I bought some appetizing looking shrimp ceviche the other day,  brought it home for dinner and I will admit it was delicious.  Both my husband and I ate it.  Now, my husband has no issues with food – no allergies or intolerances of any kind.  However, I woke up in the middle of the night with a brutal migraine headache.

I should have known better considering the fact that I am lactose, gluten, and msg intolerant so I have to watch what I eat as I suspect many of us should do.  In fact I bet there are probably many many people out there who walk around with aches and pains, stomach aches, indigestion, headaches, constipation, lethargy, depression, I could go on and on, and cannot figure out why they are not feeling better.  I would assume most of these people have allergies and issues with some of the foods they are eating and most probably are completely unaware of  those problems.

Because I am so interested how food affects us, I listed all the ingredients on the label and googled them.  What I found should wake us all up.  In addition to the shrimp, lime, salt and pepper, the following ingredients were listed on the label:

Natural flavors – which is an alias for MSG.   Generally a combination of gases and/or chemicals which are used to enhance the flavoring of a food to make it more palatable.

Sodium benzoate – used as a preservative, an antiseptic, and in the dye industry.

Sodium sulfite – chemical used as a preservative especially in dried fruits and wines.  Also used in the dye and oil industries.  This is a high allergen which in many people can cause headaches.

Sodium metabisulfite – a chemical preservative some of whose side effects include developmental/reproductive toxicity, some cancers, inability of organs to metabolize it so it builds up in your body, lung irritant, strong allergen.

Corn syrup – used as a preservative in many foods and can lead to gastrointestinal disorders, body cannot metabolize it so it turns into fat.   High fructose corn syrup has been banned in many European countries because of its dangers to your system.  It is generally made from genetically modified corn.

Potassium sorbate – a salt used to increase and preserve shelf life.  Also used to prevent mold and microbes.

Sodium erythorbate – a food additive used to stabilize color and to improve flavor stability.

This is just to give you an idea of what is in some of the foods we are ingesting and some of the deleterious effects they could have on our continuing health.  Keep in mind these chemicals and/or gases are not metabolized in our system, which means they build up over a period of time and can affect all of our major organs.  This could be one of the reasons why 75% of Americans will have one or more degenerative diseases by the time they reach the age of 65.

Let’s stop the slow build up of these chemicals, poisons, and toxins in our systems and make the choice to live a healthier life style.

When I went to grade school – longer ago than I like to admit – we always talked about “the 3 R’s”.  They were “reading, riting, and rithmetic” to take poetic license.

However in today’s climate, I believe we need to add another “R” to that mix.  And that would be RESPONSIBILITY.  It’s a word as well as a meaning that has seemed to elude many people today especially as regards behavior, conduct, and performance.  Too many people seem to seize the quick fix type of solution to their problems without even realizing the end results of their actions.  

Since the focus in my speeches and in the way I live my life is on taking that responsibility, I identify with those who view life in a similar manner and who also inspire me.  These would be people who have chosen that accountability is a primary virtue in the way they live their life.   Let’s take that a little further and focus on those who have taken the responsibility for their health and well being.

One of the people who comes to mind immediately is Mike Huckabee, the former governor of the State of Arkansas.  Governor Huckabee realized that at age 42, he not only had diabetes but was also overweight to the tune of over 100 pounds.  After his doctor told him he may very well be living the last decade of his life, he knew he had to take some very immediate action. 

So how does the average person react when facing these types of situations?  Do they take the attitude that they’ll start “tomorrow” or maybe check out weight altering surgery, or perhaps buy one of those diet plans where your daily eating regimen is replaced by “food” that you buy on a weekly basis.  Those diet plans are completely inconsistent with continuing good health and as far as that surgery, well, I’m not so sure the statistics are completely in on the successes and/or failures of such options in terms of both short term and long term reviews.

So what did Mr. Huckabee do?  Well you guessed it - he chose the high road – he took that responsibility.  He realized that if he started a walking program and added more nutritious food to his daily regimen, he could achieve some amazing results!  And look what happened; he lost that excess weight and the diabetes disappeared!    No short cut irresponsible solutions for him.  I would imagine Mr. Huckabee is rather proud of what he did since he resolutely chose prevention rather than intervention.  Raise the flag and sound the drums for Governor Huckabee (as well as that electric guitar)!

Weight issues have long since ceased to become just a matter of vanity.   We seem to have misplaced the idea that overweight, obesity, and inactivity are our personal responsibility.  They are markers for serious illness and premature death.  Medical science now realizes that the 65% of overweight and obese people in this country will have increasing health and illness problems with each passing year, if they do not have them already.  That extra fat not only increases the incidence of the insidious diseases that currently plague Americans, but that fat also prevents absorption and utilization of the valuable vitamins and minerals we gain from our food and daily supplements. 

If you want to control your health, and continue with healthiness as the years go by, and you want that enthusiasm and energy in your life on a daily basis, and how about that weight loss - then taking the responsibility to do just that becomes of paramount importance.  So to people like Mike Huckabee, I say, you are an inspiration not only to me but to thousands of others as well. 

So because he pulled out all the stops and did what he had to do – in other words acted with responsibility rather than engaging in a quick fix to control his health - and his future wellbeing - Mike Huckabee moves to the top of the list as one of my favorite people!

MSG and its Aliases

Generally speaking I always associate an alias with criminal type of behavior - someone trying to use another name so they will not be caught.   In law abiding society, using an alias would be generally considered immoral, illegal, or just plain wrong.   So when you consider that in some or maybe in a great deal of the foods you eat there are ingredients that hide under another name – a name that could hurt you – how do you feel about that?

