Avoiding Food Additives

I've had some great discussions since Tuesday's post on Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG). I was surprised to find out how many people thought that MSG was just a Chinese food/restaurant phenomenon and had no idea it could be lurking in their processed foods.

I thought today I would give you all a quick list of some other common food additives to watch out for and why. Once again, do what you can to move from eating a processed food diet to eating a whole foods diet that you prepare yourself. It's a little more work, but in the long run you and your family will be so much better for it!

Common Food Additives

• Sugar substitutes have long been blamed for things from headaches all the way to cancer. Some of the big ones are Aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal), saccharine (Sweet’n Low), and sucralose (Splenda).
• High-fructose corn syrup: Animal studies have linked it to diabetes and high cholesterol and experts blame if for contributing to the rise in childhood obesity.
• Trans-fats: Also known as partially hydrogenated oils – they are artificial fats that make oil more solid and thereby increase a product’s shelf life. They directly contribute to heart disease and high cholesterol levels. Avoid hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated canola, soybean, or cottonseed oil.
• Food Coloring: Big ones to avoid are FD&C blues #1 and 2; green #3; and yellows #5 and 6. They are all made of toxic chemicals though and have been linked to such things as ADHD, multiple types of cancer, male sterility, and many other issues.
• Sodium Nitrites: these are used to preserve cured and processed meats like bacon, sausage, and ham and keep them looking red and juicy. These compounds have been linked to various types of cancer and high blood pressure.
• MSG: monosodium glutamate is a flavor enhancer found in many foods. It’s taste is so potent that it allows companies to use fewer real food ingredients. It can cause reactions from headache and shortness of breath to changes in heart rate. It’s flavor is also addicting which causes many to overeat. Look for msg, mono sodium glutamate, or hydrolyzed protein on labels.
• Avoid genetically modified or engineered food (GMO or GE): this is a way for farmers to create pest-resistant crops by breeding a pesticide right into a grain. No long term testing has been done on these foods and research is showing a link with GMO foods transmitting food allergens.

Karla

Monosodium Glutamate: A dangerous and addictive food additive

As you know from reading our posts, Shannan and I wholeheartedly subscribe to a whole foods diet. We try to introduce ideas and recipes that encourage you to choose natural, unprocessed foods full of the most nutrition possible. One of the reasons for this is that convenient, processed foods contain a lot of harmful food additives. It's hard to say which one is the worst, but one I'm becoming more and more concerned about is MSG or mono sodium glutamate.

MSG is used as a "flavor enhancer" in many pre-packaged foods and even in restaurant prepared foods. It's found mostly in meats, canned soups, crackers, chips, salad dressings, and frozen dinners. Now, even before you understand the danger to your health that MSG can pose, it's use as a "flavor enhancer" should bring one pause. I mean, if the food needs a "flavor enhancer" what's wrong with it? Fresh, nutritious food usually tastes pretty good on it's own. What kind of low quality, stale, non-nutritious food needs a "flavor enhancer"? MSG actually has very little actual flavor. It's a chemical that tricks your tongue into thinking that the food you are eating has more protein and tastes better.

Problems associated with MSG:

• Food addictions and obesity: Have you ever started eating a bag of chips only to find that you couldn't put it down? A study of elderly people showed that people will eat more of a food with added MSG. Conversely, has eating an apple or carrot ever made you want to eat the whole bushel or bag? Most would attribute this to whole foods not "tasting" as good as packaged foods. I think the truth is that we are influenced by the chemical MSG when eating packaged foods and when eating whole foods our bodies and brains can tell when enough is enough. (Although, a bowl of watermelon can make me want to overeat at times!)
• Increased blood pressure
• MSG is an excito-toxin which excites cells possibly leading to or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, etc
• Damage to nerve cells in the brain
• MSG can also overstimulate heart muscle leading to cardiac arrhythmia's and death. This may in part explain some of the sudden deaths seen in young athletes.
• Eye damage
• Migraine headaches
• Fatigue and disorientation
• Endocrine Problems
• Increased insulin production: To study diabetes, scientists had to create obese rats. To do this, they injected the rats at birth with MSG. They found that MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing the rats to become obese.

How to avoid MSG

• Avoid eating foods with labels as much as possible. If a food is processed you can almost assume it contains MSG.
• Eat foods prepared in your own kitchen where you know what has been added to your food.
• If you eat out, ask your server at restaurants if their food contains MSG. Ask that they prepare your food without adding MSG. Fast food restaurants are notorious for adding large amounts of MSG.
• Check all food purchased for any of these listed names of MSG - hydrolyzed protein, textured protein, glutamate, glutamic acid, sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, yeast extract, autolyzed yeast, and the general "seasonings".

It's scary to me to think that an additive in foods can have such a dramatic impact on my health and the health of others. Join me in avoiding MSG. Check out the ingredient decks on foods in your pantry and remember to carefully check labels next time you are at the grocery store. Even better, buy food without labels!

Karla