I’m going to start gathering a new time of data and sharing it, and I encourage others to do the same.
If you follow the strict MAV diet, as I do, there are a hell of a lot of limitations, and they are multiplied by the unknowns. I mean concerns such as whether “natural ingredients” is going to mean something verboten. This is especially true for me, as I’m loath to find out by playing guinea pig. Yet restricting myself to nothing but fresh foods and foods whose ingredient lists promise they’re okay is rough.
I’ve decided it’s time to start asking manufacturers for the details of these uncertain ingredient lists. Here’s the first info I’ve gained:
I chew Spry, a palatable Xylitol-sweetened gum. (Xylitol does not promote tooth decay, and may inhibit it a little.) Heretofore I’ve avoided two flavors: green tea, out of concern about caffeine, and fruit, out of concern for tyramine. These weren’t big concerns, because how much would a piece of gum contain, anyway? Still, I contacted the manufacturer. The green tea gum has zero caffeine, I was told, and the fruit flavor has no actual fruit flavor, being the only one of their gums that contains artificial flavoring (and none of its ingredients raised an alarm).
Next, I think, are ice cream manufacturers.
In the other direction, here’s something that I thought would be okay to eat, based on the label, but found to be quite disturbing. The brand is Quark, I believe, and the product, Tvoro. The description on its label made it sound like a soft cream cheese, a bit lower in fat than Neuchatel. The consistency and flavor, however, and the unfortunate effect, was that of yoghurt. I won’t bother working out a joke about quarks, physics, and physicks.