I could start a whole other blog about nutrition, food additives and the preservatives that damage our food, but talking about food just makes me hungry. Instead, I would like to occasionally incorporate the foods and additives that the FDA is being deceitful about into this blog. And while these thoughts should motivate you to become engaged in decisions about what you eat, it should more importantly alarm you that a government organization, like the FDA, can get away with essentially poisoning us.
About twenty years ago, there was a huge uproar over the additive monosodium glutamate, or MSG. This ‘flavor enhancer’ was seen in many foods from condiments to soups to crackers. It had actually been in many of our foods since the 1940’s, but no one really paid attention. Once credited as the ‘Chinese Restaraunt Syndrome’, due to the high sodium content of many chinese dishes, the effects of this additive that were included in so many food products were outed in the early 1990’s. Resulting symptoms from MSG consumption include migraine headaches, tingling in the arms, back and chest, rapid heartbeat, nausea, drowsiness, weakness and ‘a craving for the same foods (This one, most closely associated with Chinese food, seems to be the only advertised effect). Some people even experience asthmatic responses like difficulty breathing and neurological symptoms. Long term effects can include increased development of food allergies in children, hyperactivity and obesity.
That’s a long list, don’t you think?
However, this is all background information. You see, the FDA has restricted labeling techniques for producers and state that placing “no MSG added” or “No MSG” can be misleading, but somehow we still see these things on labels. Because of the high publicity regarding MSG, many manufacturers have used other alternatives to get around the poor market ability. Names such as yeast extracts, texturized protein, gelatin, anything “glutamate”, anything “hydrolyzed” and anything “enzyme modified” top the list of disguises for MSG. Take a look in your pantry. These things occur in eveything from potato chips and cookies to cream cheeses and even some milks (things that are ultra-pasturized also contain MSG).
You cannot just assume because it’s on the shelves of the grocery store that it’s safe. How many times has the FDA approved prescriptions and then had to pull them from the shelves because they were harmful (only to reintroduce the same drug with a different name or use) What about all the different names for aspratame that now saturate the market? It’s the same concept. The issue is that these names on the labels are misleading. Who would, at first glance, think that something with protein or enzymes is bad for you? Most people would think that you ‘need’ these things and think nothing of it. But we’re being duped.
Many of you will probably just move forward on the notion that there are plenty of other harmful substances out there and you plan to go on eating just as you had before, and that’s fine. But you should question why the FDA is allowing products such as these additives to be key ingredients in foods while knowing the harmful effects.
A complete list of MSG Aliases can be found at http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html
Sources:
http://www.resourcesforlife.com/docs/item1225 (This site is backed by the World Health Center & the Mayo Clinic)
http://www.carbohydrateaddicts.com/msg.html
http://www.rense.com/general67/msg.htm
The Perspicacious Conservative 
The FDA is infamous for scamming the public. They are an understaffed agency which crumbles under the pressure from large food and drug companies. The have no more idea of the ramifications of the drugs and foods they approve than the average person – in fact the average person is probably more educated.
The FDA requires only eight (8) weeks of testing of new drugs…..8 weeks! How ludicrous. People have developed more disease and more health issues as a result of using these so-called “curing ” drugs than if they had been left to their own devices. The FDA is also required to list any and all side effects of a drug – even if just one person has the side effect – but, how can companies knowingly manufacture drugs which they know will damage other organs of the body? How – GREED. The drug companies put their wonder drugs on the market, tout it as the best thing since water, take their money and RUN. When the patent expires on the old drug, they alter the chemical make-up of the drug, just a bit, and present it as a new”wonder drug”. Why? Money. For both the FDA and the drug companies. The FDA receives huge amounts of money from the drug companies to have a drug patented. The pharmaceutical companies make millions from new drugs.
So, if the FDA continues to allow carcinogenic additives in food, the drug companies can develop new drugs to supposedly “cure” the conditions which are caused by the additives in food and everyone makes money. And all of this is done at the expense of the health of our population.
So much for the watchdog FDA. Disgusting.
I dunno, that’s kind of a strong reaction. Super-high-sodium diets are not good for your health either way — but there are a lot of food allergies out there, some people get worse symptoms from eating peanut oil.