When most people hear the name monosodium glutamate, or MSG, they immediately think of Chinese food. And while the chemical is used in many Chinese food restaurants, this brain and nervous system toxin masquerades under many different guises and within many food additives
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Are you one of the many who don’t believe that MSG is dangerous? Or do you believe that because it is a newfangled substance invented in 1908, we should inherently distrust it as a food additive and seriously question its safety?
Usually added to foods as a taste enhancer (although it doesn’t actually make your food taste better, but simply tricks your tongue into thinking it does through the presence of umami), research on the dangers of MSG continues to mount, albeit slowly.
While some deny it's ill-effects, other research has linked it to the progression of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's besides other health conditions, including hormonal imbalances, weight gain, brain damage, obesity, headaches, and more.
Be that as it may, you may be shocked to learn how prevalent MSG actually and how difficult it can be to avoid. From processed, prepared, and packaged foods like instant noodles and bacon, to baby formula and bouillon cubes, this food additive is everywhere. Even when there is no sign of it on the label, it is still there. Because "yeast extract” or “hydrolized soy protein”.
Shocking as it is, baby food manufacturers often include glutamate, one of MSG's many guises, as a flavour "enhancer." Most popular brands of infant formula also contain MSG in one of its myriad disguises.
Just gotta have your Thai, teriyaki, or Jamaican jerk sauce? Well, most bottled sauces contain MSG.
Many of the protein powders used for weight loss or muscle building, even those sold in health food stores, contain MSG, usually as hydrolyzed protein or hydrolyzed soy protein. Individual amino acids are not always listed on labels of protein powders. If you see “” in an ingredient label, the product contains MSG.
The salad dressing you choose could negate any of the health benefits of eating salad if you choose a bottled dressing that contains MSG. Bottled salad dressings may contain "natural flavor," "spices," or "seasoning," all of which can legally contain MSG.
The solution? Make your own homemade salad dressings to skip the MSG.
Most soups, even most homemade soups, contain MSG. That's because most soup bases, commercial stocks, and bouillon powder and cubes contain MSG.
Many vegetarian burgers, hot dogs, sausages, and other meat alternatives contain textured vegetable protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or hydrolyzed plant protein, all of which usually contain MSG.
Love that Cajun seasoning, Tex-Mex rub, or other spice mixture? A large number of seasoning blends on the market today contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) —frequently as autolyzed yeast or yeast extract. If you have a dehydrator and the time, you can also make your own garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder to save mone
Autolyzed Yeast
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Calcium Caseinate
Gelatin
Glutamate
Glutamic Acid
Hydrolyzed Protein
Monopotassium Glutamate
Monosodium Glutamate
Sodium Caseinate
Textured Protein
Yeast Extract
Yeast Food
Yeast Nutrient
Umami
Whey protein
Soy protein
Anything “protein fortified”
Anything “enzyme modified”
Anything containing “protease”
Vetsin
Ajinomoto
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that's "generally recognized as safe," but its use remains controversial.
