MSG and Weight Gain.

First let's look at common foods which often contain MSG:

Crisps
Meat products e.g sausages, chicken wings
Sauces e.g soy sauce
Canned foods with sauces
Seasoned foods
Instant noodles
Salty snack foods
Frozen Dinners
Salad Dressings
Fast Food

While we look at fast food, here is a a list of KFC foods which contain MSG:

Roasted Ceasar Salad (WITHOUT dressing and croutons)
Crispy Ceasar Salad (WITHOUT dressing)
Roasted BLT Salad (WITHOUT dressing)
Crispy BLT Salad (WITHOUT dressing
Hidden Valley - The Original Fat Free Ranch Dressing
KFC Creamy Parmesan Ceasar Dressing - contains parmesan cheese - very high in MSG naturally
KFC Garlic Parmesan Croutons Pouch - contains parmesan cheese - very high in MSG naturally
KFC Famous Bowls - Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Gravy
KFC Famous Bowls - Rice with Gravy
Rice
Seasoned Rice
KFC Snacker - Chicken
KFC Snacker - Honey BBQ
Honey BBQ Sandwich
Double Crunch Sandwich
Crispy Twister
Oven Roasted Twister
Oven Roasted Twister (WITHOUT sauce)
Tender Roast Sandwich
Tender Roast Sandwich(WITHOUT sauce)
Original Recipe Chicken  (its in the marinade - it's literally soaked in MSG and salt)
Extra Crispy - MSG is in both the marinade AND the breading
Colonel's Crispy Strips
Popcorn Chicken
Chicken Pot Pie
Boneless HBBQ Wings
Boneless Fiery Buffalo Wings
Sweet and Spicy Boneless Wings
Hot Wings
Green Beans (yeah, this shocked us too)
Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Potato Wedges

Needless to say that McDonalds and Burger King have similar lists.

The Obesity Link

MSG was first designed, or so the story goes, to give to hospital patients and the elderly as a way to stimulate the appetite to increase weight and promote health by increasing nutrient intake http://www.ajcn.org/content/90/3/844S.full.

However, when it comes to KFC big buckets....it makes you wonder why this would be a useful addition for the consumer?  To want to eat, and eat and eat...?

Our diets in the west are already full of foods which make us put on weight very quickly e.g. high fructose syrup and added refined sugars.  They are also loaded with trans and hydrogenated fats which stagnate the body's tissues and create deposits in our arteries.  So, why do the companies which use this additive want us to eat insatiable amounts of these degrading foods?  Money-making is a scary truth when it comes to additives. 

It starts to make sense why childhood obesity is growing when so many foods have hidden MSG which is increasing their appetite for more of the same devitalised foods. 

“McDonalds is stealing our children” (Banksy).

Label checking is so important and remember that MSG can be labelled as:

Autolyzed Plant Protein
Autolyzed Yeast
Calcium Caseinate
Carrageenan
Gelatin
Glutamate
Glutamic Acid
Hydrolyzed Anything or Anything Hydrolyzed
Maltodextrin
Monopotassium glutamate
MSG
Monosodium glutamate
Senomyx
Sodium Caseinate
Textured Protein
Vegetable Protein Extract
Yeast Extract
Yeast food or nutrient

Good luck hunting through your labels, remember that making food from scratch with natural ingredients is your best bet :)

Josie



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