MSG (monosodium glutamate) is often added to prepared and processed foods as a flavour enhancer. By enhancing the flavour, food manufacturers are also ensuring that you will buy more and eat more. Foods that contain MSG include, but are not limited to: prepackaged food, junk food, soup, and fast food.

With increasing controversy surrounding MSG, food manufacturers have found a way to hide it under various names. (Source: www.msgmyth.com)

Foods always contain MSG when these words are on the label:

Foods made with the following products often contain MSG:

Why should we avoid MSG?

• In rats, it has been shown to triple the amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas, contributing to obesity.
• Enhanced flavour often causes us to eat more, which increases obesity rates.
• It is an excitotoxin: brain cells are over-stimulated until they die. Over-stimulation also contributes to hyperactivity and ADHD in children.
• Approximately 25% of the population is sensitive to MSG and will experience symptoms of headaches, migraines, asthma, dizziness, and chest pains. Once sensitized to MSG, tolerance decreases and you are more likely to experience symptoms from smaller doses. Sensitization can occur by eating MSG on a regular basis, eating MSG after exercising or drinking alcohol, or eating MSG while you are sick and your immune system is compromised.
• Exacerbation of neurological conditions, such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons, in those who are predisposed.
• Researchers at Hirosaki Univeristy in Japan have found a correlation with vision loss.

By limiting processed and fast foods, and choosing unprocessed whole foods, it is possible to decrease your intake of MSG. Reading labels also increases awareness of the ingredients we are putting into our bodies. If you don’t know what an ingredient is or where it comes from, it’s best not to eat it!