You can read about why I made this decision HERE. MSG is a very controversial man made "spice" that gives food an umami taste. The controversy stems from the reported negative side effects of consuming MSG. I wrote another article HERE, about my best substitutes for MSG and Maggi in my cooking. Now a lot of companies are waking up and starting to produce MSG free bouillon. Keep reading to find out some of the best MSG free bouillon cubes and seasoning mixes sold in stores and online.
*This list of MSG Free Bouillon Cubes is in no particular order
1. SOONGAN Vegetable Broth Cube
This broth cube is vegan, soy free, low sodium, gluten free, non-gmo, and msg free. The ingredient are all natural and consist of sea tangle extract, cabbage extract, Shitake mushroom, solar salt, sugar, onion, garlic, and potato starch in this order.
The only negative for me in the Soongan cubes is the use of sugar, as I don't add sugar to most items I cook, sugar seems to be added to most bouillon cubes and seasoning mixes. This brand Soongan makes another anchovy flavor msg free broth cube as well.
This bouillon cube is gluten free, msg free, and is advertised as containing no artificial flavors. This brand BOU Bouillon cubes has different flavors which include beef, chicken, vegetable, and mushroom. The ingredient list for this chicken Bou Bouillon consist of Salt, maltodextrin (from corn), sugar, palm oil, yeast extract, coconut concentrate, rendered chicken fat, dehydrated onions, spices, natural flavoring, dehydrated cooked chicken meat, lactic acid, garlic powder, ginger powder, lemongrass powder, dehydrated leeks, turmeric, and soy lecithin.
The negatives for me in these cubes is the use of salt, maltodextrin and sugar as the first 3 ingredients, which means they make up the bulk of the cube. Like with Maggi and Knorr cubes you want to be careful to not add to much additional salt in your meals as this can lead to high blood pressure. Maltodextrin is made from vegetable startch. Maltodextrin and sugar are both high glycemic, which means they can lead to spiked blood sugar so if you are diabetic or on a low carb diet this cube may not be your best option. Maltodextrin is made from vegetable starch and typically added to foods as a thickener, preservative, or to add bulk to the food.
This bouillon mix is gluten free, msg free, and is advertised as containing no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. The ingredient list include salt, corn starch, yeast extract, onion powder, sugar, palm oil, chicken stock, carrots, spices, parsley, garlic powder, turmeric(color). I commend Knorr for finally producing an MSG free product and the ingredient list is pretty good. Again the only negatives being sugar and corn starch.
Like Knorr I commend Maggi in there attempt at creating a healthier product. However their MSG free bouillon is not as natural as other MSG free alternatives. The negatives for me of this products are the use of maltodextrin and sugar, which as mentioned above will cause a insulin spike after eating making it a poor choice for anyone on a low carb or keto diet. And the use of disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate which are flavor inhancers produced from meat and seaweed to give the food an umami taste. These two chemicals when used in combination form a compound called disodium 5' -ribonucleotides.
According Noshy.com disodium 5' -ribonucleotides should not be consumed by people with gout or asthmatics as it may cause allergic and asthmatic reactions. Consumption of this compound may also be associated with itchy skin rashes, hyperactivity, sleeplessness, and mood changes. However, these two compounds are listed at the end of the ingredient list, so one can assume that this Maggi actually contains very small amounts of them.
This product is advertised as certified organic and vegan. The ingredient list includes sea salt, maltodextrin, yeast extract, soy sauce, leek, parsley, celery, fenugreek, lovage, carrots, parsnip, turmeric, and onions in that order. I like that this product does not contain sugar like many other bouillon mixes, so the only negative for me is that it contains maltodextrin.
6. Edward & Sons MSG Free Bouillon Cubes
Edward & Sons makes a few different varieties of vegan bouillon cubes with organic ingredients. Though reviews state that the 3 varieties taste quite similar. The ingredient list is all natural and contains Sea Salt, Organic Palm Oil, Yeast Extract, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Chicory Extract, Maltodextrin, Onion, Organic Celery, Mushroom Powder, Organic Garlic, Organic Mace Spice. The only negatives for me is the maltodextrin and sugar, but at least they are not listed in the top 3 ingredients for this product.
This product is advertised as MSG free and vegan friendly. There are only 4 all natural ingredients; shiitake mushroom powder, salt, mushroom extract, and calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate naturally occurring compound found in rocks that is added to food to boost calcium in the food or used as a natural preservative. I personally may actually try this product in one of my soup recipes to see if it really gives that umami flavor just as the name implies.
