Castoreum

A few years ago, Linda decided to "eat healthy."  Not a bad thing, right?  Except she went a little overboard for 2 years.  Here were her rules:  1) No animal products, including dairy and eggs.  She was a total vegan.  2) No white foods.. including white rice, bread, sugar, potatoes. 3) No coffee or diet coke. 4) No fried foods 5) No desserts.  6) No packaged food with more than six ingredients.  I'm sure there were more rules, but she can't remember.  For a week, she even made me be a vegetarian.  She bought special food for $3 a can, but that didn't last long.  Honestly, looking back she can't believe she wasted so much time worrying about food.  Now she is way more relaxed with her diet.  She eats everything (except animals) and is way happier.

Today she read an article about scary food additives.  Back in the eating-rule days, it would have made her crazy and she would have read every label in her house.  Now it doesn't make her obsess or change her eating style.  OK, maybe titanium in your salad dressing; an ingredient in Round Up Weed Killer in your soy based products; petroleum in your cereals; red and yellow food dye (causes every disease known to man) are not ideal.  There were all sorts of bizarre additives but there was one that was her favorite.  Castoreum.. a flavoring listed on labels as "natural ingredients."  Ready for what it really is?  Get ready.....

"Don't ask how they get it out"

 Beaver anal gland juice. Really. Beavers combine it with their urine to mark their territory.  Linda even looked it up on Snopes.com to see if it was an urban legend.  It's totally true.  Ha!!!