Food for Life – Apricot Jam

Among the changing months, May stands confest
The sweetest, and in fairest colors dressed.

James Thomson

I have had numerous requests to continue my article on the harm of MSG. This information is taken from Consumer Beware, by Beatrice Trum Hunter, page 62.

“More recently, additional information has been publicized. Dr. Robert Ho Man Kwok, senior research investigator for the National Biomedical Research Foundation, describing a strange syndrome that he personally experiences in restaurants serving Northern Chinese Food. About 15 to 20 minutes after eating, he develops ‘numbness at the back of the neck, gradually radiating to both arms and the back, general weakness and palpitation.’ Dr. Kwok added that some of his Chinese friends, both medical and nonmedical, also complained of similar symptoms after eating Chinese food. He speculated that it might be caused by some ingredient in the soy sauce, the high sodium content of the food, and/or the generous use of monosodium glutamate seasoning used in many Chinese restaurants.

“Dr. Kwok’s description elicited other reports of what came to be dubbed the ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.’ (CRS). Many physicians confirmed similar experiences. In addition to the symptoms Dr. Kwok described, some included ‘profuse, cold sweat,’ ‘tightness on both sides of the head. . . . felt as though, at any second, the sides of my head would burst.’ ‘Pounding, throbbing sensation in the head, vise-like.’

“Interest in the subject continued. Medical researchers followed up the lead. Dr. Herbert H. Schaumburg, assistant professor of neurology, and Dr. Robert Byck, assistant professor of pharmacology, both at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, found MSG related to the CRS symptoms. They acknowledged that the syndrome has been well known to allergists and Chinese restaurateurs.

“The researchers ate Chinese food three times daily at a cooperating Chinese restaurant. . . . Upon sampling the individual ingredients, ‘the dagger of suspicion pointed at Monosodium Glutamate.’ The researchers found that as little as 1–1/2 grams, or about one-quarter of a teaspoon, of MSG can produce symptoms in some subjects. They also found that MSG ‘can produce undesirable effects in the amounts used in the preparation of widely consumed foods.’

“To determine whether MSG causes more than transitory symptoms, laboratory experiments were conducted, and large amounts were injected into animals. It caused brain damage in newborn mice. As adults, the MSG-treated animals showed stunted skeletal development, marked obesity and female sterility. The researcher, Dr. John W. Olney, of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, [Missouri] said that he believed that pregnant women should not use MSG, until further data are available.

“As a result, the FDA announced its intention of reviewing MSG, which has been on the GRAS (generally regarded as safe). It should never have been put on that list, since it was already known and reported in a medical journal that MSG had caused eye damage in newborn mice.”

This should answer many of your questions, and hopefully you will eliminate MSG from your diet. God bless you throughout this month, and may you continue to strive for mastery in all these health items for the perfection of your character in Christ Jesus.

Recipe – Apricot Jam

¾ cup dried Apricots – Wash well and let soak in water for 1 hour. Then drain and rinse. Return to soak in water until soft for the blender. Cut Apricots in half and place in blender.
To Apricot pieces add:
¼ cup Raisins
¼ cup Dates
¾ cup Crushed Pineapple with juice
¼ cup water or Pineapple juice

This jam will keep 7-10 days in the refrigerator.