The Elusive Nature of MSG

By Alexandra

At first glance, the substance in the above picture appears to be extra fine white rice. Actually, it is monosodium glutamate, in crystalline form. If asked to describe MSG, a great deal of people (likely a majority) would be unable to accurately say how it looks, smells, and tastes by itself even though millions of pounds per year are added to food consumed in America alone (Hilary, 2007).

Among the toxins used in food, MSG remains, to this day, one of the most elusive. A good reason for this is that manufacturers avidly seek to hide it in their products, either by listing it under misleading names that could stand for just about anything (like "spices" and "natural flavors" -- sound familiar, anyone?) or by not mentioning it at all (Anglesey, 2007).

Unfortunately, it does not suffice to depend upon the integrity of food lables to avoid sources of MSG. To completely ensure that one's food is 100% free of added MSG, one would have to know everything that went into each food product, which entails that he or she would have to grow and make all of his or her foods. Those of you that can not afford to make all your foods by yourselves, hearken and have hope! There are ways by which one can, within a pretty safe margin of error, determine which foods do and do not contain MSG, and, yes, it involves reading labels carefully. Certain food items always contain MSG (such as textured protein), some frequently contain it (e.g. soy protein isolate), and some rarely, if ever, contain added MSG. Plenty of excellent web sources that identify MSG sources exist; Hilary magazine (link provided below) is but one of them. Perhaps one of the very best resources for identifying sources of MSG is Debbie Anglesey's book, Battling the MSG Myth, which contains comprehensive lists identifying MSG-contaminated foods and safe alternatives.

Anglesey, D. B. (2007). Battling the MSG Myth. City and State N/A: Front Porch
Productions

http://www.hilary.com/features/msg.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MSG_crystals.JPG