It took me many years of cooking to appreciate the value chicken broth and stock, in fact all types of broth and stock, bring to cooking. What was once a specialty item in my kitchen has now become a mainstay on my weekly shopping list. I often buy both chicken and vegetable broths and stocks for a variety of my family’s favorite dishes. I’ve never found it convenient to make and store my own, so I rely heavily on commercially available products.
Although there are many types of broths and stocks available in supermarkets, most of them contain ingredients that can be dangerous to your health. As I don’t want to consume dangerous ingredients and since I follow a candida diet, choosing an appropriate chicken broth to help treat candidiasis can be a challenging task. Candidiasis is a condition in which there is an overgrowth of yeast (Candida) in the body due to a number of external factors. This overgrowth of Candida can cause a number of health problems. Many times patients with candidiasis go for years without any explanation for the poor health. The Candida diet is the main form of treatment for candidiasis, but one of the ingredients prohibited on the diet is preservatives and commercially available chicken broth and stock are infamous for containing them.
I’ve found that the most widely used prohibited ingredients in commercially available broths include monosodium glutamate (MSG), yeast extract, and citric acid. All three of these additives are used to maintain and/or enhance flavor. All three also undergo a fermentation process whereby yeast and/or bacteria are added to convert the substance into a form that is suitable for commercial use and yeast is a prohibited Candida diet ingredient. MSG, yeast extract and citric acid can all be derived from a sugar or carbohydrate source. Many of these basic sources are also restricted on the candida diet. Additionally, MSG has come under fire over the past few decades due to a number of studies showing that it causes a wide range of health problems. Yeast extract does indeed contain MSG so there are some concerns to be noted. In addition to the three additives already discussed, sugar is another ingredient often found in commercially available broths and stocks and also banned on the candida diet.
So how can you find chicken broth or stock without MSG, yeast extract, citric acid, sugar or any other preservatives? It’s not an easy task but I have found a few brands that are fine to use on a candida diet. More than gourmet chicken stock, Trader Joe’s Organic Free Range Chicken Broth and Imagine Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth all contain ingredients that are fine for a candida diet. I bought over gourmet chicken stock from Whole Foods. Imagine Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth is readily available in the organic food section of most supermarkets. Trader Joe’s Organic Free Range Chicken Broth can only be purchased at Trader Joe’s. I use the Trader Joe’s brand the most because it is the cheapest at about $2.29 for 32oz. I hope these suggestions give you the flexibility to use commercially available chicken broth and stock without compromising your candida diet.
Source by Tennille Jordan
