Why do people think MSG is bad? This morning I came across a post in a Facebook group that was set up by a very clever lady who’s created a whole bunch of healthy recipes for the Thermomix (and beyond) community. The post was asking about a missing ingredient in a recipe she’d tried, and it seems it was MSG. Now… is MSG all that bad?
I did some research, and although I’ve seen this information before, I was still surprised (but not in a good way!)…
My research about why people think MSG is bad
Here’s what the Chemical Maze app says about MSG:
MSG is made from sugar beet molasses, wheat gluten, corn starch or by bacterial fermentation. It could be GM.
Risk level: Best avoided
Potential effects: Bronchospasm in asthmatics, dizziness, headache, heart arrythmia, heart palpitations, irritability, migraine, nausea, neck pain, pins and needles in upper limbs, prohibited in foods for infants, restlessness, those with corn allergy may wish to avoid, those with wheat allergy may wish to avoid, tingling and numbness, urticaria (hives).
Symptoms/ailments: Allergic and hyper-sensitive reactions, asthma, behavioural problems, depression, headache & migrains, learning difficulties.
So is MSG all that bad? I’d say yes!
Another reason why people think MSG is bad
As a certified Emotion Code/Body Code Practitioner and Nutrition Coach, MSG and other “toxins” were discussed in my training.
What I learned is that when your body is exposed to a toxin, whether in your food or your environment, it begins to generate additional fat as a means to dilute the toxin and protect you.
When a person wants to lose weight, one of the first things I will do is look at which foods, personal products and cleaning products my client is using, because that is often one of the many causes of their excess weight (it is rarely just one thing!).
Why do people think MSG is bad?
In summary, why people think MSG is bad is purely because of the potential side effects from eating it, as well as the fact that your body will see it as a toxin and attempt to dilute it with more fat. Not great if you want to lose weight, right??