I've been reading as much as I can here and I appreciate the sharing of information so much! I'm scared and I want to educate myself as much as possible before having this surgery.

I keep reading about the WLS diet consisting of broth and Ramen noodles and such. This seems to be a staple of the post surgery diet and most of these things contain MSG. Not all, you can find products that are free of additives. Trust me, there ARE healthier products out there. It may take some work to find them but they're out there. The less ingredients, the better! I'm not trying to preach or ruin your day by telling you that things you love are bad but I'm sure many people don't realize exactly what it is and what it does (like me a year ago) and I think some people would want to know so that they can make changes to avoid it. If you don't, please don't pay any attention to this post and please keep your negative comments to yourself. I'm just sharing....

I keep reading about Ramen noodles and trust me - I LOVE RAMEN NOODLES. However, these days I get extremely sick when I eat them. I learned why about a year ago. MSG. Be careful with MSG. There is a very good chance that it's the reason we are all overweight and we're all here. Everyone reacts to things differently but there is plenty of scientific evidence proving this stuff is dangerous. Scientists cannot find naturally obese rats so they inject MSG into rats at birth to make them obese. Crazy, huh? There is more about that in the link below.

MSG is in so many Soups and spice packets and powders. It's an excitotoxin. When you consume it, it does things to your brain that makes you want more more more and overeat. It's scientifically proven to cause obesity by messing with the pancreas and insulin and it's as addictive as nicotine so you overeat often and you crave the products that you've eaten that have MSG. Any chip with powder or cheese on it, most soups, etc.

I'm very sensitive to it and get a terrible headache and nausea when I eat it on accident (which is unbelievably easy to do).

food preparers are often unaware that they're even using MSG. Labels can be misleading. A label that says "No MSG added" doesn't necessarily mean that the food is free of MSG, it simply means that the manufacturer didn't put in additional MSG. MSG goes under many aliases, one of the most common being "hydrolyzed vegetable Protein," an additive used to increase the protein content of a wide variety of foods.

Manufacturers also hide MSG as part of "natural flavorings," because it is a natural product. But being natural is not the same as being harmless.

Below is a partial list of the most common names for disguised MSG. Remember also that the powerful excitotoxins aspartate and L-cysteine are frequently added to foods and, according to FDA rules, require no labeling at all.

Additives that always contain MSG

• Monosodium Glutamate
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
• Hydrolyzed Protein
• Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
• Plant Protein Extract
• Sodium Caseinate
• Calcium Caseinate
• Yeast Extract
• Textured Protein
• Autolyzed Yeast
• Hydrolyzed Oat Flour

Terms that frequently indicate hidden MSG additives

• Malt extract
• Bouillon
• Broth
• Stock
• Flavoring
• Natural Flavoring
• Natural Beef or chicken Flavoring
• Seasoning
• Spices

Additives that may contain MSG or excitotoxins

• Carrageenan
• Enzymes
• Soy Protein Concentrate
• Soy Protein Isolate
• whey Protein Concentrate
• Protease enzymes of various sources can release excitotoxin amino acids from food Proteins.

Reference

For more information, see:

Blaylock, Russell L., M.D. Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, Health Press, Santa Fe, NM 87504, 1994.

Schwartz, George R., M.D. and Schwartz, Kathleen A. In Bad Taste: The MSG Symptom Complex, Health Press, Santa Fe, NM 87504.

Thanks so much for this great info! We are slowly being poisoned by the food we eat. I do my best to eat all organic and natural. MSG is only one of MANY culprits in our foods. Hydrogenated oils (mono-diglycerides) is another; they have been renamed to mask them in our food because people are becoming aware of the dangers and no longer buying food that contain them.

Thanks so much for this great info! We are slowly being poisoned by the food we eat. I do my best to eat all organic and natural. MSG is only one of MANY culprits in our foods. Hydrogenated oils (mono-diglycerides) is another; they have been renamed to mask them in our food because people are becoming aware of the dangers and no longer buying food that contain them.

TOTALLY AGREE!! Even our milk is full of steriods that were given to the cows!! This is why our children go thru puberty sooner than years ago...

