Sure, everyone knows Monosodium Glutamate, commonly known as MSG, is not healthy and should be avoided. Whenever I went to a Chinese restaurant I would specifically ask if the food is MSG free and I would always get the same response in an offended tone “of course our food is MSG free!” Well, little did I know that MSG is not just limited to Chinese food, but it’s in practically all processed foods available today and even at most restaurants! And the worst part about all this that you won’t even know you are eating it because it won’t be listed in the ingredients as MSG. The main ingredient of MSG is glutamic acid, but this ingredient might not be listed as such because it will be just one of the components of another listed ingredient. Keep reading to find out how to avoid this harmful ingredient.
So what exactly is MSG and why is it so bad for us? MSG is an excitotoxin, a type of chemical transmitter that allows brain cells to excite to death! Aside from harming your brain, the FDA had admitted it has other short-term side effects such as:
- Headaches
- Heart Palpitations
- Sweating
- Tingling
- Facial pressure or numbness
- Nausea
- Weakness
- Drowsiness
- Chest pain or difficulty breathing
- Numbness
The best way to avoid MSG is to avoid processed foods, whether they be canned, frozen or otherwise. Here is a list of foods that will always contain MSG:
- Autolyzed Yeast
- Glutamate
- Yeast Extract
- Yeast Nutrient
- Sodium Caseinate
- Hydrolyzed Protein
- Monopotassium Glutamate
- Textured Protein
- Monosodium Glutamate
- Glutamic Acid
- Calcium Caseinate
- Gelatin
- Glutamate
And here is a list of ingredients that most often will have MSG in it:
- Broth
- Boullion Cube
- Stock
- Carrageenan
- Flavors/Flavorings
- Natural Flavors/Flavorings
- Soy Sauce
- Soy Protein
- Anything Enzyme Modified
- Malodextrin
- Pectin
- Enzymes
- Corn Starch
- Citric Acid
- Powdered Milk
- Anything Ultra-Pasteurized
The best and surest way to avoid consuming such harmful ingredients is to eat whole, natural and pure foods instead of heavily processed and chemicalized foods. With kids, jobs and a busy schedule it might seem impossible to avoid processed foods completely, especially because of their convenience, but having the knowledge of how to read the ingredient list and what it contains is a good start to making healthier decisions for yourself and your family inshaAllah.
Sources:
Dr. Mercola. “MSG Is This Silent Killer Lurking In Your Kitchen Cabinets.”
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/21/msg-is-this-silent-killer-lurking-in-your-kitchen-cabinets.aspx
Hello there! This post couldn’t be written any better!
Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate!
He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this write-up
to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read.
Thank you for sharing!