It took me several years of cooking to appreciate the value that chicken broth and stock, as a matter of fact all types of broth and stock, bringing to cooking. What was once sort of a specialty item in my kitchen has now become a mainstay on my weekly shopping list. I regularly purchase both chicken and vegetable broth and stock for a variety of my family's favorite dishes. I have never found it convenient to make and store my own so I very heavily on commercially available products.
Although there are numerous types of broth and stock available in the supermarket the majority of these contain ingredients that could be hazardous to your health. As I do not want to consume hazardous substances and since I follow the candida diet, a diet to help treat candidiasis, picking an appropriate chicken broth can be a challenging task. Candidiasis is a condition in which through numerous external factors yeast (candida) overgrows in the body. This overgrowth of candida can cause numerous health problems. Many times candidiasis patients go for years without any explanation for there ill health. The candida diet is the main form of treatment for candidiasis but one of the prohibited ingredients on the diet is preservatives and commercially available chicken broths and stocks are infamous for containing these.
I have 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 preserve and / or enhance flavor. All three also undergo the fermentation process wherebe yeast and / or bacteria are added to change 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 carbohydrates source. Many of these original sources are also prohibited on the candida diet. Additionally, MSG has come under fire over the last few decades due to numerous studies that have revealed it causes a wide array of health problems. Yeast extract actually contains MSG so the some concern should be noted. In addition to the three additives already discussed, sugar is another ingredient that is often found in commercially available broths and stocks and is also prohibited on the candida diet.
So how is one to find a chicken broth or stock without MSG, yeast extract, citric acid, sugar or any other preservatives? This is not an easy task but I have found a few brands that are okay to use on the candida diet. More than Gourmet Chicken Stock, Trader Joe's Organic Free Range Chicken Broth and Imagine Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth all appear to have ingredients that are okay for the candida diet. I bought More than Gourmet Chicken Stock from Whole Foods. Imagine Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth is pretty readily available in the organic foods section of most supermarkets. Trader Joe's Organic Free Range Chicken Broth can only be bought in Trader Joe's. I use the Trader Joe's Brand the most because it is the most affordable at about $ 2.29 for 32oz. I hope that these suggestions provide you with the convenience of using commercially available chicken broth and stock without compromising the candida diet.