Food Talk  Discussion Forum

hello i'm a vegan and am obsessed with healthy eating/cooking. so when i go shopping and see just \";soybean oil\"; or just \";canola oil\"; by itself on the labels without the \";partially hydrogenated\"; or \";expeller-pressed\"; written before it, what am i supposed to assume? to extract oil from plants it has to be heated or pressed right? so when the labels don't distinguish, what does it mean? am i missing something? can oil be extracted from say olives or peanuts or soy in some other way besides heat (hydrogenation) or being pressed? i mean if some bottles of olive oil say expeller pressed, what are we supposed to assume when it just says \";olive oil????!!!\"; i'd appreciate greatly your feedback! thanks!
also, why do some people avoid gluten? what is the big deal with \";gluten-free\"; products? whats wrong with gluten? isnt it just the protein in wheat? what harm is there then? on the same note, whats wrong with GMO and MSG? THANKS! i know a little about MSG but not GMO. THANKS!
love your animals!!!--Bobby

Kevin replied. hi.
well, many people are allergic to wheat and/or gluten, so that is probably why you see gluten free and wheat free products.

same thing with msg. many non-asian descent people have allergic reactions to msg that can be manifested as headaches, drowsiness, depression, hives, etc. this is often because it has not been in the diet of the people for hundreds or thousands of years and is a shock to the system. milk/dairy intolerance is another similar allergic reaction due to the same reason.

does gmo stand for genetically modified something? i know many people/countries do not want foods that have been messed with genetically.

can't help you too much on the oils. sorry.

kevin