A problem I have with food companies.

McHeather

I posted this to my challenge group yesterday but I thought I'd send it out wider to see what other MFP people think.

My Knowledge challenge is a bit of a vent and frustration with food companies. I really watch the ingredients on the foods that I buy. I'm trying to limit the chemicals and preservatives that myself and my family consume. I don't usually worry about salt other than I don't add it to my cooking until after a taste test determines it's needed. One day I was grocery shopping with my 6 year son who is in Kindergarten. He pointed out a character on a soup box. The drawn character looked like a cute friendly salt shaker and the caption said something about him being missing. Blake wanted to buy the product because he'd heard about it at school in a healthy eating program. So I picked up the box and read the label. Yes the salt was missing from it but the ingredients listed Monosodium Glutamate instead. The regular version had salt, the "healthier" version had MSG. There was no way I would buy that product. MSG makes my hands swell up so I can't get my rings off and make my hands, elbows, knee and ankles ache terribly (trans fats do it to me too)

I found this information on MSG on a website:"Not only is MSG found to induce asthma and migraine attacks, but is also linked to diseases such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Metabolizing glutamate after a MSG-rich meal induces the release of glucose into the blood stream. This in turn triggers the secretion of insulin by the pancreatic islet cells, so that muscle cells can take up glucose. Obesity is characterized, in part, by high levels of plasma glucose and insulin. Studies have shown that mice injected with MSG became obese and eventually lead to insulin-resistance and the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Moreover, MSG has been shown to stimulate appetite in humans. Subjects that had MSG-rich meals exhibited more stimulation to eat and ate more often than control subjects. The elderly are more susceptible to over stimulation of the brain caused by MSG, and risks degeneration of nerve cells in the brain leading to Alzheimers."

So just because the food company tells you it's taking away something you think is bad for you - check to see if it's being replaced by something even worse. Like low or no sugar cereals and yogurt usually have aspartame or other harmful fake sweeteners. It's better for your body to have the real stuff in moderation than any of chemically engineered stuff.

Some thing to think about - that's my rant!

SueInAz

MSG, seriously? I remember back in the 70s and 80s when it was determined how bad MSG was for you and there was this big hoo-rah-rah about restaurants (particularly Chinese) using it. Even today you'll see "No MSG used" signs posted in Chinese restaurants. Now food companies think they can add it into foods, instead of salt, and call them healthy? Ridiculous!

Nerdy_Rose

There is MSG in many, many things. Doritos. Light salad dressings. Canned soups. It's everywhere. It gives me migraines so I have to read everything I buy.

FitPhysique

Thank you for the post. Great information. Sometimes, we lose sight of the fact that the Food industry does not care about the consumer. They are a corporation. They are only in it to make to make money whether that's by cutting corner and including dangerous additives to their product :brokenheart: