MSG and Free Glutamate: Lurking All over the place

A while in the past, on a visit to British Columbia, I ate in a neighborhood restaurant. When consuming out, I at all times attempt to order one thing easy, with no gravy or sauce, since these sauces are certain to include 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 wakened 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 they’d arthritis.

Happily, since I don’t eat meals containing MSG fairly often, the signs cleared by the following 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 following 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 quite a lot 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 is likely to be advised 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: might all these situations, particularly the rheumatism-like achiness that plagues so many individuals, be as a result of MSG and related substances added to just about all processed meals?

Glutamine Versus Glutamate

For instance, MSG permits meals producers to make one thing that resembles gravy — which we make at dwelling 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, detoxing and upkeep of acid-alkaline stability, amongst many different roles.

Our our bodies could make glutamine; nonetheless, in instances of fast development or therapeutic — particularly therapeutic of the intestine — we’d like extra glutamine than we will make and should get it from meals. Home made bone broth is a superb supply, one rationalization for bone broth’s status as a therapeutic meals.

Glutamine is a precursor to glutamate, an vital neurotransmitter, for which we’ve receptors within the mind and everywhere in the physique. Apologists for MSG argue that the additive is just not actually completely different from glutamate (or its cousin glutamic acid).

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

Roth-Johnson notes that ripe tomatoes and aged cheese include 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 rationalization is that the sodium molecule added to glutamate makes it a really completely different molecule — in any case, including chlorine to sodium to make nutritious salt makes chlorine very completely different from toxic chlorine fuel! Small variations in molecules could make enormous 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 so forth. 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 drawback, however react strongly to low cost soy sauce made by fast 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 quite a lot of added free glutamate, can overwhelm the system, so to talk. And free glutamate is in all places, I imply in all places, normally not labeled however lurking in different meals components.

Elements That Include Free Glutamate

Right here’s a listing of components that include free glutamate in a single type or one other:

And these are meals that may include quite a lot of free glutamate fashioned throughout processing:

And these are meals that extraordinarily delicate individuals 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), advised me that he might eat cheese made with old school animal rennet with out drawback, however reacted strongly to cheese made with vegetarian rennet (which is produced by genetically modified micro organism).

I at all times buy natural herbs and spices, usually not studying the labels. However I appeared fastidiously on the label of some natural chili powder I lately purchased and was shocked to learn that it contained “natural rice focus.”

Rice focus is just not 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 exhibits you’ll be able to’t be too cautious! At all times learn labels!

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

In regards to the Writer

Sally Fallon Morell is writer of the best-selling cookbook “Nourishing Traditions” and lots of different books on weight loss plan 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.