Have You Had a Bad Reaction to MSG?

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) is added to foods as a taste enhancer. The FDA says MSG is safe, except for some folk to take too much of it, or those who suffer from asthma.

At MSGTruth.Org, there is a long research list that begs to differ. There's also NoMSG.com, a consumer group site battling against MSG; MSGMyth.com, a reference website compiled by Debbie Anglesey; MigraneWeb.com, which has a section of its site dedicated to MSG; and the British watchdog group's FedUpWithFoodAdditives.Info's fact sheet on MSG.

Yes, it's controversial. A nice, concise summary of that controversy is found on the British fact sheet.

For those who have had a reaction to MSG, there's no debate. Also called "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome," reactions to MSG can range from feelings of nausea to migranes, dizziness, and heart palpitations. It can trigger asthmatic attacks. And, it's not a quick response/recovery: it takes a good couple of days to bounce back from an MSG reaction according to the University of Illinois Medical Center.

There are those that argue that long term effects of MSG can include Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, Autism in children, Diabetes (I and II), and obesity in children and adults. (Yes, MSG is argued to cause you to want to eat more.)

Both sides can agree on one thing: too much MSG will cause bad reactions in humans. The FDA report suggests that amount to be around 3 grams. And, with the growing list of foods containing MSG, perhaps it's not too hard to imagine that more and more people are getting excess MSG in their diets ....

From MSGTruth.Org, a partial list of common foods with MSG (go to link for complete list):

McDonald's French Fries
Doritos®
KFC® fried chicken and most of their other products
Progresso® Soups - all of them
Kraft® products nearly all contain some free glutamate
Planters® salted nuts - most of them
Accent® -this is nearly pure MSG
Braggs® Liquid Aminos - sold at Whole Foods
processed cheese spread
supermarket poultry or turkeys that are injected or "self-basting"
flavored Ramen noodles
boullion - any kind
flavored potato chips
soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Parmesan cheese - naturally high in free glutamate


From Rense.com, a partial list of ingredients that all mean the same thing, MSG has been added, quoting from Excitotoxins - The Taste That Kills by Russell Blaylock, MD:

Monosodium Glutamate
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Hydrolyzed Protein
Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
Plant Protein Extract
Sodium Caseinate
Calcium Caseinate
Yeast Extract
Textured Protein (Including TVP)
Autolyzed Yeast
Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
Corn Oil

And, if that's not enough, there's also the ingredient "natural flavor" or "natural flavoring." Yep, you guessed it: another synonym for MSG.

Personally, I believe MSG is bad for me and I avoid it. I know enough to know that Panda Express Gourmet Chinese Food takeout causes me to feel terrible the next day -- but my real testimonial comes from some flavored Kettle Chips (Maui Onion) that I splurged on, even though I usually avoid fried potato chips. Bad reaction (including dizziness, which was scary), and the cause? MSG.

Ground Beef Warning - Huge Oct 2007 Recalls

Topps Meat Company just went out of business after 67 years because of its massive recall of beef patty products - the second largest beef recall in US history. Other beef recalls are happening right now, but they pale by comparison to Topps' recall of one entire year's production of product.

If you have ground beef products in your home, you may want to check the Web before using them. Go here:

FDA - FSIS site
FSIS List of Recalls


If you're wondering what's happening, there's a good article written yesterday by Stephen Hedges at the Chicago Tribune on what's what.

The HALT Program: Wish It Were Nation-wide

The HALT Program comes out of Tennessee and I wish we had it here in Texas. Heck, I wish it was operating in every state, in every community.

HALT, "Humans and Animals Learning Together," is a non-profit program supported by the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. It's been a very successful program since its inception in 1987.

HALT puts foster kids together with shelter dogs who need some behavior training before they can become adoptable as pets. The dogs have all the necessary screenings (medical and otherwise) prior to teaming up with their "student trainers," who likewise have been prepared with training classes, etc.

While the kids can't adopt their trainees, both get a lot out of the program. The dogs learn skills that they need to be better adoption prospects.

The kids learn skills like patience, discipline, responsibility. And, they also get that unconditional love that dogs so freely give.

Amy McRary recently wrote a good article about HALT for the Knoxville News Sentinel. It's worth the read.

For more info about HALT, visit its website and look at its link to coverage in Southern Living magazine. The SL article has a lot of nice photos.