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What’s the Big Deal About MSG?


You’ve probably heard that MSG is bad for you. But you might not know why, or realize how prevalent it is. It’s in so many packaged and processed foods that you might not even know you’re eating it when you are, especially since it comes under many different names.

Here’s what you need to know about MSG:

  • MSG is an excitotoxin, a type of chemical transmitter that allows brain cells to communicate. The problem is that excitotoxins can literally excite your brain cells to death.
  • Aside from harming your brain, MSG has also been linked to eye damage, headaches, fatigue, disorientation and depression. Source

  • Children are most at risk from MSG. The blood brain barrier, which keeps toxins in the blood from entering the brain, is not fully developed in children. MSG can also penetrate the placental barrier and affect unborn children as well. Nonetheless, most major brands of infant formula contain some processed free glutamic acid (a form of MSG). Source

Hidden Names for MSG

OK, so now you know why it’s bad. But it gets even trickier….MSG is not always called MSG. Here are 2 tables showing all the names under which it can be found. Source

MSG Gelatin Calcium Caseinate
Monosodium glutamate Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) Textured Protein
Monopotassium glutamate Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP) Yeast Extract
Glutamate Autolyzed Plant Protein Yeast food or nutrient
Glutamic Acid Sodium Caseinate Autolyzed Yeast
Vegetable Protein Extract Senomyx (wheat extract labeled as artificial flavor)

The following substances contain some factory created free glutamate in varying amounts. Please note that some food labels list several of these items, which can add up to a considerable and dangerous amount in one product:

Malted Barley (flavor) Natural Flavors, Flavors, Flavoring Modified food starch
Barley malt Reaction Flavors Rice syrup or brown rice syrup
Malt Extract or Flavoring Natural Chicken, Beef, or Pork, Flavoring “Seasonings” (Most assume this means salt, pepper, or spices and herbs, which sometimes it is.) Lipolyzed butter fat
Maltodextrin, dextrose, dextrates Soy Sauce or Extract “Low” or “No Fat” items
Caramel Flavoring (coloring) Soy Protein Corn syrup and corn syrup solids, high fructose corn syrup
Stock Soy Protein Isolate or Concentrate Citric Acid (when processed from corn)
Broth Cornstarch fructose (made from corn) Milk Powder
Bouillon Flowing Agents Dry Milk Solids
Carrageenan Wheat, rice, corn, or oat protein Protein Fortified Milk
Whey Protein or Whey Anything enriched or vitamin enriched Annatto
Whey Protein Isolate or Concentrate Protein fortified “anything” Spice
Pectin Enzyme modified proteins Gums (guar and vegetable)
Protease Ultra-pasteurized dairy products Dough Conditioners
Protease enzymes Fermented proteins Yeast Nutrients
Lecithin Gluten and gluten flour Protein powders: whey, soy, oat, rice (as in protein bars shakes and body building drinks)
Amino acids (as in Bragg’s liquid amino acids and chelated to vitamins) Algae, phytoplankton, sea vegetable, wheat/ barley grass powders


In order to avoid this nasty chemical, you MUST READ LABELS! I was and continue to be amazed at how many things contain it. I learned how to make my own chicken broth the old fashioned way just to avoid using boullion cubes (it’s really good; try it!).

Dr. Russel Blaylock is a Neurosurgeon who has many teachings, interviews, etc. on the dangers of MSG. I haven’t heard most of these, but I have heard an interview with him in the past; he is extremely knowledgeable (he is a neurosurgeon, after all!) and he speaks with the training of the medical community. Here is a link to a lecture he gave on MSG. I’m sure it’s worthwhile.

So, to recap, Here’s what you can do:

  1. READ LABELS! Try to recognize any of the above names for MSG
  2. Umm…Avoid those things. Probably means eating fewer or different packaged foods. This is a good thing, trust me!
  3. Feel good that you can make this small change for a BIG step towards health for your family!

Cheetos and MSG – Bringing new meaning to the slogan “Dangerously Cheesy”

More info about the damage of MSG

Links about MSG

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It’s Bedtime! Day 17of Babystep Challenge To A Peaceful Home

Day 17 of Flylady’s babysteps is to set a bedtime and stick to it. I love this. And I hate it.

