The Green Herb: Natural Herbal Health & Nutrition

MSG
Monosodium Glutamate

MSG (monosodium glutamate), as George Schwartz, the eminent crusading physician has emphasized, could be responsible for ailments seemingly far removed from digestive distress. He contends that it has been implicated in damage to the central nervous system, endocrine organ disorders, cardiac distress, and illness in other parts of the body.

Conventional wisdom used to suggest that MSG was found only in Chinese foods and canned soups, but Alfred Scopp, of the Northern California Headache Clinic warns that, "MSG has spread to soups, sauces and salad dressings in restaurants, as well as many canned, frozen and prepared foods found in local supermarkets. Worse still, MSG masquerades under a variety of names, such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed plant protein, natural flavor and Kombu extract," The Edell Health Letter, Vol. IO, No. 19, October 199 1.

It is not easy to avoid MSG when it shows up in so many different foods under many different names. MSG and its derivatives, hydrolyzed proteins and autolyzed yeast, have no nutritional value or preservative value. They are used solely to enhance food flavors. Food companies use MSG to flavor, to hide unwelcome tastes, and to cover inferior ingredients used in products.

One form of MSG is autolyzed yeast. Unfortunately, the label of a product containing this ingredient can list it as "yeast extract" or natural flavoring." Small comfort for the uninformed consumer who is also sensitive to MSG. When autolyzed yeast and hydrolyzed protein are listed on a label of a product as flavorings, their protein source need not be identified.

Hydrolyzed protein is a natural flavoring from animal blood or other decaying protein sources. This substance is then subjected to acid hydrolysis, normally concentrated hydrochloric acid, at temperatures from 200-220 Fahrenheit for 4-6 hours. Sodium hydroxide (which is sold commercially as Drano) is then added to neutralize the solution.

"Reported effects from MSG ingestion include headaches, nausea, diarrhea, mood changes, sleep problems, flushing of the skin, excessive sweating, chest pain, facial pressure, and hyperactivity. People with asthma, those susceptible to migraines, infants, and children are more likely to be sensitive to synthetic MSG and can become hyperactive or develop learning disorders", Bonnie Liebman, Let's Live, April 1992.

Other sources of MSG include hydrolyzed milk proteins that may be labeled as sodium caseinate or calcium caseinate. These additives are often found in frozen dairy products, like ice cream and yogurt, without being identified. They can also be found in hot chocolate mixes, breads, and processed meats. MSG should be avoided by nursing mothers and their infants.

However, you must be aware that MSG, a compound of sodium and glutamic acid, an amino acid, is also found in many natural foods, including peas, tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese. In fact, every time you eat a food containing protein you are certain to ingest glutamate, according to the Tufts University Diet & Nutritional Letter, Vol. 9, No. 12. The natural form found in foods is not the problem, it's the pure synthetic crystalline MSG that many companies add to their product as a flavor enhancer that creates havoc.

Companies add 45 million pounds of HVP, most often pegged as containing MSG, to processed foods each year and that should scare all of us natural foods people. It's a staggering amount and many people do not realize that there are hundreds of different hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, most containing the synthetic MSG. If you are eating out and you seem to feel worse than when you eat at home even though you order all the right foods, suspect MSG. Ask your pharmacist for test strips to insert into your foods to see if MSG is present. The strip changes color if MSG is present in its synthetic form.

For more information, read the book, In Bad Taste: The MSG Syndrome, by George R. Schwartz, M.D. internationally known physician and toxicologist.

HIDDEN SOURCES OF MSG

The glutamate manufacturers and the processed food industries are always on a quest to disguise MSG added to food. Below is a partial list of the most common names for disguised MSG. Remember also that the powerful excitotoxins aspartate and L-casteine are frequently added to foods and according to FDA rules require no labeling at all.

additives that always contain MSG
Monosodium Glutamate
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Hydrolyzed Protein
Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
Plant Protein Extract
Sodium Caseinate
Calcium Caseinate
Yeast Extract
Textured Protein
Autolyzed Yeast
Hydrolyzed Oat Flour

Additives that frequently contain MSG
Malt Extract
Malt Flavoring
Bouillon
Broth
Stock
Flavoring
Natural Flavoring
Natural Beef or Chicken Seasoning
Flavoring

Additives that may contain MSG or excitotoxins
Carrageenan
Enzymes
Soy Protein Concentrate
Soy Protein Isolate
Whey protein Concentrate

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