It’s everywhere!  Food manufacturers have found the golden key to keep their food tasty to you – and keep you coming back for more.  But by eating foods containing MSG, could you be poisoning your brain?  Let’s look at how MSG works in the body.   MSG or Monosodium Glutamate is not a spice, salt or flavor.  It has no nutritional value.  It adds nothing to your chicken, chips, soup or salad dressing.  MSG is a drug – a sophisticated marketing science designed to change YOU rather than the food.  MSG stimulates your taste buds by exciting your brain cells. The problem is that over-exciting your brain neurons will damage cells and brain development.    You may know someone who is “MSG-Sensitive.”  They may experience Migraine headaches, skin rash, bloating, fatigue, joint pain, shortness of breath, chest pain, gastric distress, diarrhea, asthma symptoms, irregular heart beat, nausea, vomiting, anxiety attacks, depression, hyperactivity, mood swings, mouth lesions, tremors, etc.  Perhaps you didn’t know that MSG can cause those health problems.  Actually, these are less like an allergic reaction, and more like a powerful drug reaction.    At Life Empowerment, many of our patients will keep a diet diary of the foods that they eat on a daily basis.  Many times, we will find a common denominator for migrane headaches and other symptoms: MSG.  It’s not written down in the diary that way.  We see “Chick-Fil-A,” soups, packaged foods, chips, etc. that contain MSG.  Most often, when the offending foods are removed from the diet, symptoms disappear.   But what about the long-term effects of MSG on the body?   Glutamic Acid Glutamic Acid is an excitotoxic amino acid.  Consuming MSG can destroy brain cells that are not protected by the blood brain barrier, and affect brain development of a baby in the womb.  Apsartic acid, found in Aspartame (Nutrasweet), has a similar affect on the body.  Since the effects of aspartic and gluatmic acid are cumulative, having both MSG and Aspartame in your diet can be detrimental.   Excitotoxins like Gluatmic Acid and Aspartic Acid have been linked to many neurological disorders and irreversible health problems such as Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Diabetes, and more.   You Can’t Trust Food Labels MSG is manufactured through a process of protein hydrolysis.  When a product is 99% pure MSG, the FDA requires the label indicate that the product contains MSG. When it contains less than 99%, the manufacturer is not required to label the package as containing MSG.  Some  “hydrolyzed proteins” (same effects as MSG) can be found in ingredients such as: “autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed soy protein and sodium caseinate.”   But it gets trickier . . . manufacturers don’t even have to list those ingredients when they comprise an ingredient in another product.  For example hydrolyzed soy protein is often used to make the “natural flavoring” you find on the labels of broth, bouillon or natural chicken flavoring.  Its often hard to determine what actually contains MSG.   MSG is used so widely in processed foods, salad dressings, meats, etc.  “Low Fat” foods often contain MSG to make up for the flavor lost when the fat is reduced or removed.   Why is MSG Still on the Market? Good question.  MSG production and consumption is big business.  Lack of regulation and loose restrictions on labeling are largely a result of food-industry sponsored lobby groups who work hard to keep MSG on the market.  Current levels added to food are fifty times higher than amounts used forty years ago, and the quantity continues to grow each year.   What Can You Do? This is a tough question, but there is a lot that you can do to reduce your consumption of MSG.   Ask questions at restaurants – Many restaurants will indicate whether or not they use MSG on their menus.  Most will keep it out if you ask. Reduce packaged food consumption.  Because labeling requirements are so ambiguous, it is best to stay away from packaged foods when you are able.  If not, read the labels.  We have provided a list of MSG sources for you. Buy non-packaged, raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds, bakery-fresh whole grain breads and prepare them yourself.  If you need convenience, partially prepare several meals ahead of time and freeze them for later consumption.  Check out our “Recipes for Life” Cookbooks for great ideas about preparing tasty, fresh, nutritious meals!