Pregnancy Nutrition is HARD! First there's all the numerous do's and don'ts about regular food, like don't eat undercooked meat or runny eggs.
Then there's the things that we question about whether they are safe in moderation, eg. caffeine and tuna fish.
Then there's a whole myriad of dangers that are not common knowledge and are covered up by the food industry as best they can because the knowledge about what really goes into the food on our grocery store shelves would cause mass uproar and send the major food manufacturers into a major downward spiral. But that's not to say the conspiracy is right. In allowing the present practices to continue the Food Agencies of this world are very certainly embedding a mass health pandemic of epic proportions into the future of our children.
MSG first hit the news a few years back when it was discovered that it was used in most takeaway foods - especially Chinese. There was a big panic and a lot of Chinese restaurants banned it from their food ingredients, but what none of us know (or very few of us) is that MSG can come under different guises of at least 40 different names that we would never suspect.
Not only this, but if it is combined with other ingredients, manufaturers are not legally required to list it as an ingredient on the label.
MSG is used to improve flavour in food and the tongue will recognise it as protein. Campbells Soup company were able oF cut the chicken content of their chicken soup by 50% on the introduction of MSG because it fooled the consumer into thinking there was more protein in it than there actually was!
MSG is in almost every pre-packaged and processed food you care to name, but by far the worst offender in the market is BABY FOOD!
Shocking yes, but all those things that list "natural flavours" and "spices" are really saying MSG.
What is MSG?
MSG comes from glutamic acid which is found in many natural foods like tomatoes, wheat, mushrooms, molasses and corn. It is even present in breastmilk and functions as a neurotransmitter. In this natural form it is known as L-glutamic acid. When broken down by our normal digestive process it is harmless but in a factory the glutamic acid is made free by various processes which you will recognise - hydrolysed, autolysed, modified or fermented by harsh chemicals, bacteria or enzymes.
These processes then produce a white crystallised substance which looks similar to sugar - MSG. MSG is then used as a component of food additives such as hydrolysed protein, whey protein, yeast extract, natural flavouring, spice extract, natural spices..... the list goes on.
Because it is used as a component, the Food Agencies don't require it to be listed as MSG.
What Does It Do To Us?
MSG is an excitatory neurotransmitter that destroys synapses and nerve cells in the brain and body. It runs around the body telling all of our nerve cells to FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!!! But what happens when they get overstimulated and fire all the time? They die.
The hypothalamus uses glutamate as a neurotransmitter and is also responsible for controlling fear, rage, hunger and cold. When hypothalamus cells die as a result of overstimulation by glutamate it results in things like ADD, ADHD, obesity and seizures.
Dr. Liane Reif-Lehrer, Harvard Medical School, has done extensive research on this, including trials on removing MSG from the diets of children with seizures and convulsions which resulted in a complete and full cure of the affectation.
MSG during Pregnancy
It is a common belief that the placenta is able to protect or at least partially shield the developping foetus from toxins such as MSG but in fact the opposite occurs. The placenta in primates (including humans) maintains amino acids in significantly HIGHER concentrations than found in the maternal circulation. The ratio is in fact is even greater than 2:1!
This means your baby is getting double the amount of neurotoxins that you are getting.Now considering the very delicate balance of the developping nervous system, that spells BAD NEWS.
Symptoms of MSG Toxicity
One of the problems with MSG toxicity is that the symptoms can easily be disregarded as something else. Common symptoms include:
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
Colitis
Constipation/diahorrhea
Asthma
Hormonal symptoms like irritability, mood swings, temper, rage and hostility
Restless Leg Syndrome
Ulcers and sores in the mouth
Sleep disorders
Memory loss
Migraine
Chronic cough
The list goes on...
So what can we do to protect our little ones from this horrible neurotoxin?
Avoid ALL pre-packaged, processed food and diligently check the labels of everything you put on the table or in your mouth.
Where possible cook everything from scratch using organic whole ingredients
Speak to your childrens school abou their menu and what they can and can't have from the menu
Check the list below for common names: Hidden Names for MSG
The following substances contain the highest percentage of factory created free glutamate, with MSG containing 78%: MSG Gelatin Calcium Caseinate Monosodium glutamate Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) Textured Protein Monopotassium glutamate Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP) Yeast Extract Glutamate Autolyzed Plant Protein Yeast food or nutrient Glutamic Acid Sodium Caseinate Autolyzed Yeast Vegetable Protein Extract Senomyx (wheat extract labeled as artificial flavor)
The following substances contain some factory created free glutamate in varying amounts. Please note that some food labels list several of these items, which can add up to a considerable and dangerous amount in one product: Malted Barley (flavor, Natural Flavors, Flavors, Flavoring Modified food starch Barley, Rice syrup or brown rice syrup Malt Extract or Flavoring Natural Chicken, Beef, or Pork, Flavoring "Seasonings" (Most assume this means salt, pepper, or spices and herbs, which sometimes it is.)
European numbers for glutamate containing additives: 620 625 621 627 622 631 623 635 624
So what do you think? Are you shocked like I was?
Do you think manufacturers should be allowed to get away with this?
Author Resource:
Nisha is the UK's leading Pregnancy Fitness and Lifestyle Conditioning Coach. To grab your place on her 14 Day Free Pregnancy Fitness Coaching Program which guarantees to get you in the best shape of your adult life wilst pregnant, go to ==> http://www.the9monthclub.com/start
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Author Resource:-> Nisha is the UK's leading Pregnancy Fitness and Lifestyle Conditioning Coach. To grab your place on her 14 Day Free Pregnancy Fitness Coaching Program which guarantees to get you in the best shape of your adult life wilst pregnant, go to ==> http://www.the9monthclub.com/start