I have been increasingly aware of hidden MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) being in so many foods. I wanted to share some things I’ve been learning.
The FDA generally recognizes MSG as safe, but it is still being debated. So, the FDA doesn’t require companies to list what’s in their ‘natural flavorings’. Almost always, ‘natural flavorings’ contains some type of flavor enhancer, i.e. MSG.
Some health issues related to MSG are – Headaches and migraines; food addictions; obesity; chronic pain and inflammation; anxiety; depression; mood changes; Parkinson’s; Alzheimer’s; metabolic disorder; lesions on the brain causing cognitive, endocrinological and emotional abnormalities; liver damage; and heart disease, just to name a few.
I immediately get a severe headache/migraine when I eat foods containing MSG. For several years now, I’ve watched for MSG on the ingredient lists. MSG can be found in fast food, chips, snacks, frozen meals, soups (top ramen too), processed meats, condiments, etc. It’s easy to spot MSG when it is on the label. But with the FDA not requiring MSG to be listed now, companies can hide it under ‘natural flavors’. So now I avoid foods that say ‘natural flavorings’.
But, recently I’ve found out that nutritional yeast and yeast extracts also contain MSG. I used nutritional yeast to make my broccoli ‘cheese’ soup and ended up with a migraine. I couldn’t figure out why. After some research, I found out the cause was MSG in the nutritional yeast. Just the other day, I bought a new product meal I was so excited to try. The ingredient listing looked great, but I questioned and wondered what yeast extract was. To my surprise, I ended up with a headache. So I looked into yeast extract further. Yeast extract has glutamates in it. It isn’t as concentrated as monosodium glutamate, but it still has similar effects on the body, just not as severe.
The best thing to do for our health is to eat fresh fruits, vegetables and cook from scratch so we know what’s in our food. That isn’t always possible to do. But little changes in your diet can lead to being a healthier you. I hope this information will help others to know what is hiding in ingredients in our food.