Causes Of Headache
MSG- The Most Suspected Trigger Of Migraines
What is Monosodium Glutamate? MSG is a neurotoxin, a
toxic substance used to fool the brain into telling your tastes buds
that the food you’re eating tastes better than it really does. Known as
a flavor enhancement agent, the end result is that the food industry can
use substandard ingredients and then kick up the taste a notch by adding
MSG.
Okay, so MSG is another way that big
business sticks it to the man. But how that does affect migraines?
Frankly, no study has yet been conducted that certifiably links MSG to
migraine development. However, several studies have been done linking
certain foods to migraines and many foods that have been linked in a
number of those studies have something in common: MSG consistently shows
up studies validating direct-acting vasoactive substances as causing
diet-related migraine headaches. Further adding fuel to the fire is
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. Chinese Restaurant Syndrome is a collection
of symptoms that people experience within thirty minutes after eating at
Chinese restaurants. Among these symptoms is migraines. What has this do
with MSG? Chinese food is notorious for containing high levels of MSG
and, in fact, it is theorized that the MSG content is the reason for
people feeling hungry so quickly after finishing their meal at a Chinese
restaurant.
The problem with MSG and migraines is that MSG is
often hidden and is sometimes labeled under other names. Food processing
companies are allowed to use different names for MSG so that those who
know to avoid it often face an uphill battle when attempting to control
their intake by reading labels.
When you see these products on a
food label, you can be sure that it always contains MSG:
Monosodium
Glutamate (MSG)
Autolyzed Yeast, Yeast Extract
Gelatin
Glutamic
Acid
Hydrolyzed Protein: (plant, vegetable, any kind)
Monopotassium
Glutamate
Sodium or Calcium Caseinate
Textured Protein
Yeast
Food, Yeast Nutrient
When you see the following on a food label,
it means they often contain MSG or create MSG during the processing:
Natural
flavor, flavoring, flavors (The Food & Drug Administration of the United
States has defined all MSG as naturally-occurring, but natural and safe
do not necessarily always go hand in hand)
Bouillon or Stock
Broth
(chicken, beef, any kind)
Carrageenan
Malt Extract or
Flavoring, Malted Barley
Maltodextrin
Soy sauce, soy
protein isolate, soy protein concentrate.
Whey protein, whey
protein concentrate, whey protein isolate.
anything Protein
fortified
Obviously, the first step in controlling the effects of
MSG on your migraines is to begin limiting your intake of MSG. Except
that you can’t make that the first step because your first step has to
be educating yourself about what kinds of food products this hidden MSG
shows up in. You know that Chinese food is loaded with MSG, but did you
know that sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade are also loaded
with MSG? How about certain candies and gum? Those last two are
especially difficult to study because their labels are usually written
so minutely that even if you know what the words mean it’s difficult to
read them correctly.
Here are a few simple rules that can
generally be followed, though to be sure it’s always best to read the
label carefully and educate yourself thoroughly.
Fresh fruits and
veggies, steaks and roasts are usually safe to eat provided you’ve
carefully cleansed or prepared them. Breads items and baked items often
consist of autolyzed yeast, yeast extract, or some other covert MSG.
When it come to migraines, MSG and bakeries the old saying caveat emptor
applies; the buy should definitely beware. Bakery items filled with
fruit normally contain MSG. Canned tunafish and salmon, etc. almost
always contain MSG in some form. Lunchmeats are usually unsafe since
nearly all deli meat contains MSG. Bacon and ham are nearly always going
to be spiced up. Most salad dressings have MSG, though the gourmet
brands typically are safe. Almost all canned or frozen soups have MSG.
An
MSG-free diet is possible, but difficult. It takes work, but if your
migraines are triggered by is, it’s work well worth it.