LET'S talk about this little additive that I believe to be one of the driving forces in America's obesity problem by creating a public who is increasingly finding themselves powerless against their insatiable appetites and thinking it's their own fault.

"MSG is a well-known compound in research circles used to fatten up rats for experimentation, because it dramatically increases insulin production. According to "Contemporary Nutrition," the food additive industry readily admits that MSG has addictive properties and can cause people to gain weight, but they justify its use by claiming that this can be beneficial to elderly persons who are sometimes malnourished. Glutamate, the main component of MSG, is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, and it has been linked to neurological symptoms when taken in excess" (source).

Basically MSG artificially stimulates your appetite by engaging the same parts of your brain that are triggered during cocaine use. Except you didn't sign up for it and you're not here to party.

"When foods taste this good, they activate the pleasure centers in the brain, which are also regulated by glutamate neurotransmission.

This can produce the same powerful addiction impulse as cocaine and other addictive drugs. So, we have a dual force, a sense of hunger and addiction, driving our appetites. 

Diets high in carbohydrates and sugar can also counteract depression and sadness, because it increases brain levels of serotonin — a feel-good neurotransmitter. For some, this acts as another factor driving obesity" (source).

From a business perspective it makes sense to add this ingredient to every food out there. In a food industry that makes money off people buying and becoming addicted to their product, MSG is the ticket to making bland food taste better while simultaneously making your  brain become dependent on the food. However they aren't selling office supplies or clothing, they are selling FOOD that ultimately deteriorates people's health from the inside out. The FDA themselves even acknowledge that the effects of MSG are questionable. Da fuq?

Besides the dangerous of obesity, MSG is linked to a slew of other health problems.

"In 1959, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration labeled MSG as "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS), and it has remained that way ever since. Yet, it was a telling sign when just 10 years later a condition known as "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" entered the medical literature, describing the numerous side effects, from numbness to heart palpitations, that people experienced after eating MSG...

...One of the best overviews of the very real dangers of MSG comes from Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon and author of "Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills." In it he explains that MSG is an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees -- and potentially even triggering or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease and more" (source). 

I urge you to really read the ingredients of what you are eating on a daily basis. Understand that the food industry is a business, and their sole purpose is to make money. Although I do not agree with this philosophy, especially when it directly effects people's health and safety. I know I have the power to control what I eat and you do too.

Other names for MSG:

• Glutamic acid (E 620)2

• Glutamate (E 620)

• Monosodium glutamate (E 621)

• Monopotassium glutamate (E 622)

• Calcium glutamate (E 623)

• Monoammonium glutamate (E 624)

• Magnesium glutamate (E 625)

• Natrium glutamate

• Anything “hydrolyzed”

• Any “hydrolyzed protein”

• Calcium caseinate,  Sodium caseinate

• Yeast extract, Torula yeast

• Yeast food, Yeast nutrient

• Autolyzed yeast

• Gelatin

• Textured protein

• Whey protein

• Whey protein concentrate

• Whey protein isolate

• Soy protein

• Soy protein concentrate

• Soy protein isolate

• Anything “protein”

• Anything “protein fortified”

• Soy sauce

• Soy sauce extract

• Anything “enzyme modified”

• Anything containing “enzymes”

• Anything “fermented”

• Anything containing “protease”

• Vetsin

• Ajinomoto

• Umami 

• Carrageenan (E 407)

• Bouillon and broth

• Stock

• Any “flavors” or “flavoring”

• Natural flavor

• Maltodextrin

• Oligodextrin

• Citric acid, Citrate (E 330)

• Anything “ultra-pasteurized”

• Barley malt

• Malted  barley

• Brewer’s yeast

• Pectin (E 440)

• Malt extract

• Seasonings

Tricky.