairly safe by increasing the solid ingredients and
reducing water in order to get more flavor in a shorter period of time. Do
not use acid foods and cook for only 15 to 30 minutes maximum, at a low
simmer and leave uncovered to promotes evaporation and concentrate the
flavor. You can tell when it is done by tasting the vegetables to see if
they have given up their flavor to the broth and have become tasteless
themselves. Since meat and chicken contain much more protein than most
vegetables (dried beans and lentils are the exception), make an
all-vegetable broth to use in other soups and sauces.

The best cooking methods are grilling and stir-frying, but baking and
steaming at high temperatures for short periods of time are good also. Use
as many foods in their natural state as possible, e.g. raw vegetables, lots
of salads, raw vegetable sauces on pasta, etc. [recipe snipped....]

... or have any cooking question, comments or suggestions or recipes,
please send with your name and address to:

Sandy Rosenthal
Solano Beach, CA
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

P.S. Throw away your crock pots!