Spices and MSG

   I just wonder when did the FDA start allowing labeling to be so vague as spices or flavorings and not telling us what they are.  And why do we accept that as a food ingredient and not demand that we know what is in our food.  I tried to find out on their website but was unable to.
   I think we have become complacent thinking that someone else will make sure our food is safe for us to eat and we just don't have to worry about it.  Well, we do.  Pretty much if you see spices, flavorings, natural flavorings or seasonings you can be pretty sure there is MSG in that product.  There are of course exceptions but if they don't list the source after those ingredients I don't buy it.  You may say " I am not sensitive to MSG so I don't really worry about it".  But this is something we all need to worry about.  Especially for our children.  Their brains are just developing and MSG works on the brain, it makes us think the food tastes better than it does.  That way companies can use lesser quality foods and we think they are delicious.
    Just take a look at the canned and boxed foods you have in your cupboard.  Even organic foods have MSG in them labeled of course as some other name.  The one I commonly find besides those I listed above is autolyzed yeast.  Once you realize how much of our food has MSG you may feel like it's just something you have to put up with and move on.  But I know we need to stop this practice for all our health.   You might be wondering what the difference is of seeing MSG on a label or the other names I have mentioned.  It is in the percentage of the MSG that is in the ingredient.  I have heard it to be 79% MSG and an even higher %.  But even 79% of say a tablespoon of MSG with 21% being say salt, is simply too much MSG for me.  Then compound that by the fact that many labels have more than 1 of these ie spice and natural flavorings in them.  This is why something that says no MSG can claim that and still have the above mentioned ingredients in it.  It only needs to be called MSG if it is above that required % to say so.
   I would love to just buy whatever I want and not have to worry about being sick after I eat it.  But for now I am an avid label reader.  A supplement I have found to help me is Taurine.  I take it everyday to help with any accidental run in's I may have with MSG.  I am not recommending it for you in any medical capacity, but you may want to check out information on it if you are also someone that cannot tolerate MSG.  I was so happy when I came across that information

For the history of MSG go to http://www.truthinlabeling.org/IVhistoryOfUse.html
As always check back on the Truth in Labeling website for a their up to date list of MSG aliases
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html


Remember: By food industry definition, all MSG is "naturally occurring." "Natural" doesn't mean "safe."
"Natural" only means that the ingredient started out in nature, like arsenic and hydrochloric acid
until next time
Happy Shopping
Pame