What is Bragg Liquid Aminos?

I use this stuff almost daily, I am addicted to its salty, soy sauce flavor.  Since, many of  The Hoff's recipes use Bragg Liquid Aminos, I figured it was about time to actually say something about this "Hoffssential" cooking ingredient.

This stuff has been around since 1912, yet I seldom ever hear about it.  In fact, I can't even remember how I stumbled upon it.

Bragg's is a Certified NON-GMO liquid protein concentrate, derived from soybeans, that contains the following 16 Essential and Non-essential Amino Acids in naturally occurring amounts:

• Alanine
• Arginine
• Aspartic Acid
• Glutamic Acid
• Glycine
• Histidine
• Isoleucine
• Leucine 
• Methionine
• Phenylalanine
• Proline
• Serine
• Threonine
• Tyrosine
• Valine
• Lysine 

So what.

Great, Bragg's has 16 amino acids in it, what the hell does that mean? Ok, here it goes as I understand it...

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and by extension our organs and tissues.  They also contribute to metabolism.

There are 20 total amino acids and we can produce 10 of them ourselves, leaving the other half to be gotten through food.  Bragg's provides 9 aminos that we cannot produce ourselves.

Since we don't store aminos, we need to have a steady supply of them or risk losing muscle and our body's ability to grow and repair itself.

So, I need Bragg's to get aminos?

No, use Bragg's merely as a condiment and nothing more.  As plants are able to make all 20 amino acids, a vegan/vegetarian diet has you covered.

What's in it?

Bragg's gets huge Healthy Hoff Approval for containing only 2 ingredients: vegetable protein from soybeans and purified water - not bad huh?!?

While this stuff is much lower in sodium than soy sauce, it does contain some natural salts and if that is of concern, can be toned down with a little water.

What's not in it?

• no chemicals
• no artificial coloring
• no alcohol
• no preservatives
• no Gluten 
• no calories
• no fat

What to do with it?

Like I said, I use this stuff in replace of soy sauce, but I also use it as a salt enhancer to anything that I feel needs a flavor kick.  It also goes great with salad, soup, over veggies, potatoes, tofu, rice, even popcorn.

Where to put it?

Bragg's does not require refrigeration and as long as it's kept out of direct sunlight and in a cool location, will last between 3-5 years.  But I highly doubt you will ever have a bottle that long.

I want some!

I'm pretty sure you can get this stuff in the grocery store or a health food store, I just have no clue where to begin looking.  So, I stock-up online with a generous 32 oz. bottle that will go quicker than you think, for a unbelievable price of $5.50 - worth every penny and then some!

Happy Seasoning!
The Hoff