Most people have heard of MSG and know that it’s bad for you. But what exactly is it, and why is it STILL in our foods?
MSG makes your food taste really good. Companies put it in your food because it enhances the flavor to make it taste better and keep you buying more of it! MSG manufacturers even admit that it addicts people to their products!
MSG is also unfortunately found in MOST restaurants. It’s in just about every fast food item, in most sauces, salad dressings, chips, soups, and even Boars Head products! The list goes on and on, and it is ultimately your responsibility to control what goes into your mouth.
Glutamic acid is naturally occurring and can be found in many things we eat like tomatoes, mushrooms, and milk. When it’s found naturally in our food, the glutamic acid is bound, or “attached” to another amino acid, and our bodies are designed to slowly digest it. The damage occurs when it’s chemically processed (hydrolyzed, autolyzed, fermented, etc.) and the amino acid becomes “unattached” and transforms into a free roaming glutamate, or MSG (monosodium glutamate)- all to make t taste better! This can be VERY dangerous to our bodies.
MSG is s an “excitotoxin” which will over-activate the nerve cells (MSG specifically in the brain) until they are damaged and killed. This can lead to ALL sorts of brain and neurological problems and has been connected with Autism, Alzheimer’s, Cancer, Diabetes, Migraines, Blindness, Diabetes, and many, many more.
Not only does it affect your brain cells, but it will probably make you fat. Studies have shown that after eating MSG, you may tend to prefer foods higher in carbs and lower in nutritional value.
It all comes down to profitability for the food industry, so your health will always take a back seat.
Food corporations KNOW that people are reading the labels- so they make sure it doesn’t say “MSG” anywhere in the ingredients. To avoid this, they cleverly use the scientific names for MSG that most people haven’t heard of.
Names that MSG masquerades around as: (MSG is ALWAYS found in these)
- Glutamate Monosodium glutamate
- Monopotassium glutamate
- Yeast extract (any)
- Hydrolyzed Protein (ANYTHING hydrolyzed)
- Glutamic acid
- Calcium caseinate
- Sodium caseinate
- Yeast food or nutrient
- Hydrolyzed corn gluten
- Gelatin Textured protein
- Autolyzed yeast
- Natrium glutamate
If that’s not enough…here’s a lit of ingredients that MSG is OFTEN found in:
- Carrageenan
- Maltodextrin
- Malt extract/flavoring
- Natural pork/chicken/beef flavoring (not so natural!)
- Citric acid
- Bouillon and broth
- Soy protein/soy protein isolate/concentrate
- Whey protein/whey protein isolate/concentrate – be careful of your protein powder!
- “seasonings”
- natural flavors/flavorings
Be pro-active and be aware of what you are really putting into your bodies. Read the labels and understand what they mean!
If you are interested in finding out more, you check out the following websites:
- http://www.msgtruth.org/
- http://www.msgexposed.com/category/products-with-msg/
- http://www.truthinlabeling.org/
- http://www.rense.com/general52/msg.htm
