I’ve had this simple theory…
You eat fresh fruit and vegetables abundantly, plenty of wholefoods daily, meat and dairy sparingly and processed foods occasionally. You take a walk now and again, go for a bike ride or a swim, for fun and fresh air, sometimes instead of watching the TV… you begin to feel happier, healthier, more alert and with this brings a new appreciation for the simple beauty of life.
You start to make choices, you buy some locally grown foods, you become aware of transportation, packaging and marketing of goods, you begin reading the labels on tins and convenience foods and realize that some of the additives are probably making you fat and ill because they are a significant part of your daily consumption… perhaps the worst additive in many convenience foods is Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), a damaging Excitotoxin allegedly introduced by the british military during WWII to make canned food for it’s troops more palatable and to increase their appetites.. if you would like to find out more I recommend you watch this short video by Neuro-Surgeon Dr Russell Blaylock
You become aware that the below ingredients contain up to 99% MSG and are now a disguised form of MSG labelling and you begin to avoid them..
- Glutamate
- Glutamic Acid
- Monosodium Glutamate
- Monopotassium Glutamate
- Yeast Extract
- Yeast Food
- Yeast Nutrient
- Autolyzed Yeast
- Autolyzed Yeast Extract
- Torula Yeast
- Autolyzed Soy Protein (any protein that is autolyzed)
- Hydrolyzed Protein (any protein that is hydrolyzed)
- Hydrolyzed Whey Protein
- Hydrolyzed Pea Protein
- Hydrolyzed Corn Protein
- Hydrolyzed Corn Gluten
- Calcium Caseinate
- Sodium Caseinate
- Textured Protein
- Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
- Natrium Glutamate (natrium is Latin/German for sodium)
- Gelatin
I had no clue that all those different additives were different forms of MSG! While I do try and cook all whole foods, we do still have a pantry with canned goods and some treats. I’ve been looking at labels lately and it is good to know to watch out for these things. I just recently found out that Celery Root Extract, often found on the new “natural and preservative free” foods is actually a nitrate!
Goodness me I didn’t know that! Yes… its all very interesting stuff and yes, if my research is correct, and the articles I am reading etc indicate that, if it isn’t 100% MSG that is put into the food then they basically have a license to call it something else…
Being aware of this, and because of convenience foods being used sparingly during WWII on the home front, I think it’s a great eating pattern to replicate today. Use convenience, processed and junk food sparingly and only have it occasionally as a treat.
I think using it everyday has to be a bad thing…
Just my opinion …
It worries me a lot, always thinking about it
C xxxxx
Here is s ome more information on Excitotoxicity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excitotoxicity
The MSG levels given to mice were pretty much a lethal level I think – a human would have to consume an awful lot of MSG for it to become lethal.
The other disguised forms of MSG above are free glutamates and it is the glutamate part which is the concern…
Anyway it is just food for thought…MSG has been used for quite some time
Here is a interesting short article on MSG and obesity http://www.livestrong.com/article/337241-monosodium-glutamate-and-obesity/
First I will say I am a Marmite lover. Second I will say that I am very sceptical about food scares. So you will be able to guess my stance on this.
There is a good article here
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2005/jul/10/foodanddrink.features3
If anyone eats enough Marmite to cause problems I suspect it would be the salt in it that would be the culprit – even Marmite lovers eat just tiny percentages of their total calorie intake as Marmite. There are loads of other things we all eat regularly in larger amounts that are more “dangerous”.
Hope you don’t read this as too negative – I have loads of respect for what you have achieved and for your change to a vegan diet.
In this case I really do think it is a case of not sweating the small stuff 🙂
Hi there
I think what I was trying to say (and think I did somewhere) was that convenience foods with added chemicals or added ingredients such as preservatives, colours etc, should be used occasionally rather than a significant part of our everyday diet (and this was what happened during the rationing years- some canned goods were very high in points and really kind of used as an occasional addition to the diet- comparing to a modern day diet I’d say there was a huge difference)… whole fresh foods IMHO, are definitely healthier for you.
I’m not giving up my Marmite either, it is probably only one of a few items that contain MSG etc in my diet (in limited quantities) and I do so look forward to a little marmite on toast at the weekend!!! 🙂 Nom nom nom!!
Thanks for your input! Appreciate your thoughts and always check out links people post!
C xxxx
TVP/TSP is actually a soy product… 🙂 There’s a fairly educational article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textured_vegetable_protein . I have an MSG sensitivity, and have never had trouble eating TVP – and I used to eat it several times a week when I was a vegan.
Hi Heather- thanks so much for your response. Yes I should have been more precise. TVP in it’s natural form after it has been processed from the oil of soy beans has no MSG added…and probably if you are buying TVP from the natural wholefoods section it won’t either however it is also sold with added flavours and enhancers such as MSG and what I am talking about is the TVP that is added to processed foods. A manufacturer can get away with NOT ADDING MSG to the label of his can by adding TVP that MSG has been added to…
Hope this makes sense… basically ingredients are being added to processed foods that have been enhanced with MSG and this is a way around adding that MSG is actually an ingredient. The list above is a list of additives that MAY have MSG added to them..
C xxx