MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) has come in and out of the spotlight over the years and many studies have proven that MSG is a neurotoxin that can cause brain damage. It has also been linked to many other health related problems such as Liver problems, high cholesterol, obesity, insulin and blood sugar issues, along with allergies, just to mention a few.
Those who are immediately sensitive MSG would experience mental confusion, chest pain, numbness and tingling shortly after eating Chinese food where MSG was usually added to this type of meal. The New England Journal of Medicine coined this the “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” back in the 60’s
MSG, When and How
In early 1900 China extracted MSG from seaweeds, then shortly after Japan found a way to perfect the process and to make it available to the food industry. This flavor enhancer was quite a hit with food manufactures because it had the ability to trick your taste buds and brain into thinking that a bad tasting food was delicious.
Since then, with every passing decade, more and more food manufactures had started adding this flavor enhancer to their products. In todays market MSG and its counterpart is in most of our prepackaged foods in one-way or another. There are over 40 separate ingredients that food manufactures use, and these all have MSG.
With on going bad press about MSG the food industry got clever and found a way where they do not have to list MSG on the label. They found a way to process proteins within foods to enhance free glutamic acids and in this way do not have to list MSG on their label.
A loophole was found in the FDA’s own requirements that states that a food manufacture does not have to list MSG on the label unless the “added ingredient” is 99% pure MSG. So the food manufactures found a way to process the existing proteins within a food to create free glutamic acids without adding pure MSG.
Don’t be fooled
The name may have been changed to protect the guilty. There are many hidden names for MSG and even if a prepackaged food says no MSG’s they can be hiding under a different name.
Some of the hidden names for MSG that contain Glutamic acid are:
- Glutamic Acid (E 620)2
- Glutamate (E 620)
- Monosodium Glutamate (E 621)
- Monopotassium Glutamate (E 622)
- Calcium Glutamate (E 623)
- Monoammonium Glutamate (E 624)
- Magnesium Glutamate (E 625)
- Natrium Glutamate
- Yeast Extract
- Anything hydrolyzed
- Any hydrolyzed protein
- Calcium Caseinate
- Sodium Caseinate
- Gelatin
- Textured Protein
- Soy Protein Isolate
- Whey Protein Isolate
- Anything :protein
- Vetsin
- Ajinomoto
These below ingredients also contain processed glutamic acid:
- Carrageenan (E 407)
- Bouillon and broth
- Stock
- Any flavors or flavoring
- Maltodextrin
- Citric acid, Citrate (E 330)
- Anything ultra-pasteurized
- Barley malt
- Pectin (E 440)
- Protease
- Anything enzyme modified
- Anything containing enzymes
- Malt extract
- Soy sauce
- Soy sauce extract
- Anything protein fortified
- Seasonings
Did you ever wonder why you craved certain foods so much? This was by design.
Even when shopping at a health food store be careful of what you buy. Be a wise shopper and read labels for these insidious names and ingredients. Even organic health foods have processed protein that contains free glutamic acids.
Don’t worry, Eat Whole, Be Whole
A great way to be sure that you are not ingesting these brain and health destroying foods is to eat an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. A diet consisting of these will avoid any possibility of unknowingly ingesting MSG and it’s partners in crime.