What is MSG?
Monosodium glutamate (MSG), also known as sodium glutamate or sodium salt of glutamic acid, is a flavor intensifier, extracted and crystallized from seaweed broth and is used mostly in Chinese cuisines. It is also commonly found in the majority of food products we use daily. Studies have shown that eating MSG foods can result in many long and short-term MSG health risks.
Why is it bad for you?
Here are 5 reasons why MSG is so harmful:
- Brain Damage
It acts as an extremely dangerous neurotoxin (excitotoxin) in the brain causing an excessive production of dopamine, which gives one a feeling of feeling good. Thus resulting in an addiction. If a person continues to eat more and more MSG rich products, it could lead to permanent brain cell damage.
- Obesity:
MSG promotes weight gain leading to obesity, which results in serious health conditions like cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and stroke.
- Promotes liver inflammation and change in cell tissue:
A report in Journal of Autoimmunity (2008 edition Feb-Mar), (See the journal here) showed that administering MSG foods in mice leads to serious liver inflammation along with Type II Diabetes and extreme Obesity both MSG health risks. One Of the leading cause of 85 % deaths in the western world is MSG in food (MSG Foods) that causes liver damage which results in liver cancer.
- Adrenal gland malfunction
- Nausea and headaches
- Seizures
5- Highly Effective Ways to Flush out MSG from your body:
- Water: Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day to flush out MSG from your kidneys.
- Try to control your sodium intake: It is known sodium encourages water retention and bloating. Avoid salty snacks (chips and crackers) MSG foods, frozen meats and salad dressings from your diet.
- Go natural: Use herbs such as cumin, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and cayenne pepper to enhance the flavor of your food, as they act as natural cleansers.
- Adapt a simple and healthy lifestyle: By cooking from scratch and using basic kitchen spices, such as sea salt, pepper corns and coconut nectar, rather than relying on foods with MSG e.g. packaged flavored broths, soup bases, sauces, dressings and dips.
- Stock up on antioxidants: Eat fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants like cherries, blueberries, strawberries etc. as they help to flush out toxins from the body.
MSG Substitutions (Hidden Names for MSG):
The names below are only a handful of the other names being used by manufacturers in place of MSG (If you see these at the back of packaged foods please avoid that product)
- Gelatin
- Yeast Extract
- Autolyzed Yeast
- Calcium Caseinate
- Sodium Caseinate
- Autolyzed Plant Protein
For more information on MSG, check out this article here.