I've been reading as much as I can here and I appreciate the sharing of information so much! I'm scared and I want to educate myself as much as possible before having this surgery.

I keep reading about the WLS diet consisting of broth and Ramen noodles and such. This seems to be a staple of the post surgery diet and most of these things contain MSG. Not all, you can find products that are free of additives. Trust me, there ARE healthier products out there. It may take some work to find them but they're out there. The less ingredients, the better! I'm not trying to preach or ruin your day by telling you that things you love are bad but I'm sure many people don't realize exactly what it is and what it does (like me a year ago) and I think some people would want to know so that they can make changes to avoid it. If you don't, please don't pay any attention to this post and please keep your negative comments to yourself. I'm just sharing....

I keep reading about Ramen noodles and trust me - I LOVE RAMEN NOODLES. However, these days I get extremely sick when I eat them. I learned why about a year ago. MSG. Be careful with MSG. There is a very good chance that it's the reason we are all overweight and we're all here. Everyone reacts to things differently but there is plenty of scientific evidence proving this stuff is dangerous. Scientists cannot find naturally obese rats so they inject MSG into rats at birth to make them obese. Crazy, huh? There is more about that in the link below.

MSG is in so many soups and spice packets and powders. It's an excitotoxin. When you consume it, it does things to your brain that makes you want more more more and overeat. It's scientifically proven to cause obesity by messing with the pancreas and insulin and it's as addictive as nicotine so you overeat often and you crave the products that you've eaten that have MSG. Any chip with powder or cheese on it, most soups, etc.

I'm very sensitive to it and get a terrible headache and nausea when I eat it on accident (which is unbelievably easy to do).

http://www.rense.com/general52/msg.htm Check out this site for some really scary eye-opening information.

While some people can use MSG with no adverse effects, many others have severe reactions to it, some of them life-threatening. MSG has been linked to asthma, headaches, and heart irregularities. Behavioral and physical problems of children, such as incontinence and seizures, as well as attention deficit disorder (ADD), have been diagnosed and successfully treated as MSG disorders.

Those wishing to eliminate MSG from their diets are faced with an almost impossible task. food preparers are often unaware that they're even using MSG. Labels can be misleading. A label that says "No MSG added" doesn't necessarily mean that the food is free of MSG, it simply means that the manufacturer didn't put in additional MSG. MSG goes under many aliases, one of the most common being "hydrolyzed vegetable Protein," an additive used to increase the protein content of a wide variety of foods.

Manufacturers also hide MSG as part of "natural flavorings," because it is a natural product. But being natural is not the same as being harmless.

Below is a partial list of the most common names for disguised MSG. Remember also that the powerful excitotoxins aspartate and L-cysteine are frequently added to foods and, according to FDA rules, require no labeling at all.

Additives that always contain MSG

• Monosodium Glutamate
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
• Hydrolyzed Protein
• Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
• Plant Protein Extract
• Sodium Caseinate
• Calcium Caseinate
• Yeast Extract
• Textured Protein
• Autolyzed Yeast
• Hydrolyzed Oat Flour

Terms that frequently indicate hidden MSG additives

• Malt extract
• Bouillon
• Broth
• Stock
• Flavoring
• Natural Flavoring
• Natural Beef or chicken Flavoring
• Seasoning
• Spices

Additives that may contain MSG or excitotoxins

• Carrageenan
• Enzymes
• Soy Protein Concentrate
• Soy Protein Isolate
• Whey Protein Concentrate
• Protease enzymes of various sources can release excitotoxin amino acids from food Proteins.

Reference

For more information, see:

Blaylock, Russell L., M.D. Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, Health Press, Santa Fe, NM 87504, 1994.

Schwartz, George R., M.D. and Schwartz, Kathleen A. In Bad Taste: The MSG Symptom Complex, Health Press, Santa Fe, NM 87504.

I suffer from migraines a LOT - and although I can eat stuff with MSG in small quantities, I avoid it as much as possible. There are many soups/broths not that do NOT have MSG - I wouldn't have chosen Ramen Noodles anyway simply because the noodles would be a simple carb, wouldn't they??!!! The broth would be ok but like you said, you know it contains MSG!! Thanks for all the information....I too obsessively research this stuff.....I'm highly sensitive to tannins, and it seems that many things from tea to berries contain tannins. Ugh.....I'm trying to break a headache cycle right now, hopefully it will work. I hate this!! Thanks again!

