MSG - Monosodium Glutamate

I can't tolerate MSG and avoid it when I can read a label. It makes me dizzy and nauseous. Sometimes after I eat some foods I feel the same way and after reading an email this morning about MSG - I think I know what is going on. MSG or Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein [another name or MSG] is in a lot of food we eat at home or eat in both fast and slow food places. Ask for the ingredient list and see if MSG or Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein is listed in any of the foods on your plate. You might be surprised.

What does MSG do? It makes food "taste better." This is from the The Glutamate Association

They tout it as a health benefit especially for older people as it causes them to eat more. I'm not sure I would equate eating more with better nutrition. And if they think it's good for adults - do they think it's good for children?

What the email I got showed, and which was a greater concern, is that MSG is addictive and is related to obesity. It is akin to nicotine - a known additive that creates an addiction but that no one wants to admit to. It would mean taking on the food industry.

Try this: Go here National Library of Medicine and type in the words "MSG Obese." You can then read a few of the over 100 medical studies that appear.

So is MSG a reason we have an obese population? I do not expect to get a truthful answer from the MSG lobbyists. But you might want to take a much more careful look at labels and ingredient lists when you are feeding your children.