Kallo produces a variety of organic bouillon flavors some are organic beef, organic chicken, mushroom, garlic herb, french onion, and organic vegetable among others. They are advertised as organic, no preservatives, no artificial flavors, gluten free, lactose free, and no MSG added. In ingredient list in the organic chicken bouillon include Sea salt, potato starch, sustainable palm fat , sugar, chicken fat (3.5%), yeast extract, natural chicken flavor, chicken powder (1%), spices and herbs (turmeric, black pepper, parsley, rosemary), onion. All the ingredients appear to be natural, I just don't like the use of sugar and potato starch as the second ingredient.
FlavorGod seasoning mixes are advertised as dairy free, gluten free, msg free, fat free, sugar free, paleo, vegan, and low sodium. The ingredient list in there Everything Spice includes Onions, Garlic, Sea Salt, California Chili Pepper Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Paprika, Black Pepper, Basil Leaves, and Parsley Flakes.
The Flavor God mission is to provide people with unique and delicious seasonings that help them create amazing meals everyday in kitchens all around the world. I think the use of Flavor God seasonings is great for anyone who truly wants an all natural product and doesn't want to think about how to mix different spices themselves while cooking. Flavor God does the work for you and they have so many different flavors. I would recommend purchasing the Flavor God Seasoning variety pack.
Mrs. Dash is in my opinion the original low sodium seasoning mix. All of Mrs Dash products are all natural, without MSG. The original Mrs Dash spice ingredients are Onion, Spices (Black Pepper, Parsley, Celery Seed, Basil, Bay Marjoram, Oregano, Savory, Thyme, Cayenne Pepper, Coriander, Cumin, Mustard, Rosemary), Garlic, Carrot, Orange Peel, Tomato, Lemon Juice Powder, Citric Acid, Oil of Lemon. Like with Flavor God, I think a Mrs Dash Variety Pack would be great for anyone who doesn't want to think about how to mix different spices together to season their food.
Conclusion
Not all bouillon and seasoning mixes are created equal. Even some MSG free bouillon though healthier are not all natural. Many of the msg free bouillon cubes still contain salt as the primary ingredient. When using them, you still want to limit how much additional salt you add to your food especially if you have high blood pressure. It is interesting to note that a lot of bouillon has sugar and starch listed in the top 4 or even top 2 ingredients, which means the bulk of the mix may not even be spices. Its important to look at the ingredient list before purchasing bouillon so you know exactly what you will be consuming. These starches(maltodextrin) and sugar would not be good for someone who is on a low glycemic, low carb, or even a keto diet, as the starches and sugar will spike your insulin. A lot of people drink broth soups when dieting, but could be accidentally sabotaging there results by choosing the wrong bouillon.
I personally think it's best to just make your own broth using bones or meat with natural spices, and use a combination of natural spices to season your food. You can read HERE to learn my top 3 substitutes to bouillon cubes I use in my cooking. If a healthy broth is all you are looking for than Vital Proteins Collage Broth may be for you. Its organic, msg free, gluten free, dairy free, and made with free range chicken.
It contains a good amount of protein, no carbs or fat, most essential amino acids, collagen, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate which have been shown to help improve joint pain.
I don't ascribed to any particular type of diet. I don't eat all organic, I'm not vegan, and I don't do keto. My diet is not perfect. I simply make a conscience effort to eat as healthy as possible as often as possible, and I hope I can convince others to do the same as well. There may be other MSG free bouillon cubes that I missed. If you know of any please comment below.
12 Comments
Yeast extract is just as bad as MSG. If a food has anything hydrolyzed in it, I avoid it too. Go thru each ingredient that isn't found in it's natural state in a garden and research it. I'm guessing you'll be removing at least half of the products you listed above.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. I have not looked into the research on yeast extract but will definitely do so. I was just trying to give people some different healthier options, as I see brands are trying to provide such. Anyways thanks for reading my blog, and really appreciate your comment!
Deleteyeast extract is MSG
DeleteEvery product that you mentioned has some form of MSG in it.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any product suggestions?
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Thank you for this article.
ReplyDeleteWhich ones do you personally use? For everyday Stew/One and Jollof Rice?
I find Kallo extremely tasteless.
Another comment here to mention that "yeast extract" is a way to hide MSG. I can't seem to find any that do not contain either MSG or yeast extract.
ReplyDeleteNice blog thhanks for posting
ReplyDeleteHi grreat reading your post
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