Go Natural for Good Health

MSG, The Great Pretender

Monosodium Glutamate probably has more names to hide under than you have hats to wear. It was originally used in the East to enhance food flavors and was extracted from seaweeds.

In the 1960s, people began reacting to it with "tingling, numbness, brain fog, chest pressure and pain." 

In the 1970s, researchers found that the pharmaceutical substance would kill brain cells in the lab. (Maybe that's why some have brain fog and migraines).

Sugar, the Socially Acceptable Addictive Substance

Did you know there are about 48 different kinds of sugar? The food industry has found many ways to incorporate them into our food. That doesn't count the sugar alcohols I wrote about last week. Nor does it include maple sugar or syrup, honey, or blackstrap molasses.

The intent behind food processing executives is to get you addicted from the cradle to the grave. The better to cull your money, honey.

I was reluctant to touch this "sacred cow," because people will not find it a popular topic. However, if you really want to reclaim your health you need to learn about the calculated efforts to keep us buying more products. I think of Detective, Joe Friday, who said with a straight face, "Just the facts, ma'am." So, that's what I‘m going to give you.

So, what are they? They're carbohydrates concocted from certain substances by a chemical process. The end result chemically resembles both sugar and alcohol. That's how they got the name of sugar alcohol.

While investigating the types of substances being passed on to the public as "safe" and "good" for you, I've found so many alarming things that I feel I must warn you. We're on a roll with "artificial sweeteners," and all sweet substances that end in "ol" are considered sugar alcohols.

They're mostly considered sweeter than sugar with almost no calories. People who consume them thinking they will help them lose weight, often find they increase their weight. Since clever ads, do their best to convince people that these substances are all safe, many wonder what's wrong with them since their results don't live up to the "promises." Some experts believe sugar alcohols increase a craving for sweets.

After World War 2 people began to acquire a taste for something sweet. Sugar was the first sweetener to become popular. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was added in the 1950s. When it made its arrival, it quickly became a go-to in all kinds of foods and beverages. 

HFCS is made from corn starch. The chain of glucose molecules is broken down into single ones. The result is HFCS. (Can you recall pecan pies made with dark Karo syrup?)

Doctor Don Colbert, MD was one of the first to sound an alarm. In 2014. His concern was based on research studies done at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina. They found that some patients who had cirrhosis of the liver, especially non-drinkers with fatty liver disease were liberally consuming fructose in their foods.

Many people use artificial sweeteners assuming they will help them lose weight. However, the opposite is true for many. It increases appetite in animal research labs. What do you think that will do for you

The fact is that it messes with your body chemistry making you want to eat more food. That becomes a real problem for diabetics and others with blood sugar problems.

Here is one challenge: When Splenda is used in baking, it begins to break down and interact with an element in fat molecules called glycerol. This creates substances called chloropropanols. These may raise the risk of triggering cancer. Healthline.com "Sucralose (Splenda): Good or Bad?"

Your children may be in danger from consuming food dyes, but they and the adults who care for them are vulnerable where artificial sweeteners are concerned.

Saccharine was one of the first artificial sweeteners. It was made from coal tar. It had a bitter aftertaste which left people wanting something more pleasant for a sweetener.

Cyclamate came along but was later banned in 1970 because the Food and Drug Administration had suspicions that it might cause cancer. (Since then they have become much less stringent in banning food additives.)

Did you know that the state of California is considering banning some food dyes in school meals? The ones they are considering include blue 1 and 2, green 3, red 40, yellow 5 and ,6 and titanium dioxide. theguardian.com. 

What they are asking isn't unreasonable since some of the manufacturers no longer use them when they ship their products to certain European countries. Many there are much more ready to protect their food supply than the FDA has been for our nation.