Getting lazy with glutamates

Well, in what feels like a never ending quest to determine what food sensitivities by son has, we challenged glutamates last week. The challenge required eating a whopping 80 ml of soy sauce (4 Australian tablespoons, or 5 ¹/₃ US tablespoons) each day for three days.  We were also encouraged to use Parmesan liberally.  Technically, those were the only two items in the challenge, but we also indulged in a few other foods that contain glutamates (and amines, which we are no longer avoiding) but no other forbidden chemicals.  We also continued to indulge in small amounts of glutamates during the three day elimination period that follows each challenge.

The most famous glutamate is Mono Sodium Glutamate, also known as MSG. It is widely associated with Chinese restaurants, but it, and a few other glutamates are often used as flavoring in packaged food.  As it turns out, glutamate also occurs naturally in a range of foods, including aged cheese, soy sauce, tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, broccoli, and grapes and their products.

After about 50ml of soy sauce on the first day I couldn't take it anymore;  I do not believe that one person could consume enough food in a day to disguise that much soy sauce.  And after a night of anxious sleeplessness and a headache, I was content to finish the challenge right then.  Was it the glutamate?  I don't know - I also had a lot to do and a son who was no keener than I to eat that much of the challenge food, but it sounds like classic Chinese restaurant syndrome.  Regardless, given that most of the foods where glutamates are found in high concentration are also high in fat I'll probably try to limit my intake anyway.

On day two of the glutamate challenge I phoned the dietitian because my two year old son had decided not to complete the challenge (he wouldn't eat anything that tasted like soy, and I can't blame him).  The dietitian recommended substituting Parmesan, so we had pizza for dinner.  That worked.  I also cheated by indulging in a little Cambazola cheese, and we both cheated by having peas, both foods that contain glutamates and no other forbidden substances that are not part of the challenge.  In the end, after eating lots of Parmesan, my son did not appear to react to the glutamates.

The day after the official end to the challenge, we went backpacking.  I do not recommend camping while on this elimination diet, nor do I recommend backpacking with a two year old child, but that's another story.  It was very difficult to find suitable foods.  All pre-packaged camping foods were out of the question.  Dried fruit was out (except for bananas, but we couldn't find those because of the recent banana shortage anyway).  Most of the vegetables that we usually take were out.  GORP was definitely out.  No pepperoni or smoked fish either (we camp in style).  We ended up taking lots of bread, chocolate and Colby cheese (which has amines, but we are eating those now), homemade cookies, oatmeal and powdered milk for breakfasts, and couscous, lentils, rice, and chickpeas for dinner.  We cheated by bringing Parmesan and freeze dried peas and adding those to the meals (technically we should have been avoiding glutamates by then).  To get vegetables we took fresh vegetables!  Leek, potato, swede (which never got eaten), and green beans.  Fortunately, we were hiking with someone who agreed to carry the food.

In theory, our three day elimination period that follows the glutamate challenge fell during our camping trip, but we cheated by eating peas and Parmesan.  The reason for the elimination period is two fold - to distinguish a delayed reaction to the glutamate challenge from a reaction to the next food challenge, and because a reaction to one food can inhibit a reaction to another food if the second food is eaten too soon after the first, thereby masking the reaction to the second food.  However, since my son requires cortisone after 10 days without, which must be followed by a further three day elimination period, it didn't seem necessary to remain strict about avoiding the challenge substance (glutamate) in this case.

On the way home from the camping trip we stopped at a pub.  It was our first restaurant meal in over three months.  I was surprised at how well they were able to cater for my son's curious eating restrictions.  He had grilled chicken, boiled potato, and steamed peas and cabbage.  As for me, I had my first non-diet meal.  Now, a pub is probably not the first place you think of to break a fast, but that is where I found myself.  So I had peppercorn steak with chips and salad.  All three were disappointing and surprisingly bland.  Fortunately, the Pavlova was better.

I'm eager to put this diet behind me because, despite my efforts to eat healthfully and provide healthful food to my family, I am uncomfortable with how limited our choice of vegetables has been and how much we've relied on meat and refined sugar.  In an attempt to counteract the limitations of our diet over the past three months, I've started eating flaxseed oil on my salads, and I am keen to replace the canola oil we've been using in our cooking with olive oil.  In less than a week my son will be finished with the last challenge he will do, then we will try to return to our previous, more healthful diet.  However, after three and a half months on the this diet, I still feel compelled to write down everything I eat and I can't shake the feeling that I'm cheating every time I put a piece of fruit in my mouth.