The Hidden Food Addiction & How to Be Free from It
Dr. Rodney and Karen discuss how a certain food additive causes you to crave all the wrong food. That additive is a flavor enhancer that can be found in almost every pre-packaged food whether considered junk food or a healthy snack.
What is it?
MonoSodium Glutamate (MSG) is much more than a seasoning like salt or pepper. In fact, it does not have a taste in and of itself. It makes food taste better, look fresher and smell better. It makes your salad dressing taste better and has even been added to baby food and infant formula. It is added so that people will want to keep on buying the product as can be seen the potato chip ad, “Bet you can’t eat just one…”
What is its history?
A Japanese inventor identified a natural flavor in seaweed called “umami.” It did not become popular until World War II when the U S military found out that Japanese rations tasted so much better than their own.
Why is it dangerous?
People began having a reaction known as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” that had lots of side-effects including numbness and heart palpitations. The FDA identifies these as “short-term reactions.” In 1959, The FDA labeled MSG as “Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and it has remained the same ever since.
Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon wrote a book called Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills. MSG overexcites the taste cells to the point of damage or death causing brain damage in different degrees.
Regular consumption of MSG can lead to:
- Eye damage
- Headaches
- Depression
- Obesity
- Fatigue
- Disorientation
How did it become so widely used?
People want to eat tasty food. The food industry discovered that people were more likely to buy their food if they put this ingredient in it. In essence, you become addicted to the junk food and crave more, hence you buy more of it. When the public became aware of the dangers they became more aware of reading labels. As a result, the food industry quickly started using many other names for this additive.
Why is it so hard to avoid?
When Food Labeling required that all MSG be listed in the ingredients, the food industry simply changed the names used. When you are reading labels, watch out for the following:
13 Other Names for MSG
- Autolyzed Yeast
- Glutamate
- Monopotassium Glutamate
- Textured Protein
- Yeast Nutrient
- Calcium Caseinate
- Glutamic Acid
- Monosodium Glutamate
- Yeast Extract
- Gelatin
- Hydrolyzed Protein
- Sodium Caseinate
- Yeast Food
25 Labels that contain MSG or create MSG during processing
- Flavors and Flavorings
- Seasonings
- Natural Flavors and Flavoring
- Natural Pork Flavor
- Natural Beef Flavor
- Natural Chicken Flavor
- Soy Sauce
- Soy Protein Isolate/Soy Protein
- Bouillon
- Stock
- Broth
- Malt Extract
- Malt Flavoring
- Barley Malt
- Anything Enzyme Modified
- Carrageenan
- Maltodextrin
- Pectin
- Enzymes
- Protease
- Corn Starch
- Citric Acid
- Powdered Milk
- Anything Protein Fortified
- Anything Ultra-Pasteurized
How to be free from this addictive enhancer
Once we learned about the dangers of these ingredients we did the following:
Read labels carefully
Take the time to read the labels before your put the food in your body. If there are more than 5 ingredients you are probably going to find one of the names listed above. Please contact us if you want our shopping list.
Prepare real food
When you bake and/or create the food from “scratch” you can be confident in the ingredients. There are many recipes out there to help you have a great variety of nourishing food that will enhance your health.
Ask restaurants to leave off the bad ingredients
Be sure to request MSG free food. There has been enough of an outcry about the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome that you can request that this ingredient be left out of the food you order.
Create your own spice blends
This can be a fun activity. DM us to request our favorite recipes for these blends. You also will be saving money when you create your own blends.
Dr. Wirth will help you discover the root cause of your health challenges and deliver a personalized treatment plan to restore proper body function and provide hope to achieve your best future.
Your body functions best when you balance the basic elements of health. They are as follows: alignment/posture, nutrition, movement, rest and the belief your body can heal itself once the nerve interference is removed. When all your systems are functioning properly your body will be able to heal itself in what may seem like miraculous ways.
At STANCE Chiropractic we follow the groundbreaking principles of Postural Neurology. Dr. Wirth will evaluate you thoroughly to understand what’s going on from the standpoint of the cranial nerves that control your balance and posture. You will learn the process of Neuro-Rehabilitation movements both in the office and at home.
Many of our patients experience life-long results as they implement small changes every day and begin to move better, live better and achieve things they never thought possible.