Let’s take a look at an ingredient or food additive that definitely hides under many other monickers.  MSG is one of the most powerful and dangerous chemicals your body can ingest.  It is considered so lethal that many many countries have actually banned the use of it.  Not only have we not done the same, but we have consistently allowed the addition of it to our foods and even worse, we have allowed it to hide under various aliases.

One of the problems with ingesting MSG is that you may not even be aware that your body is highly sensitive to this insidious substance.  After eating foods containing MSG, you may suffer headaches, aches and pains, heart palpitations, diarrhea, upset stomach, mood swings, flushing, partial paralysis, mouth lesions, chronic post nasal drip……these symptoms are just to name a very few.  I have seen as many as thirty five different symptoms.  And the worst part is that these symptoms may not even show up right away after eating something containing MSG.  They could hit you up to three days after.  So making the connection between feeling less than well and MSG poisoning becomes very tentative.

Make no mistake about it – MSG IS A POISON.  It is what is known as an excitotoxin – it agitates you, it speeds up your nervous system.  Many childhood issues such as all the ADD related disorders could be attributable to this dangerous toxin.  It alters your brain’s perception of the foods you are eating.  It makes them tastier, more appetizing, and you want to eat more of the same.  That’s precisely why food manufacturers and restaurants use it on a consistent basis.  It should be avoided at all costs because look at the cost to your body. 

By the way, if you look at labels, you will see it is everywhere from soups to gravies, to salad dressings to ketchups and barbeque sauces - to probably every processed food and in crackers, baked goods, and sodas.  In other words almost every food that is contained in the standard American diet (SAD).

Some of the names it masquerades under are the following: 

Accent

Autolyzed yeast

Bouillon

Barley Malt

Broth

Sodium Caseinate

Flavorings

Natural Flavorings

Natural Beef Flavoring

Natural Pork Flavoring

Natural Chicken Flavoring

Natural Seasonings

Glutavene

Glutacyl

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)

Hydrolyzed Milk Protein

Hydolyzed Plant Protein

Textured Protein

Whey Protein

Monopotassium Glutamate (glutamate is the harmful component of MSG)

Magnesium Diglutmate

So, unless you are sticking to fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, fish, poultry, lean meats, and grains, the possibility that your not feeling up to par could be attributable to the fact that you are poisoning your body.   This is your health we are talking about here and ingesting MSG has been said to be "the slow poisoning of America".  So remember to read those labels and avoid all those foods and drinks that contain that toxic substance known among other things as MSG.

Do You Have An MSG Allergy?

Are you on the back side of feeling well sometimes after that wonderful meal you just thoroughly enjoyed?  Sometimes do painful aches seem to overtake your body for no apparent reason?   Has on occasion, your thinking become somewhat fuzzy?  If you have experienced some or all of the above issues, perhaps you, like so many others are experiencing the menacing consequences of consuming food containing MSG.

Just what is MSG?  It is a flavor enhancer made from either seaweed or soybeans. It produces a chemical reaction in your brain which can cause an addiction to some of the foods you eat, and there are those scientists who claim that it is actually a poisonous product for your system.  Incidentally it does contain large amounts of gluten, so for those of you who do know that you are gluten intolerant, you must stay far, far away from any food containing MSG.

But herein lies the problem. Just what foods do contain MSG?  Well, that’s not so easy to define. The prevailing opinion about this dangerous product was that it could only be found in Chinese food. Not so anymore. Because of its ability to act on your brain and thus, largely enhance the flavors in foods, most manufacturers use it to some extent. It can be found in almost all manufactured food products – processed foods, processed meats, cereals, canned soups, baked goods, drinks, candy, chewing gum – in other words almost everything we eat. That’s why the program I exist on – largely fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, fish, beans, olive oils – is so healthy. It contains no MSG.

Incidentally, there have been over 115 papers written to date by scientists all over the world claiming there is a correlation between the usage of MSG and the obesity problem that is so persistent! There is some food for thought!

MSG advocates who claim that there is nothing wrong with the use of this product must be asked one question. If it is so unhealthy for you, why does it masquerade under some 40 different names? Names like e.g., hydrolyzed vegetable protein, beef extract, textured protein, yeast nutrient, hydrolyzed corn gluten, etc.  When reading labels, often if you cannot pronounce the item or you don’t know what it is, chances are it may be just another hidden term for MSG, and must be put back on the shelf.

I have always been in awe of the amazing knowledge and wisdom that has come down through the ages from such brilliant people as Hippocrates and the likes of him. After all Hippocrates was born in 450 BC and like other intellects, also born thousands of years ago, obviously did not have the access to that wealth of information we now have on the internet or the vast library of books that even intellects had a little earlier in recent history to facilitate their research.

Nonetheless, Hippocrates without benefit of additional knowledge, was able to put forth the information as quoted above. A lot of his theories on healthy living have been corroborated by recent studies regarding the benefits of exercise. Some medical researchers have now listed exercise as the number one factor in continuing good health even before the foods we eat!  And here we are now trying to keep health costs down, and exercise presents us with a no cost panacea to a lot of the ill health we suffer from.  It is almost criminal not to take advantage of this help on a daily basis.

For instance research shows that people with various stages of depression show marked improvement when maintaining a consistent plan of exercise such as walking. Further studies show that exercise affords many more benefits such as the few that I will mention here.

How about helping with weight loss, improving the oxygen flow to our bodies, a drug-free approach to helping lower blood pressure, helps boost your good cholesterol and lower your bad cholesterol, strengthens your heart and lungs, and promotes better sleep to name just a few benefits of this inexpensive, easy to do approach to better health.

Exercise increases the body’s amount of enzymes that repair your cells; this directly affects how cells age.   Not only does working out encourage the growth of new brain cells, but it helps to pump toxins out of the body.

So vital is exercise that if only 10% of Americans started a walking program, we would save over $9 billion yearly in only heart related health care costs!