Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer commonly used food additive added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, snack food, soups and processed meats. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that’s “generally recognized as safe,” the use of MSG remains controversial. For this reason, when MSG is added to food, the FDA requires that it be listed on the label.
The main ones are monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame, and L-cysteine. You may think that you are actually avoiding MSG if you avoid Chinese restaurants, but this factory created flavor enhancer is in almost every bottled, bagged, frozen, or canned processed food on super market shelves. But since MSG is often a component of a formulation, it is not labeled as such. You’ve seen words like autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed protein, and whey protein. Each of these substances contain a percentage of glutamate, the harmful component of MSG.
MSG has been used as a food additive for decades. Over the years, the FDA has received many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG. These reactions — known as MSG symptom complex — include:
- Stiffness – jaw, muscles
- Mental dullness
- Headache
- Flushing
- Sweating
- Numbness, tingling or burning in face, neck and other areas
- Rapid, fluttering heartbeats (heart palpitations)
- Chest pain
- Nausea
- Shortness of breath
- Seeing shiny lights
- Weakness
- And many more..
Hidden Names for MSG
- 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
- Senomyx (wheat extract labeled as artificial flavor)
If you suspect that your health problem may be connected to MSG or glutamate toxicity, please continue to learn all you need to know to be able to avoid this dangerous, well hidden food additive.
hidden dangers and sources of MSG