Comedian, writer and actress Jenny Young is busting myths about MSG and “clean eating” with a smart campaign, developed with Ajinomoto, a Japanese food and biotech multinational, called #DinnerWithGoop.
The dinner, which took place on September 7 at The Gourmandise School in Santa Monica, was not attended by Gwyneth Paltrow or other representatives from her popular wellness platform Goop. Young extended an invitation to start a fact-based conversation about “clean eating,” the lifestyle and diet that Goop promotes, and how he thinks it is problematic because it promotes the idea that what many people eat is impure and given. The moral value of food choice.
“Food has been my lifelong passion because it’s so connected to my culture, it’s so connected to identity,” Yang told me. the hollywood reporter Wednesday Nights “As I became a comedian and internet consumer, talking to people who were critical of ingredients or foods that represented my culture became one of my favorite conversations. [Goop] To say that MSG is not a clean diet when it’s not backed up by scientific evidence…so it came naturally to me.
Yang’s relationship with Ajinomoto (which makes and sells spices, including MSG) began in 2020, in the early months of the pandemic, when the company invited her to be a part of its #TakeOutHate campaign, which began as they predicted. the Asian community. Get a reaction to the coronavirus outbreak. (Margaret Cho, Harry Shum Jr. and Gail Simmons also starred.)
“If you think about Asian-American representation in this country, people immediately think about food. It’s one of the most prominent formats where we impact culture,” says Young. “[Goop] They put a flag in the sand and said that MSG is not a clean food, therefore dirty. There is a long history of MSG being demonized for what it represented: it was very associated with Chinese restaurants and people. MSG has a lot of baggage and I don’t think that’s what they were thinking when they called it dirty.
Ajinomoto Company. Courtesy of Inc.
Last night’s dinner featured Lao dishes with a Californian twist from Los Angeles-based chef Saeng Duandara, including rehydrated sticky rice, Lao beef and spaghetti, chicken laab rice paper tacos and grilled pork Hong Shao. All items had MSG, but the starter, the cold lemongrass corn soup, was offered in both MSG and non-MSG versions so guests could tell the difference. It was sharp. (When MSG is present in foods, glutamate binds to the umami receptor, or fifth taste, on the tongue of eaters, creating a more palatable sensation.)
Dr. Tia Raines, Ajinomoto’s North America Representative for Consumer Engagement and Strategic Development, is committed to working to get more food and cultural media to talk about misconceptions about MSG (which has a long history of being perceived as unhealthy, despite the scientific support -thirds less sodium than table salt) and ingredients associated with certain cultures. “I believe in bringing the truth about food and food ingredients to the public. MSG is safe and can be used not only as a food enhancer, but also to reduce sodium by 30-50%. “My background is in nutritional science, so it’s very important to me when 9 out of 10 Americans are consuming more sodium than they should for a healthy diet,” she said. He added: “Unfortunately, it is all too common that eventually, what [some platforms are] This is deceiving the American public with diets that are not in their best interest. Anyone with a health and wellness platform should answer this. [science’s] An idea of what healthy eating is.
Ajinomoto Company. Courtesy of Inc.
Despite common misconceptions, MSG has been deemed safe by the FDA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and many other reputable health organizations. Common foods that have MSG are Parmesan cheese, ranch sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, soups, snack foods, and other prepared foods.
Young people and other dinner attendees allege that from the start of the campaign, Goop secretly removed articles that mentioned MSG or added disclaimers.. “I always feel very comfortable when someone with power and influence like Goop tries to join the conversation by calling something in my culture good or bad, clean or dirty,” says Young. “I think the company is smart enough that if they really thought about it, they would fix it.” We’re not trying to demonize Guppy, we’re just trying to talk.
THR I contacted Goop and had no response at the time of publication.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