Oh, that's why there are so many fat Chinese people, they use TONS of MSG.

Sorry, but I think this is bull. There is no REAL scientific evidence that MSG causes migraines or anything like that. Glutamates are natural ingredients in food, they are naturally in mushrooms, meats and anything considered "umami". They enhance flavor and yeah, if something tastes good, it makes you want to eat more. Maybe we should all eat things that taste like crap - that would probably be a safe way to stop people from overeating - but don't blame obesity on MSG because there is no scientific evidence of that. You post a link to rense.com - the article says "AUTHOR UNKNOWN" - yeah, that is a great, trustworthy source of information. Please go and check out http://www.rense.com and see for yourself if this is a web site that you want to rely on for information. Other things featured on this site are UFOs, ghosts, "Indoor air: America's Silent Killer" - What a joke! Rarely ever have I seen a LESS legit site than that!

Your list of "Additives that always contain MSG" is a joke, because those things don't CONTAIN MSG, but contain Glutamates or Glutamic Acid. It's not like anyone puts MSG in yeast extract or "Plant Protein Extract".

See also:

Yes. MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. It is found in virtually all food and, in abundance, in food that is high in protein, including meat, poultry, cheeses, and fish.

Hydrolyzed Proteins, used by the food industry to enhance flavor, are simply proteins that have been chemically broken apart into amino acids. The chemical breakdown of proteins may result in the formation of free glutamate that joins with free sodium to form MSG. In this case, the presence of MSG does not need to be disclosed on labeling. Labeling is required when MSG is added as a direct ingredient.

(from a legitimate USDA source: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/help/faqs_flavorings/index.asp#5)

Because human studies failed to confirm an involvement of MSG in "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" or other idiosyncratic intolerance, the JECFA allocated an "acceptable daily intake (ADI) not specified" to glutamic acid and its salts. No additional risk to infants was indicated.

(School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH, Surrey, UK: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10736380)

MSG per se is fine. It is a salt though and as such has the same indications as salt - don't eat too much of it - but not because it is MSG but because it is SALT.

DAMN, chick.... think you could maybe be just a wee bit more RUDE and obnoxious next time??

Oh, that's why there are so many fat Chinese people, they use TONS of MSG.

Sorry, but I think this is bull. There is no REAL scientific evidence that MSG causes migraines or anything like that. Glutamates are natural ingredients in food, they are naturally in mushrooms, meats and anything considered "umami". They enhance flavor and yeah, if something tastes good, it makes you want to eat more. Maybe we should all eat things that taste like crap - that would probably be a safe way to stop people from overeating - but don't blame obesity on MSG because there is no scientific evidence of that. You post a link to rense.com - the article says "AUTHOR UNKNOWN" - yeah, that is a great, trustworthy source of information. Please go and check out http://www.rense.com and see for yourself if this is a web site that you want to rely on for information. Other things featured on this site are UFOs, ghosts, "Indoor air: America's Silent Killer" - What a joke! Rarely ever have I seen a LESS legit site than that!

Your list of "Additives that always contain MSG" is a joke, because those things don't CONTAIN MSG, but contain Glutamates or Glutamic Acid. It's not like anyone puts MSG in yeast extract or "Plant Protein Extract".

See also:

Yes. MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. It is found in virtually all food and, in abundance, in food that is high in protein, including meat, poultry, cheeses, and fish.

Hydrolyzed Proteins, used by the food industry to enhance flavor, are simply proteins that have been chemically broken apart into amino acids. The chemical breakdown of proteins may result in the formation of free glutamate that joins with free sodium to form MSG. In this case, the presence of MSG does not need to be disclosed on labeling. Labeling is required when MSG is added as a direct ingredient.

(from a legitimate USDA source: http://www.fsis.usda...ngs/index.asp#5)

Because human studies failed to confirm an involvement of MSG in "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" or other idiosyncratic intolerance, the JECFA allocated an "acceptable daily intake (ADI) not specified" to glutamic acid and its salts. No additional risk to infants was indicated.

