From the Feingold newsletter archives:
While real vanilla extract is made from the vanilla bean and is a mixture of several hundred different compounds in addition to vanillin, the artificial flavoring is methyl vanillin or ethyl vanillin. It is made from Guaiacol, which is an aromatic chemical made from wood creosote (present in smoke from burning wood), from petroleum, or from lignin-containing waste products of the paper pulp industry. Thus, the artificial flavoring has a much higher percentage of a single chemical compound, as well as unknown contaminants resulting from its source.
Whether the reactions seen by our members to the artificial vanillin is due to the concentration of a single chemical in the flavoring, to the contaminants, or to something else entirely, is unknown.
Artificial vanillin has also been shown in research to suppress certain liver enzymes (Bamforth 1993), and according to Aoshima, 1997, it inhibits the GABA receptor response, suggesting that it could modulate the neural transmission in the brain.
seriously? it's not even real vanilla? I googled homemade nutella - seems there are lots of recipes to do it yourself which I will have to try because if we give up nutella there will be straight up anarchy in this house.
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing all of this. I have always noticed a difference in my kids when they eat "bad" foods and recently i have become lazy with my cooking so they're getting waaaaaaaay too much processed chemicalized stuff and it stops now! thanks for being an inspiration,
sabrina
You can make your own Vanilla extract (vanilla beans soaked in vodka for at least 6 weeks, really, no lie, that easy) AND your own Nutella. Have at it.
ReplyDeleteIt seams all crazy at first doing something so radical with diet. But the more you research the madder you get, and the easier it becomes. You just start to pack lunches for the whole family, you make things from scratch, you all feel better, and look WAY better. It just takes a couple of poor me weeks. Or if you are me, months...
Next thing you know, you will be making green smoothies everyday! YUM!!!!!
this just makes me sick. i love nutella, just as much as I use vanilla extract... and it's not even real vanilla???? What?? ugh. I may need a minute!
ReplyDelete