Just about everyone who visits Natural News knows that MSG should be avoided. But crafty food processing firms have found ways to disguise MSG's most active ingredient -- free glutamate. There are several ingredients and names used. And they all contain some free glutamate. Free glutamate is the active ingredient of mono-sodium glutamate, or MSG.
Loopholes and Deceptions
A loophole is provided by the legislated labeling laws. It's within a section that says if the free glutamate or glutamic acid is less than 78% of an additive, it doesn't have to be labeled MSG. So if you're getting a flavoring ingredient that's 75% glutamic acid, it can be labeled solely by whatever form in which it appears. Then the MSG term won't be on the label to push concerned consumers away.
Another deception is the food industry's claim that glutamate occurs naturally. It does very sparingly appear in plants bound with a protein or other molecules. Bound glutamates are benign, and they are not concentrated enough proportionately in foods to create much "excitement."
But synthetically produced glutamic acid is a glutamate that is free from other molecules. And whether it is 7.5% or 75% free glutamate it can avoid the MSG labeling while delivering high doses of glutamic acid or free glutamate in each bite of food spiked with whatever enhanced flavoring additives are named.
It's cheaper to use these chemical additives than more expensive oils and natural spices for enhancing food flavors. But it cheats by exciting the brain's cells into making you believe the flavor is in the food and not just in your head. So one buys and eats more cheap dead food while getting fatter with less nutrition, to say the least.
Some processed natural foods with additives containing free glutamates, such as yeast extracts, claim "no added MSG," which is technically accurate but very deceptive.
A restaurant owner who doesn't use MSG can pass on this deception because that owner doesn't know all the food industry tricks for the items he uses, sauces and dressings for example, that contain free glutamates disguised with different labels.
There are many MSG or glutamate disguises. Even "natural seasonings" is used. Click "List of food additives on labels that contain free glutamic acid or glutamates" link in the sources section below for many more.
Yeast Extract contains free glutamate
Yeast extract is a very common flavor enhancer that doesn't even appear to be a flavor enhancer. After all, yeast is food and it's used for baking, right? As a matter of fact, the name yeast extract is so food-like it is confidently marked on the labels of many "natural" processed foods, some of which are sold in health food stores.
Ingredients such as "yeast extract," or "autolyzed yeast," and "hydrolyzed yeast" all contain a percentage of free glutamates or glutamic acids. Here are some examples of foods with yeast extracts while saying no MSG. These are extracted from the Truth in Labeling (.org) website:
* McKay's Chicken Style Instant Broth and Seasoning
* Spice Boquet Adobo Seasoning
* Nightlife Foods Tofu Pups
* Simply Organic Spicy Chili
* Hain Pure Foods All Natural Chicken Broth and Vegetable Broth
* Blue Diamond Almond Toppers
* Farm House Parmesan Pasta (General Mills Sales, Inc.)
* Dominique's New England Clam Chowder
* Newman's Own Ranch Dressing
If you're not buying fresh produce or bulk foods, you need to read those labels closely. And take that list promoted by this article with you.
Sources used for this article:
List of all MSG disguises on food labels http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hidd...
Mike Adams Health Ranger on Yeast Extract foods http://www.naturalnews.com/001528.h...
More on foods containing Yeast Extract http://www.hissheep.org/health/how_...
More ABOUT Yeast Extract http://www.livestrong.com/article/3...
Expanded: Foods to avoid http://www.truthinlabeling.org/II.W...
Explaining food additive excitotoxins
http://www.naturalnews.com/026157_M...
Yeast Extract list used for this article http://www.truthinlabeling.org/nom
