MSG or monosodium glutamate is a food additive and it may cause some of your Fibromyalgia Symptoms, e.g. headaches! When it comes to living as healthy as possible, most of us are aware that a food additive can seem subtle and innocuous, but it can be anything but, instead causing huge problems. The key is so to eliminate MSG completely from your diet!

You can find the “why” information more readily all over now; it’s quite abundant. MSG is simply not good for you and, for a lot of people, causes untoward symptoms… like Fibromyalgia symptoms, headaches and more. The “how” to eliminate it from your diet will take some further detective work.

Start by reading the blog at The Home Economist. The author has written a valuable post on this topic. It included some fantastic information about how MSG causes headaches.

But… don’t stop there. Read her comments, too. (Or- see the best link I found below.)

One person refers the reader to a comprehensive website about MSG and the forms it can take in food. Who knew this food additive was so pervasive?

Also, you can search the Health Matters Show blog right here for more posts on MSG. There are 6! (Find the “search this blog” box in the middle column and input your term, MSG.)

Either way, happy investigating this topic and finding the important information that you need about (1) MSG and (2) how to circumvent your Fibromyalgia symptoms.

Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show

Whether you have Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or some other chronic illness, when you and I make a habit of eating well, we promote our good health and stave off the possibility of furthering chronic illness symptoms. Now not all illnesses are obviously influenced by diet, but surprisingly, I don’t know of a one that isn’t greatly affected by the foods, liquids, vitamins, herbs, minerals, chemicals and toxic substances that we ingest. OUCH! That hit home!

Well, you say, I don’t put anything harmful in my body? Well, maybe not, but take a moment to answer two simple questions:

• Do You… eat microwaved food that was covered by a plastic wrap during cooking? (If you do, could you be ingesting some nasty carcinogens that are released into your food from heated/ microwaved plastic wrap?

  Here are 2 references: one from a public website, Mindfully.org, and the other from the plastics industry. You decide which information to follow. Maybe your body will tell you louder than your mind. The FDA says we’re “basically safe” as long as you follow every one of their guidelines and we all know how the FDA really has a handle these days on what is and isn’t good for us! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the jab. We depend on the FDA and they really do need to do a better job. Plus, getting this right might require that you check out their reams of research every time you get ready to cook something- in plastic- in the microwave. To me the whole situation feels safer not to heat with with plastic wraps of any kind. I do use glass dishes with complete security- like the Corningware brand and, as far I know, they are excellent.)

• Do You… eat or drink food products containing MSG (monosodium glutamate) or Aspartame?
  

  Okay, if you’re not a label reader, you’re in for a shocker. MSG is in almost every packaged product on the market today! If I listed all the references about the dangers of consuming MSG, this article would have so many links, you couldn’t read them all. The take-away tip here is that you have to read labels. According to many scientists, both MSG and Aspartame are considered excitotoxins (or brain chemicals). MSG is put in foods to make it “taste” better. Have you seen all the soup commercials now featuring the fact that commercial food processors are taking MSG out of their soups? The ones that don’t include MSG are using it as a marketing tooll!

  And certainly Aspartame (Nutrasweet) proliferates in our food supply. Had a diet drink this week? There are only a very few diet soft drink companies that sweeten their product without Aspartame. Read labels. You’ll find some with Splenda or Sucralose. And, then you need to decide if you want to put those sweetener compounds into your body.

The truth is we could consider an endless supply of this type of question, if we put our noggins together and were honest.

It’s not hard to commit such food sins because we’re human and we live in a modern society. We all can do better and certainly take advantage of the good science and good health techniques and information that we have available.

Exactly that kind of information is what I have in store for you tomorrow on the Health Matters Show 3 pm EST podcast. I’m featuring Mary Moeller again with the conclusion of the interview that she and I did recently. Now, I learned a lot from Mary. She’s good! She talked about how to get well from Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and what we should and should not put in our bodies. No garbage allowed here!

I hope you take advantage of everything Mary Moeller shares with us by visiting the website tomorrow. Consider this my invitation to you! Feel free to pass on the word to your friends. It’s a good interview.

Then be prepared to pick up a copy of her new book, if you haven’t done so already, Fibromyalgia Cookbook: A Family Guide to Becoming Health Again (revised edition) by Mary Moeller.

Thanks, Cinda Crawford
Hope to see you tomorrow right here!