One-quarter of what you eat keeps you alive. The other three-quarters keeps your doctor alive.
-Hieroglyph found in an ancient Egyptian tomb
Many factors can deplete magnesium in the body.  Consuming sugar, starchy foods, and the seasoning monosodium glutamate (MSG) will deplete your body of magnesium. MSG is an inexpensive, great-tasting brain toxin. Because it makes their products taste so good, food producers are eager to use MSG as a food additive. You may think that you are avoiding MSG if you avoid Chinese restaurants, but this flavor enhancer actually is in almost every bottle, bag, or can on your supermarket shelves.

MSG is a nervous system stimulant and intolerance to it is not just an allergic reaction, but a powerful drug reaction.  This reaction may mimic autoimmune disorders such as fibromyalgia and can occur anytime from ten minutes to 48 hours after eating an MSG-laced food. Even the FDA admits that MSG has been proven to induce asthma attacks in certain individuals because MSG causes a histamine response and the histamine increases cytokine production.

Cytokines cause many fibromyalgia symptoms. In the brain, cytokines can cause behavioral changes. They can either prompt or worsen depression, anxiety, or anorexia. They may cause a person to become withdrawn. Cytokines create fatigue and interfere with sleep patterns. They are one thing responsible for what has been termed “brain fog.”

Additionally, over 85% of people studied with Type I Diabetes have tested positive for antibodies to MSG. In other words, they are allergic to it.

Increased public awareness to the dangers posed by MSG has forced manufacturers to “hide” it on the label. MSG can legally be listed by more than 40 different names on a food label. Food labels can be misleading or even downright deceitful. The government
allows a label to claim “No Added MSG” or “No MSG”, but still have a high MSG content if the ingredients are naturally high in MSG.

Besides Monosodium glutamate and MSG, this additive may be listed as Monopotassium glutamate, Glutamate, Glutamic acid, Gelatin, Calcium caseinate, Textured protein, Hydrolyzed protein, Yeast food, Autolyzed yeast, Yeast extract, or Yeast nutrient.

Anything listed on the label as a type of “flavoring” or “natural flavoring” might contain MSG; so can any form of “bouillon.” The word “seasonings” can mean MSG has been added. Any ingredients that have any form of “soy,” “protein,” “enzymes,”  “Carrageenan,”  “pectin,” or  “Maltodextrin” in it may also have hidden MSG.  Foods that are ultra-pasteurized or fermented can also hide MSG. Unfortunately, the earlier a questionable ingredient appears on a label, the higher the likelihood that the food contains MSG.

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