Western Herbal Medicine and Nutrition by Gabriel MacSharry

monosodium glutamate (MSG)

MSG

A silent killer that’s worse than alcohol, nicotine, and drugs is likely lurking in your kitchen cabinets and even your child’s school canteen

monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavour enhancer that’s known widely as an addition to Chinese food, but that’s actually added to thousands of the foods you eat.

In this telling three-part video series, you’ll find out why Dr. Russell Blaylock, an American neurosurgeon, describes MSG as a dangerous excitotoxin, and learn how this toxin could be making you fat.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

MSG is used in countless foods in your supermarket, local restaurants, cafes, and more. Everything from soup to crackers to meats may contain it because MSG, as dangerous as it is, makes food taste good and it is dirt cheap, just like sugar.

Incredibly, even infant formulas and baby food contain this poison, even though babies and infants, who are four times more sensitive than adults to the toxic effects of this chemical, are the most at risk.

There are a couple of main reasons why MSG is one of the worst food additives on the market. First, as Dr. Blaylock, author of the highly recommended Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, says in the video, MSG is an excitotoxin, which means that it overexcites your cells to the point of damage, acting as a poison. The second part of the equation is that MSG can be literally hidden in food labels, under names like broth, casein, hydrolyzed, autolyzed, and more, making it extremely difficult to identify.

MSG is also a probable cause contributing to the obesity epidemic. Scientists have known that MSG causes obesity since the 1960s!

The key is to stick to natural, unprocessed foods. And, IF you do eat processed foods, be on the lookout for the many hidden names for MSG on food labels. They include (but are far from limited to):

Foods always contain free glutamate when these words are on the label:

MSG
Gelatin
Calcium Caseinate
Monosodium glutamate
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)
Textured Protein
Monopotassium glutamate
Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP)
Yeast Extract
Glutamate Autolyzed
Plant Protein Yeast food or nutrient
Glutamic Acid
Sodium Caseinate
Autolyzed Yeast
Vegetable Protein Extract

Foods made with the following products often contain free glutamate.

Malted Barley (flavor)
Natural Flavors,
Flavors,
Flavoring
Modified food starch
Barley malt
Reaction Flavors
Rice syrup or brown rice syrup
Malt Extract or Flavoring Natural Chicken,
Beef, or Pork,
Flavoring "Seasonings" (Most assume this means salt, pepper, or spices and herbs, which sometimes it is.)
Lipolyzed butter fat
Maltodextrin,
dextrose,
dextrates
Soy Sauce or Extract
"Low" or "No Fat" items
Caramel Flavoring (coloring)
Soy Protein Corn syrup and corn syrup solids,
high fructose corn syrup
Stock Soy Protein Isolate or Concentrate Citric Acid (when processed from corn)
Broth Cornstarch fructose (made from corn)
Milk Powder
Bouillon Flowing Agents Dry Milk Solids
Carrageenan Wheat,
rice,
corn, or oat protein
Protein Fortified Milk
Whey Protein or Whey Anything enriched or vitamin enriched Annatto
Whey Protein Isolate or Concentrate Protein fortified "anything" Spice
Pectin Enzyme modified "anything" Gums (guar and vegetable)
Protease Ultra-pasteurized "anything" Dough Conditioners
Protease enzymes Fermented "anything" Yeast Nutrients
Lecithin Gluten and gluten flour Protein powders: whey, soy, oat, rice (as in protein bars shakes and body building drinks)
Amino acids (as in Bragg's liquid amino acids and chelated to vitamins) Algae, phytoplankton, sea vegetable, wheat/ barley grass powders
Artificial flavor (wheat extract: Senomyx)

European numbers for glutamate containing additives:

620, 625, 621, 627, 622, 631, 623, 635, 624

In Health

Gabriel

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