I love to sleep. So this is something that I actually want. I want to go to bed at 10 each night and wake at 6 in the morning. Somehow, though, I have trouble getting there on time.

I know that if I can get dinner served on time (6pm), then we can be done by 6:45, I can finish cleaning up by 7:30 (hubby gets kiddos ready for bed). And by 8 when the kids go to bed, I can have some time to myself or to spend with my husband. And then I can get ready for bed no later than 9:30 and to sleep by 10. I know this.

And yet….it doesn’t happen. It’s the dinner at 6 that is the problem. I have a lot of trouble getting dinner prep started on time (probably because I don’t want to stop the nap time and walk away from the computer). But, if I would, many good things would come from it.

I’d get enough sleep AND get time to myself in the evening. It’s a good trade off.

So, I’m going to go to bed on time. Which means I’m going to walk AWAY from the computer at 4 when it’s time to wake the kiddos from their nap. That’s my plan.

And since I make my bed every day, it’s nice and inviting.

Here’s a post I wrote on sleep a while back with interesting facts, including how much sleep different people need.

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Are You Raising Snackers?

“Parents are raising a generation of snackers — kids who eat almost constantly throughout the day as they graze on cookies, salty snacks and fruit drinks.
A sweeping study of 31,337 children and adolescents released on Tuesday tracked snacking and meal trends from 1977 through 2006 using data from four national surveys. On average, children reach for cookies, chips and other treats about three times a day, consuming nearly 600 daily calories from snacks. That’s an increase of 168 snack calories compared with what children ate in the late 1970s.
While these are averages, the findings showed that half of American children snack about four times a day. And some children appear to be eating almost constantly, consuming either snacks or meals as often as 10 times a day…”

The above is taken from this article by Tara Parker-Pope published in the New York Times on Tuesday, March 9, 2010.

This is bad news, folks.

If this sounds like your family, it’s time to take control of the situation NOW.

Moms, you have the ability, the responsibility to shape your children’s eating habits. I have children who love fruit, enjoy salads, and happily eat most vegetables. They are perfectly happy drinking water and do not expect dessert every night.

You can do it too.

The younger your children, of course the more difficult it will be, but you just start with babysteps. Meaning, just make one change at a time, little by little.

Example: Your children habitually drink juice, soda, or any other drink besides water daily. So, just increase the amount of water they need to drink before they get the other drink. And limit the number of those per day. If you drink soda, limit the number per day or days per week, whatever would be a decrease for you. Then keep the habit up.

When you are drinking the proper amount of water (1/2 your body weight in ounces), a few things will happen. Besides finally being hydrated which helps relieve many symptoms-including things like headaches, asthma, skin problems—-you name it, YOUR APPETITE WILL DECREASE.

This is key. Many of us are mistaking thirst for hunger and eat when we are actually thirsty. Drink enough water, and you will not have as much desire for snacking.

Besides drinking enough water, there are 2 main changes to make:

  1. Switch from unhealthy (chips, cookies) snacks to healthy (fruit, veggie sticks) ones
  2. Break the habit of eating when you don’t need to. If you eat a nutritious meal, you will not be genuinely hungry an hour later.

You can do this. You can change your (and your children’s) snack habits. Take back the control of the health of your family!

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Making My Bed. Day 15 of Babystep Challenge To A Peaceful Home

Babystep 15 is to make your bed.

I have had this habit (regularly) for more than a year now. I love the way it makes my room look; even if other things are out, the bed being made sets the tone.

When I bought my first down comforter for the winter here (I’m from Miami; I never had one before), I was introduced to the concept of having a duvet cover for the comforter, and not using a top sheet. Using one of these makes making the bed so much easier. I used to pull the top sheet up under the bedspread, and then fold both over, exposing the top sheet. Yes, it looked very pretty, but it made making the bed take much longer than it should and therefore I didn’t do it so much.

Now I use the duvet cover even in the summertime (with a lightweight blanket, or even empty if it’s hot enough) and all I have to do is pull it up to the top of the bed before putting the pillows on.

