Despite a growing demand for natural foods, the use of MSG (monosodium glutamate) is expected to increase. Whether or not you choose to eat this particular food additive really depends on your own priorities, but it helps to understand how it works and why it’s used.
When added to foods, MSG enhances or “wakes up” the taste of savory and brothlike or meaty flavors. For example, it makes distinct flavors of snacks or packaged meats more appealing and irresistible. If you’re a food manufacturer, it’s the perfect ingredient to help you develop a loyal fan base and boost your sales.
If you habitually eat a certain brand of snack food, sausage, casserole mix, soup or microwavable entrée and feel as though you’re addicted to its unique taste, check the list of ingredients. MSG could be the thing that keeps you hooked.
How MSG Works
To magnify flavors of food, MSG triggers nerve cells to fire more than they normally would. The same mechanism — a subject of sometimes heated debate — may also disrupt the nervous system (which includes the brain) and overstimulate those cells to a point where they become damaged or suffer premature death.
The FDA considers the food additive to be safe but that position is widely disputed by people who have personally experienced adverse reactions, and by many health professionals. Numerous websites — such as www.msgtruth.org and www.msgmyth.com — cover the issue in detail.
Some people clearly react adversely to the additive. Symptoms may include headaches, respiratory problems, burning sensations, pressure in the face, nausea, heart palpitations, numbness, weakness, fatigue, digestive upsets and depression. MSG may also contribute to weight gain.
Growing Demand
Food manufacturers are under pressure to reduce sodium. As a flavor enhancer, MSG can help to compensate for differences in taste as a result of reduced salt in packaged foods, and that’s why its popularity is on an upswing.
MSG may also be on your kitchen spice rack. Accent and Spike seasonings, for example, contain the additive. The classic Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, with 380 milligrams of sodium per quarter-teaspoon serving, touts “No MSG” on its label, but a “25% Less Sodium” version (with 270 milligrams of sodium per serving) does contain the flavor enhancer.
Hidden Sources
MSG appears under many different names on food labels, including hydrolyzed vegetable (or plant, or soy) protein, glutamate, glutamic acid, autolyzed yeast extract, sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, disodium guanylate, inosinate, monopotassium glutamate and gelatin.
Ingredients in flavoring — artificial or natural — and broth may also include MSG but the law doesn’t require its disclosure in this situation. The websites above and www.truthinlabeling.org list additional hidden sources.
Your Options
If you routinely eat foods or seasonings with MSG and feel in optimum health, you may not have any reason to make changes. However, if you’re not feeling in the best of shape, you may want to try excluding the flavor enhancer from your diet for a few weeks, and see if you feel better.
These are some ways to eat MSG-free versions of convenient foods:
• Buy canned tuna in water or olive oil rather than broth.
• Flavor food with one of the many salt-free, MSG-free seasoning blends from Mrs. Dash (www.mrsdash.com).
• Look for additive-free chips and other snack foods with simple ingredients, such as potatoes, olive oil and salt, especially reduced-salt versions and/or other seasonings that are clearly listed by name.
• For heat-and-eat entrees, look for frozen ones with real-food ingredients and specific, clearly identified herbs and spices.
And, keep in mind that nutritional value and taste go hand in hand. That’s true of basic ingredients, such as vegetables, meats, poultry and fish, and herbs and spices, which are natural taste enhancers from different types of plants.
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