MSG and Free Glutamate: Lurking In every single place

A while in the past, on a visit to British Columbia, I ate in a neighborhood restaurant. When consuming out, I all the time attempt to order one thing easy, and not using a gravy or sauce, since these sauces are sure to comprise MSG.

So, I ordered a plain crab cake with rice and greens — no sauce, no mayo. Boy, did that crab cake style good! About midnight I knew why. I awakened with a dry mouth, a horrible thirst and a headache. The following day I felt sore throughout, like I’d been in a struggle. My fingers felt like that they had arthritis.

Fortuitously, since I don’t eat meals containing MSG fairly often, the signs cleared by the subsequent day. Sadly, I attended a reception that night, and since I had skipped lunch and was hungry, I ate issues I shouldn’t have, together with a peanut sauce I’m positive got here from a can. That night time, the identical factor occurred, and the subsequent day I used to be stiff and sore from head to toe.

In fact, I knew the rationale why and simply resolved to be extra cautious going ahead. However suppose I used to be an individual who ate a number of processed or restaurant meals and didn’t know concerning the risks of MSG. I might really feel terrible on a regular basis: headache, dry mouth, extreme thirst, and aches and pains like arthritis.

I could be instructed I had the illness du jour: fibromyalgia. However there isn’t a remedy for fibromyalgia so I might most likely be handled for the runner-up illness du jour: Lyme’s illness. The remedy for Lyme’s illness is programs of antibiotics, which might most likely make my situation worse.

If I complained to the physician concerning the dry mouth and thirst, I might be examined for diabetes; and if I sought remedy for complications, I’d find yourself on some fairly highly effective ache killers.

Which brings us to the query: may all these situations, particularly the rheumatism-like achiness that plagues so many individuals, be resulting from MSG and related substances added to nearly all processed meals?

Glutamine Versus Glutamate

For instance, MSG permits meals producers to make one thing that resembles gravy — which we make at residence with good drippings, flour and real bone broth — with water, a thickener, synthetic coloring and synthetic flavors, particularly MSG.

Apologists for MSG level out that it derives from glutamine, an amino acid wanted for protein synthesis, immunity, liver well being, cleansing and upkeep of acid-alkaline stability, amongst many different roles.

Our our bodies could make glutamine; nonetheless, in instances of speedy development or therapeutic — particularly therapeutic of the intestine — we want extra glutamine than we are able to make and should get it from meals. Home made bone broth is a wonderful supply, one clarification for bone broth’s repute as a therapeutic meals.

Glutamine is a precursor to glutamate, an essential neurotransmitter, for which we now have receptors within the mind and all around the physique. Apologists for MSG argue that the additive isn’t actually totally different from glutamate (or its cousin glutamic acid).

For instance, journalist Liz Roth-Johnson writes, “Regardless of their totally different names, glutamate, glutamic acid, and monosodium glutamate are primarily the identical molecule and behave the identical approach in our our bodies.” She supplies the next diagram.

Roth-Johnson notes that ripe tomatoes and aged cheese comprise excessive ranges of glutamate, so what might be the issue with MSG? The issue is that most individuals don’t get complications and arthritis-like signs after they eat ripe tomatoes and aged cheese.

One clarification is that the sodium molecule added to glutamate makes it a really totally different molecule — in any case, including chlorine to sodium to make nutritious salt makes chlorine very totally different from toxic chlorine gasoline! Small variations in molecules could make big variations within the physique.

Free Glutamate Can Overload Your System

Free glutamate is fashioned throughout fermentation — of milk into cheese, of soybeans into soy sauce, and many others. That’s what offers these meals their scrumptious meat-like umami style. Most individuals can eat small quantities of slowly and naturally fermented soy sauce with out downside, however react strongly to low cost soy sauce made by speedy protein hydrolysis with added MSG.

One other distinction: a lot of the glutamate in our physique doesn’t come from free glutamate in our meals however from the breakdown of protein into its separate amino acids. It’s assumption that these enter the bloodstream extra slowly than MSG added to meals, and even to glutamate naturally fashioned in meals, in order that their transformation into neurotransmitters is extra managed.

Consuming meals containing MSG or a number of added free glutamate, can overwhelm the system, so to talk. And free glutamate is all over the place, I imply all over the place, normally not labeled however lurking in different meals components.

Components That Include Free Glutamate

Right here’s a listing of elements that comprise free glutamate in a single kind or one other:

And these are meals that may comprise a number of free glutamate fashioned throughout processing:

And these are meals that extraordinarily delicate folks have reacted to:

Fermented Meals Could Set off Reactions if You’re Delicate

Moreover, these delicate souls must keep away from something fermented, together with pure cheese, naturally fermented soy sauce and do-it-yourself sauerkraut, and even tomato paste.

Curiously, the late Jack Samuels, creator of truthinlabeling.org (which created the above lists), instructed me that he may eat cheese made with old school animal rennet with out downside, however reacted strongly to cheese made with vegetarian rennet (which is produced by genetically modified micro organism).

I all the time buy natural herbs and spices, typically not studying the labels. However I regarded rigorously on the label of some natural chili powder I just lately purchased and was shocked to learn that it contained “natural rice focus.”

Rice focus isn’t in any of the above lists, however it’s clearly a processed ingredient and why would the corporate add it to chili powder until it contributed some form of zip to the flavour? Simply reveals you may’t be too cautious! All the time learn labels!

However again to the primary level: if you’re affected by any form of power ache or discomfort, attempt limiting your self solely to complete pure meals that you’ve got ready your self. I’m betting you will note an enchancment with out taking any medicine.

In regards to the Creator

Sally Fallon Morell is creator of the best-selling cookbook “Nourishing Traditions” and plenty of different books on eating regimen and well being. She is the founding president of the Weston A. Worth Basis (westonaprice.org) and a founding father of A Marketing campaign for Actual Milk (realmilk.com). Go to her weblog at nourishingtraditions.com.