MSG - the scary additive

Sunday, when I was watching Gillian McKeith's You Are What You Eat, my favorite motivational program, there was a discussion about Monosodium glutamate (MSG).  Gillian was explaining what MSG is and does to people, I was mortified!

MSG is an additive and flavor enhancer that is used in many, many foods.  What it does, is tricks our brains into thinking that crappy food tastes like the most wonderful thing we have ever tasted.  Not only that, but it also makes our brains not listen to our stomachs when they tell us they are full, so we tend to eat way more than should or would have without this "harmless additive" in our food.

Now, I don't know about you, but I don't need any help in that department.  I have spent most of my life not listening to my stomach when it said I was full.  My intent was to see just how packed I could make it!  As you know from where I started, I was quite successful!

Okay we know what MSG does when when it is sprinkled on our food, but what, if any, are the side effects?

These reactions — known as MSG symptom complex — include:

• Headache
• Flushing
• Sweating
• Facial pressure or tightness
• Numbness, tingling or burning in face, neck and other areas
• Rapid, fluttering heartbeats (heart palpitations)
• Chest pain
• Nausea
• Weakness

Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.Mayo Clinic nutritionist

Raise your hand if any of these things sound like fun.  Yeah, none of them sound like a good time to me either.

Maybe this is the secret behind McDonald's fries and the Whopper!  Obviously it must be the reason that the woman from yesterday's video went bonkers over not getting chicken nuggets, they must use a ton of MSG on every box of nuggets you purchase!