What is MSG?
As a health conscious consumer you probably want to know what MSG is and with so much controversy over this substance, it is probably in your benefit to understand why this food additive is used so much, how bad it is for you and if you should be afraid of it.
So What is MSG and How Safe is It?
• MSG stands for Monosodium Glutamate and is a salt that is made from one of the common amino acids found in nature- glutamate acid, simply by mixing it with salt and water.
• Most foods include glutamate and it is an important part of meat, dairy, fish as well as wheat, sugar beets and corn. Your body is also able to produce some of the glutamate.
• MSG was first commercialized in Japan in 1909 and has been commonly used as a flavor enhancer in Asia and around the world under many different names in fast foods, frozen foods, tinned foods and snack foods.
• It is the white crystalline powder with little taste on its own and is one of the most common food additives used around the world, as a flavor enhancer despite its own blandness.
• Many experts argue that that natural glutamate found in your body and nature is good and the artificial glutamate added to foods is very bad for you, as there are contaminants in the refined MSG.
• MSG is an extremely potent chemical stimulator that is capable ofenhancing the flavor of any food and makes customers going back for more with its addictive properties.
• It is a common food ingredient and often appears in the list of ingredients under different hidden names. Look for hydrolized protein, textured protein, yeast extract, yeast food, monosodium glutamata, monopotassium glutamate, calcium caseinate, E621, gelatine, glutamic acid, spices, seasonings, sodium caseinate or natrium glutamate especially near the end of the list.
• No more than 1 teaspoon- 5 ml MSG per kilogram of food should be used and none is needed for prepackaged foods as they will already include the substance.
• MSG is present in a wide variety of processed foods such as soy sauce, tomato sauce, mayonnaise, sausages, frozen or canned meats, processed cheeses and Asian soup powders.
• It is capable of stimulating the umami receptors on your tongue. Umamiis described as the fifth taste (bitter, sour, sweet and salty are the first four) which is savoury and that occurs naturally in foods like ripe cheese and tomatoes.
• Various side effects were reported with constant and excessive use of MSG, such as headaches and migraine, chest pain, nausea, fatigue, weakness, sweating, mood swings, numbness and heart palpitations.
• It is also linked to more serious problems like obesity, asthma attacks, infertility, depression, autism, Alzheimer’s and diabetes. MSG is shown to trigger a significant insulin increase in those who consume it regularly.
• Many people aren’t happy with the idea of having MSG in their foods as it may contribute to weight gain with its addictive qualities and as an appetite stimulant. It is also believed to be used to cover up the bad ingredients. Finest and freshest ingredients need no enhancing! If you’d like to eat MSG free foods, stick to fresh and organic produce.
• There is quite a lot of controversy over this very popular food additivethat probably comes third after salt and pepper in the world. I personally know the answer to ‘what is MSG?’, don’t have any doubts over its reported side effects and how it may affect my health badly. Although it is not possible for me to avoid it 100%, I try and not use it as much as I can by not eating refined foods with lots of artificial ingredients.
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