That first duvet cover was white with eyelet. Very pretty and elegant. But, after a while, I realized that I was very bored with the lack of color and was not motivated to keep it nice.

So, I went and bought this pretty happy one. It makes me smile and that’s the best motivation to keeping your room neat. If you don’t like your bedclothes, go buy new ones! They really do not cost much and are so worth it. I have one set for the spring and fall and a different one for the summer and winter. That way I don’t get bored.

If you don’t have the habit of making your bed, keep this in mind: you have to do it IMMEDIATELY when you get up. If you wait, it doesn’t get done. That was the most important thing to learn.

Enjoy your beautiful bedroom!

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Lost In Translation

However uncommon it may be in the US to eat a little more healthfully, it is much more uncommon here (in Israel). The more recent “back to basics” way of thinking hasn’t permeated the lifestyle here, and many folks haven’t even heard of things that in the States are commonly accepted. Example: sugar is bad for your body.

My two older boys were invited to a friend’s house to play. Before they left, I reviewed the rules with them: remember manners, no TV or computer games, and eat only fruit or vegetables and drink only water. They know the drill, they understand. They’d already had a snack and would be coming home for dinner, so it’s not like they were hungry.

But Israelis like to feed people. More specifically, Israelis like to give children sweets.

About 15 minutes after my boys would have arrived (they walked), I received a phone call. In Hebrew (of course). My Hebrew is NOT good. So it sounded something like this, to my understanding: “I want to give the kids an Igloo. OK?” Now, I know they have a sugar filled popsicle here they call “Arctic”, so I figured it’s probably something like that. So I said, “No, it’s not ok.” She said it’s just water. I said no, it’s water and SUGAR. She said it’s hot, they’re hot, they want something cold. I said, “so give them water with ICE.” She said ok, she’ll just give them water.

Well, that was what I understood.

After the boys came home, they said she had basically insisted that they take it.

I was frustrated. It’s not that some sugar is that big of a deal. It’s that some sugar every day IS that big of a deal. We eat sugar. The processed kind, usually in a yummy dessert I make once a week. The kids eat cake and ice cream at parties. But it’s not a daily thing, and I know that if I am not very clear with the mothers at other houses they might visit, it will turn into a daily thing, and I can’t let that happen.

A few days later, I saw the other child’s mother and (attempted) to talk to her about it. It went something like this:

ME: What happened the other day with the Igloo? I thought I told you that they could NOT have it.

HER: It’s OK, I gave them water afterward.

ME: HUH? (I think it’s the same in all languages) I don’t understand

HER: What’s the big deal?

Typing like this is kind of annoying, so I’ll just paraphrase.

I said that the big deal was that it had SUGAR. And she said that she’s a (dental)hygienist, and so she knows about sugar and that it’s ok because she gave them water afterwards.

OH. Now I understood.

I told her that I was not even thinking about their teeth. And she actually asked me, then what was I thinking about? I told her I was thinking about their BODIES!

This is where I really couldn’t believe how many people still DON’T KNOW HOW BAD SUGAR IS FOR OUR BODIES! I told her that sugar really hurts the immune system. I told her that in our family we only eat sugar 1-2 times per week, and maybe at a party or something special. But that we don’t have it every day and that I can’t let my kids go play at houses where they are going to be fed it.

She looked at me like I had six heads. And asked what about when it’s hot, can’t they have something cold?

I explained that of course, we eat things that are cold. I make popsicles in molds out of real juice. And that the children enjoy it just as much.

And that was about the extent of my Hebrew.

Have you ever had an experience trying to explain to someone what you were doing and they just didn’t get it?

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Menu Plan Monday-June 13

Last night we had a Mexican Taco Casserole, and while I was making it I made a second one to give to a friend who is expecting a baby shortly so that they could have some extra meals frozen to eat when they wanted. That’s one of those things I love about casseroles.
And here’s our simple menu plan for the week.

Monday- Pancake supper with fresh fruit. Make mixes.

Tuesday-Cabbage & Potatoes

Wednesday-Creamy Carrot Soup and Salad. Extra soup to freeze.

Thursday- Cuban Black Beans and Rice. Salad.

Friday- Don’t know yet.

