What is MSG? Is it dangerous for you?

Monosodium Glutamate, better known as (MSG) is a flavor enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups and processed meats. It activates the tastebuds, making them more receptive to flavor. It makes things taste better by making yourtaste buds better at tasting.

MSG, is a form of concentrated salt added to foods to enhance the flavor. This salt version of glutamic acid is an amino acid the body can produce on its own, but the MSG we find on store shelves is processed and comes from fermented sugar beets. Because this kind of MSG is processed, it can't be as good as natural MSG produced in your body and can cause many adverse reactions, including skin rashes, itching, hives, nausea, vomiting, migraine headaches, asthma, heart irregularities, depression and even seizures.

Unfortunately FDA has not caught on to the problem and MSG maintains its status, "generally regarded as safe". It should be banned, especially since it is abused by the food industry so much. Here is a summary of the problems.

1) MSG is not just a flavor enhancer. It dramatically stimulates appetite and causes binging. when you are full, you don't eat. But, MSG is activating the part of your brain telling you to eat some more. Food manufacturers use MSG to make their foods addicting. This causes obesity. It takes away a person's choice in what they eat by turning food into something crack cocaine.

2) MSG is a major contributor to the incredible increase in diabetes in our society. It's also a major factor in bulemia.

3) Some people are sensitive to it. They eat a small amount of it and they get an anaphylactic reaction to it. The reaction runs the gambit from causing discomfort to life threatening. Because MSG is so widely abused, it actually should be banned. The reason is simple. If you are allergic to some food, you don't eat it, and try to avoid all containing it. In case of  MSG, most packaged foods have MSG in them but, because of a loophole in labeling laws, it's not on the ingredients list, and you have a bad situation that requires government intervention. At least force them to label the foods correctly.

4) Processed MSG, a dangerous neuro-toxin  causes changes in the nervous system and possible nerve damage. It has been scientifically linked to serious health issues such as weight gain, headaches, hives, mouth eruptions, insomnia, cardiac irregularities, numbness, tingling, asthma attacks, runny nose and swelling or dryness of the mucus membraines (nose, mouth, sinuses, vagina & intestines) as well as brain damage in children.

5) Consuming products loaded with MSG on an empty stomach or without water can be especially dangerous. MSG affects nearly everyone because it causes a spike in glutamic acid, which is used throughout the body as a neurotransmitter, so many migraines are accompanied by photo-sensitivity (sensitivity to light) and phono-sensitivity (sensitivity to sound). This explains why many people need to relax in a dark, quiet room to recover.

Because MSG is so cheap, the food industry can use much lower quality foods and simply add MSG as a flavor enhancer. MSG also contains the gene of the pesticide Roundup as it is from sugar beet industry. Consumers who don't filter MSG out of their diet are catching a double dose of toxicity.

So, watch your product labels! MSG or monosodium glutamate, has many derivitives such as 'natural flavouring', natural beef or chicken flavouring, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydolyzed protein, hydrolyed plant protein, plant protein extract, sodium caseinate, yeast extract, textured vegetable protein, textured protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed oat flour, and corn oil. 

Since those products are mostly MSG, anytime you see them in the ingredients list, just replace the word MSG...because that is basically what it means. The only way to prevent a reaction is to avoid foods containing MSG.