MSG is killing us as we eat!
Back in the day there was a skit on "In Living Color" in which an Asian actor
did a spoof of Naughty By Nature's hit song, "O.P.P." The Asian had a rap
with the refrain being, "You down with MSG?" I guess it was funny, but I
had no idea at that age what MSG was.
Eventually someone explained it's an ingredient found in Chinese foods that brings
out the flavor, or as one person explained it, hides the true flavor. I never really
put much thought into it until I started to read about the negative effects
of MSG. Even reading about the risks involved, I assumed I'd be okay since
I'm not much of a Chinese food eater. But, I learned, MSG is in almost everything.
It all started when I read flavor enhancing seasonings made by Accent was
virtually all MSG. My mom used Accent a lot.
So, I did
a little MSG history search and learned a little about its origins. I didn't realize
the seasoning today is made from bacteria. Somehow someone figured out how to
take bacteria and do something scientific to the point our foods taste better.
They call it the nicotine of food because it also can be addictive.
And obviously the better foods taste, the more people are going to buy them, so
why not use MSG if it's going to increase profits? My former roommate Kevin Walker
and I used to joke about there being crack in stuff like red Kool-Aid or
Jeno's Pizza (yeah, we like Jeno's!) because they taste so damn good. Well,
now I know it isn't crack; it's MSG.
I still couldn't figure out what was so bad about the bacteria. There are tons
of chemicals in the foods we eat and I'm sure some of those chemicals come from
even worse places. In a nutshell, though, when we taste something with MSG,
the MSG overexcites the neurons sending messages to the brain telling
us how something tastes. This excessive stimulation of the taste cells causes the
neurons to fire their impulses rapidly until they simply are exhausted to death,
literally. In studies done with animals, MSG caused lesions on the brain,
obesity, short stature and sexual reproduction problems.
I also found an in-depth writing about the affects of MSG
by George E. Shambaugh, Jr., MD, Professor Emeritus of Otolaryngology, Northwestern
University Medical School, graduate of Harvard University Medical School, author of
three editions of "Surgery of the Ear," as well as approximately 400 articles
and editorials in medical journals. This is a powerful and insightful look at the
origins of MSG, its affects on the neurons and the harm MSG causes the body.
MSG isn't limited to taste enhancers though. Some of the above articles touch on the
fact that MSG is used for other applications. One application is vaccines such as
Chickenpox Vaccine by VariVax - Merck & Co., Inc. The vaccine companies
describe the glumatic acid in their vaccines as "stabilizers," i.e.,
ingredients to keep the virus alive. Actually, they are a hidden source of MSG.
There is an article on Dr. Joseph Mercola's website that addresses
the use of MSG in vaccines.
The labeling of foods for MSG seems to be a big issue with many of the websites
I've visited. Apparently MSG has
many different names to disguise its use. Some examples of ingredients that always have MSG in it are yeast extract,
gelatin, calcium caseinate, yeast food and sodium caseinate. Corn oil is another source
which always has MSG in it. MSG can also be found in hygiene products.
Doing a search for the affects of MSG will turn up a ton of stuff about
that simple ingredient we eat everyday that's poisoning us. Attempting to avoid
eating anything with MSG in it may cause you to starve to death though.
Probably
one of the best websites I found about MSG talks about the guy who
researched a lot about MSG. During his research John Erb found MSG in just about
everything, even food from restaurants. There's even a link to an article about
what the Bush administration is (or shall we say is not) doing about it.
As with anything that causes us to have to decide whether or not to sacrifice
something we enjoy, people will come out and say it's overhyped, studied by
paranoid doctors or written by conspiracy theorists. I only suggest you weigh
the risks versus rewards and if nothing else, just keep it in mind when you order
that bucket of chicken from KFC or boil you some Top Ramen.