Good Lifestyle

It's not exactly the news thatMsg, or monosodium glutamate, has a bad rap. Often fixed as the guilty of side effects not so beautiful, such as headaches and nausea, the additive that is said to fundamentally increase your desire to continue eating is so demonized that some restaurants are even "no message" on their windows and menus. But is the ingredientActually As bad as people think it's?

We asked a nutritionist to explain what exactly MSG, why is so controversial and if there is a science to confirm its adverse effects. We settle the debate "msg" is bad for you.

What is MSG?

"According to the FDA, MSG is a derivative of amino acid glutamate, also called glutamic acid," explains Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN, a registered dietary nutritionist based on Brooklyn and founder ofNutrition Maya Feller. Our bodies produce glutamate, which occurs naturally in foods like tomatoes and some cheeses. "The MSG additive is made via the fermentation of starches," she says.

MSG works as a flavor coach who helps bring out the tasty taste, umami of foods such as mushrooms, cooked beef and miso. From a chemical perspective, the glutamate which is produced in an endogenous way (meaning, by the body), the natural glutamate present in the food and glutamate manufactured by fermentation to create the additives msg are not different from each other, declares that Feller. The body metabolizes each glutamate source in the same way.

So why is MSG so controversial?

There are some reasons. It started in 1968 when a piece of designated symptoms is associated with the MSG "Chinese restaurant syndrome". The theory stems from the belief that Chinese-American restaurants have generally added MSG to their food and the American guests have often reported unpleasant symptoms after consuming Chinese food. A year later, aStudy 1969 Adding fuel to controversy When it found that mice injected with large doses of MSG ended with brain damage, obesity and women's sterility. However, the megadoses administered in the study contained much more MSG than any human could ingest. Also note: "Animal studies can not prove causality", reminds Feller.

Nevertheless, the MSG debates have not stopped there. "In the 1990s, the FDA had an independent scientific group to examine the safety of the MSG," said Feller. "The group found only for people sensitive to MSGs, as well as for those who have consumed more than three grams of MSG on an empty stomach, side effects such as palpitations, headaches, rinsing, tingling and numbness can produce. "

The catch? We are not all sensitive MSGs and a typical MSG portion in the food is only about 5 grams. As a result, moderate consumption of the food additive is not considered associated with long-term health risks, and the substance continues to be classified by FDA as fats, or generally recognized as safe.

What foods contain msg?

Real discussion: Chinese-American food is unfairly targeted as the main source of MSG in our diet. In reality, tons of food actually contain the improvement of the flavor. Love the Tang Savory-Salé de Doritos? You can thank MSG for that. Pringles also contains the additive. And although manufacturers are required to report if they use MSGs in their ingredient bridges, restaurants are not. In reality,many great chefs Are huge supporters of MSG, which they credited for the height of the flavor of Umami dishes.

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Should I avoid msg?

If you suspect that you are sensitive to the MSG-, you meet regularly side effects such as headaches or dizziness after eating foods containing the ingredient - by all means, turn off. If you simply avoid MSG because it was tried "bad", there is no real reason to prohibit your diet. Simply remember: MSG tends to be added to the foods we should be limiting anyway, such as greasey take-out, food for heavy restaurants and packaged transformed snacks. Found your consumption of these foods and your contribution of MSG will also decrease. Your health (and potentially these headaches) will thank you.