MSG Tasty Or Toxic?

 "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" 

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups and processed meats. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that's "generally recognized as safe," the use of MSG remains controversial. For this reason, when MSG is added to food, the FDA requires that it be listed on the label.  

MSG is ubiquitous in processed foods, such as soups, luncheon meats, meat tenderizers, seasoning salt, snack foods, salad dressings, fast foods and frozen dinners. It is estimated that as much as 500 million pounds of MSG are added to the world food supply each year.

Now a report focuses on how monosodium glutamate may be just one of the causes of the Slow Poisoning.

In fact, MSG (which is often disguised by names like "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" or "HVP", "yeast extract" or "autolyzed proteins") is, like aspartame, a member of the group of chemicals known as "excitotoxins" (the clue is in the name!).  These toxic compounds are known to interfere with brain chemistry and have been implicated in many neurological diseases, such as brain cancers, MS, fibromyalgia, depression and hyperactivity (ADHD). In fact, they overexcite brain cells to the point of cell damage and even cell death. 

MSG has also been linked to obesity and, indeed, many products that contain MSG now also contain horrific chemicals like "high fructose corn syrup" (whose purpose is to make you chemically addicted to the food in the same way as sugar).   

Monosodium glutamate is the sodium salt of the amino acid glutamate, and is a commonly used flavor enhancer, regarded by the FDA as "generally safe", meaning that food manufacturers can use as much of it as they like.  It has been around for many years, and is found not only in take away meals from Chinese restaurants, but many other food sources, in which it is listed as either "monosodium glutamate", "MSG" or "hydrolyzed vegetable protein".

In a recent book on the subject, Dr Russell Blaylock reported that MSG also causes severe disturbances in the endocrine system, affecting levels of hormones such as LH (Leutenising hormone), GH (growth hormone) and prolactin. (Excitotoxins by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 263) 

Another recent work stated that "The stress-induced abnormalities in blood-brain barrier permeability suggest differing MSG effects dependent on existing states of relaxation or stresses. The suggestive evidence for MSG-induced neuroendocrine effects is substantial, coupled with the observation of increased obesity in children." ( In Bad Taste by George R Schwartz MD, page 39)

What are the symptoms of sensitivity?

There is no doubt that some people have a sensitivity to monosodium glutamate, and will experience any or all of the following symptoms when they consume it:

Headache, Weakness, Heart palpitations, Flushing, Extreme thirst, Anxiety, Nausea and Numbness.  Those with asthma seem to be particularly susceptible to MSG sensitivity.

One rule of thumb is that, if the packaged food comes with a "flavor packet" it probably contains MSG. Also, most frozen dinners and entrees contain monosodium glutamate in some form, usually as hydrolyzed protein or autolyzed yeast.   In short, MSG is a leading cause of obesity and may well be implicated in many other conditions. It should be avoided at all costs, just like its chemical relatives.  

Eat and be healthy with my warmest regards.

Type of Wheat Flour

A stroll down the bakers shop aisle reminds me that there are more than a few kinds of flour to choose from. 

I keep wondering which type is best for the kind of baking,  from my understanding,  flour is made up of carbohydrates (or starch), proteins, and in the case of whole-wheat flour, a bit of fat.  Of these three nutrients, protein matters most to the baker. The proteins in wheat are called gluten-forming proteins, and the quantity and quality of these proteins determines how a flour will perform in the kitchen.   A high percentage of protein means a harder (stronger) flour best suited to chewy, crusty breads and other yeast-risen products. Less protein means a softer flour, best for tender and chemically leavened baked goods, like pie crusts, cakes, cookies, and biscuits.  High protein flour or plain strong flour is also known as bread flour. This flour has a high gluten content and is most suitable for bread-making.     

Types of Flour:

There are many different types of flour made for different purposes. The quality and best use of the
flour depends on the wheat and the blending processes used to make it. The intended use of various
types of flour is usually stated on the packaging in which you buy the flour.
White baker’s flour (bread):
This is a general purpose baker’s flour, milled from bread wheat to give medium dough strength. White
flour contains only the inner portion of the wheat grain called the endosperm.
Use: bread, buns, bread rolls, pastry products.
Wholemeal flour:
Wholemeal flour contains all parts of the wheat grain including the outer layers of bran and germ.
When using wholemeal flour more water may need to be added to the recipe as the bran absorbs
more water than the white part of the grain.
Use: bread, buns, rolls, shortbread, cakes, biscuits.     
Flour for pastry:
For puff pastry, flour should have a high protein content. This is important because it is the absorption of water by gluten that gives the “puff”. It is also very important that the flour be very white and free of any bran particles if the pastry is to be stored or sold before being baked.
Use: Particularly suitable for making pastry and pasta. You can use the same type of flour that you
would use for making bread.   
Flour for biscuits and cakes: The ideal flour for making most cakes and biscuits has a lower protein content than bread making flour, and is milled from soft wheat varieties.
For commercial biscuits, it is very important to achieve consistent size and thickness for packaging.
Flour quality is largely responsible for these attributes. Strong flour is undesirable in biscuits; a flour with less strength will spread more in the oven, and will make more tender, shorter biscuits.
Use: soft biscuits, and baked products requiring a very weak, soft flour.