Healthy Living: Hidden MSG

I wrote this before Miss Leyba was born and never got to post it. Since the New York times recently scooped my story, I figure I had better get it up here…

It’s now common knowledge that MSG (monosodium glutamate) is bad for us, yet it remains a common additive in processed foods.

Reactions to MSG vary from person to person, but the most common reactions include headaches, insomnia, skin rashes, depression, bags under the eyes and more. The more extreme reasons include seizures, reproductive disorders, etc. Sounds crappy, right?

Well, MSG is everywhere. The FDA does not require manufacturers to list MSG as an ingredient if it’s blended with a mixture of spices or food additives. (While technically MSG is only one of several forms of free glutamate used in foods, consumers frequently use the term MSG to mean all free glutamate. For this reason, FDA considers foods whose labels say “No MSG” or “No Added MSG” to be misleading if the food contains ingredients that are sources of free glutamates, such as hydrolyzed protein.) So you may be frequently ingesting MSG without realizing it. In fact, MSG is found in nearly every boxed, canned, or bagged food unless it is found at a health food store… and even at Whole Foods we have to read all the labels!

Here are some of its other hidden names:

The following compounds always include MSG: hydrolyzed protein (of any kind), textured protein, sodium or calcium caseinate, autolyzed yeast, or gelatin.

The following frequently contains MSG: yeast extract, malt extract, natural flavors/flavoring, malt flavoring, barley malt, bouillon, natural pork, beef or chicken flavoring, stock, broth, seasonings, carrageenan, maltodextrin, soy sauce and extract, whey protein/isolate/concentrate, soy protein/isolate/concentrate, pectin, anything protein fortified or enzyme modified.

It’s also commonly used as a preservative in vaccines (yet another reason not to get the flu shot!).

The only way to completely avoid MSG is to buy items without the above ingredients!

Here are several companies that produce healthy and safe alternatives to typical MSG-laced foods: Turtle Island Foods (tofurky franks and burgers), Health is Wealth (spinach, veggie and mexican munchees, vegetarian spring rolls, and pizza bagels are definitely MSG-free; website is vague about some of their other products).

Know of other processed products that are MSG free or common products that do contain MSG (like Doritos mentioned in the Times article)? Please share via the comments!