Increasing Vegetable Intake Using Monosodium Glutamate: A Reduced-Effort Intervention

Food Intake Study: This will be a 4-week randomized controlled intervention study with a vegetable intake questionnaire, daily food intake, and seasoning usage measurement to test the acceptability of different seasoning ingredients and vegetable intake in healthy adults. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups (a) vegetables prepared with 50% NaCl and 50% MSG (50/50MSG Mix); (b) vegetables prepared with 70% NaCl and 30% MSG (70/30 MSG Mix); (c) vegetables prepared with NaCl (table salt). Before the intervention, each group will be asked to keep a daily food intake record for one week to determine baseline vegetable intake. Each group will receive a culinary medicine program electronically, including recipe demonstrations, cooking skills, and nutrition education videos to provide instruction for vegetable consumption according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. According to each treatment group, a bottle of seasoning ingredients will be provided to use on vegetables. Prior to the intervention, participants will be 1) instructed on how to track daily food intake data using the MyFitnessPal® app, 2) track food intake for seven days, and 3) complete a questionnaire regarding vegetable intake pre-intervention. According to the group assignment, each treatment group will also receive a bottle of a seasoning blend that includes either 50/50MSG Mix, 70/30 MSG Mix, or NaCl to use on vegetables prepared at home. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, culinary medicine education (recipe demonstrations, cooking skills, and education videos for vegetable consumption) will be delivered electronically at baseline and once per week for four weeks to each participant. For four weeks, participants will track all meals daily, including vegetables prepared with designated seasoning at home. Remote follow-ups and dietary intake will be conducted weekly. After the intervention, the participants will 1) complete the same vegetable intake questionnaire for the four weeks of the intervention and 2) return the bottle of seasoning blend provided. Usage of seasoning for four weeks will be recorded. Data analyses will evaluate the changes in outcomes within and between groups. Participants will also be informed of the sensory evaluation study to be included among other participants of that study. MSG_Diet Food Questionaries (Updated).docx MyFitness Pal instructions.docx

Sensory Evaluation Study: A sensory evaluation utilizing all seasoning methods from the intervention will be conducted at a Texas Tech University culinary education lab. In a Texas Tech University culinary education lab, 2-4 vegetables will be cooked and seasoned with either 50/50MSG Mix, 70/30 MSG Mix, or NaCl for taste testing. Then, using a standardized form, participants will rate their acceptability and preference of each vegetable, including sensory characteristics such as appearance, color, odor, texture, and flavor.