Saturday- Leftover Carrot Soup

Sunday-Father’s Day. Black Bean or Regular Burgers.

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I Can’t Catch Up. Day 14 of Babystep Challenge To A Peaceful Home

You Can’t Catch Up. It’s impossible.

This is a very important concept in life. Things keep moving, and it’s almost certain that you won’t keep up with everything. But what you do when you realize you’re “behind”, and more importantly how you feel about it will make all the difference in what you do next.

I’m struggling with these flylady babysteps. I’m falling back into the same habits I had before I began them again: I haven’t done the 15 minutes of decluttering every day. In fact, I haven’t done 15 minutes since I posted my success with it. That was days ago. Two minute hotspot, yes. Room rescue, yes, sort of(if you count me delegating it, but not if I do one myself). Daily mission, not so much.

I think my very favorite concept of Flylady’s is “You are not behind. Don’t try to catch up. Just jump in where you are.”

I’m never going to catch up. I really need to just do what I can today. It’s a new day, a fairly new week (we have Sunday as a work day here, so Monday is the second day for me). I’m going to ditch the guilt I feel and jump in where I am.

I’m also going to prioritize those things I seem to have a very difficult time getting done. I’m going to call my 15 minutes today my frog and eat it as soon as I can. I’d say “first”, but with other household things that must happen in the morning, it’s not possible. If you aren’t familiar with the “eat the frog” concept, enjoy this short (1 minute) video. I wanted to embed the player but it won’t let me. Very worthwhile.

I’m glad that today’s babystep is to read an essay about calendars and how/why to use them properly. I can handle doing that while still focusing on my frog.

What’s your frog today? What are you procrastinating on?

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Your Mission For Today: Day 13 of Babystep Challenge To A Peaceful Home

On Day 13 of Flylady’s babysteps, we are to choose one of Kelly’s missions and do it.

I love the way this is done. Each day, Kelly sends out one “mission” to accomplish. It’s something in the current zone, and usually will take less than 15 minutes. By dividing the house up into 5 zones and focusing a little extra time in it each day for the week, our houses can stay reasonably clean without much effort.

I need help with this. Just like regularly doing the 15 minutes of decluttering, I struggle to get it done, even though it really only takes a few minutes.

But they really do work.

This is a link to Kelly’s missions; they are posted daily and remain for the week.

This past week we were in the Kitchen zone. My favorite mission from that zone is the deep wipedown of the counter. I have a large countertop and need to spend most of that time putting things away that seem to collect there (beyond regular putting away kind of stuff), so I’ll usually do 15 mins + a little. And it might not all get done, but that’s ok.

I won’t get blown up if I don’t get it done!

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The Kitchen Hangover

Sometimes I don’t shine my sink. I don’t finish all of the cleanup at night. Most days I do, but on Saturday night, after a full day of relaxing and spending time with my family (which causes lots of extra dishes & stuff), my hubby and I like to have a movie night. And when it’s already late and we don’t want it to get any later, I leave things out.

Oh, I’ll pack my dishwasher, and put away any food that’s out. And even do an extra 5 minutes on top of that.

This is where I found this funny photo.

I woke up to this today. I call it my Kitchen Hangover.

It’s a good thing I know how to use my timer. I’ll go as fast as I can for 15 minutes and see what a difference I can make.

15 minutes really does a lot.


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Push Delete. Day 12 of Babystep Challenge To A Peaceful Home Day 8

On Day 12 of the Flylady’s babysteps, we are instructed to delete all of the emails that have been piling up. I really like this.

I’ve been on the mailing list for a couple of years. The reminders are good. The testimonials really are helpful and inspiring, and it’s good to realize that it’s ok to not read them all. In fact, lately, I haven’t been reading much of them at all. And that’s ok, since I’ve been exposed to this system for a while already. But if you are really just starting out, read a few each day. Then delete the rest.

Just like decluttering, just like taking out the trash, deleting emails and blog posts in my reader I haven’t read and don’t really need to helps me to get rid of guilt. I have so many things I’d like to do, I want to do, but just don’t seem to have time for. I don’t want to be reminded of what I am not doing.

So go ahead, push that button. It feels good.

More emails will come along.

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