(School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH, Surrey, UK: http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/10736380)

MSG per se is fine. It is a salt though and as such has the same indications as salt - don't eat too much of it - but not because it is MSG but because it is SALT.

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've shared. You said everything I wanted to say much more eloquently than I could have typed it.

I'm all for eating nutrient dense, healthy foods, and I'm pretty sure eating 1/2 cup of Soup or even an entire cup of food with a hint of MSG isn't going to kill me . It's the 3lbs of beef broccoli with fried rice and 4 eggrolls that I could put away pre-op that would have surely killed me.

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you've shared. You said everything I wanted to say much more eloquently than I could have typed it.

I'm all for eating nutrient dense, healthy foods, and I'm pretty sure eating 1/2 cup of soup or even an entire cup of food with a hint of MSG isn't going to kill me . It's the 3lbs of beef broccoli with fried rice and 4 eggrolls that I could put away pre-op that would have surely killed me.

I completely agree with Tiff ans Susanne, it was the tons of "healthy" stuff I was eating before surgery that was going to convert me into a morbidly obese with all the comorbidities that come with it. A bit of MSG won't hurt my otherwise healthy eating habits

DAMN, chick.... think you could maybe be just a wee bit more RUDE and obnoxious next time??

Maybe if I find another thread that is based on the most questionable "conspiracy-type" sources and selling it disguised as "scientific facts" to people who are not sure about what to eat and what to do and who come here because they hope to find valid information.

It is nothing but a panic creating, danger-screaming, warning, "that's why you're fat" type thing and I find this does the community the worst disservice. Most "MSG symptoms" are some hypochondriac reaction that has nothing to do with monosodium glutamate. I watched a food Detectives episode and while this was surly no scientific thing either, they feed half a room MSG food and the other half non-MSG food and asked people afterwards. It was hilarious how people who THOUGHT they ate MSG all of a sudden had migraines, breating problems etc. And funny how foolish they looked once they learned there was no added MSG in their food.

As for this post, is it too much to ask a person to do some checking before they START a topic like "MSG - An Obesity Causing Chemical". I don't think so.

MSG is as much a chemical as salt or Water or the air we breathe.

More about the proclaimed health risks here:

http://en.wikipedia...._health_effects

I don't need a scientific study to prove that garlic makes me fart. I'm smart enough to realize that I'm reactive to certain substances or foods. MSG gives me headaches and I'm sure there are millions of other sensitive people that react to it as well. I’m not about to put that stuff in my body after all of the articles I’ve read.

Scientific studies can be very tricky. First of all, who do you think funds the millions of dollars for these studies?!? People interested in making money. Bottom line. I don't know if there are any reputable studies proving it's dangerous or not but if there isn't, it's because there isn’t anybody who will make any money from proving it's unhealthy. I'm sure there are plenty of studies that show it's not dangerous and I wonder who paid for THOSE studies... Hmmmmmm.... The companies who put it in their food maybe? Follow the money trail... If I cared about your opinion I might take the time to find out about scientific studies but I don’t so I won’t…. I trust my doctor, I trust my nutritionist / naturopath, I trust my chiropractor and yes, I trust the millions of articles that try to get through to people about how dangerous it is and what it will do to your health in the long term.

To those of you that agree with the rude and condescending post above, read the article again before you jump on the denial bandwagon... Maybe a little slower this time? It doesn't say that MSG MADE you fat. It states that MSG contributes to obesity. BIG DIFFERENCE. If you choose to eat it, that's your choice. If you choose to remain ignorant of the dangers, it's another personal choice you are free to make. After all, ignorance really is bliss in most cases.

I'm just sharing information that I believe in and consider valuable. The smart ones will do their own research and trust their own instincts. Whether you agree or not is totally up to you but I'm not about to be intimidated and/or discouraged from sharing information. If you don't like it or don't like me, please click on the next post. I'm here for support, not drama.<BR style="mso-special-character: line-break">

I don't need a scientific study to prove that garlic makes me fart. I'm smart enough to realize that I'm reactive to certain substances or foods. MSG gives me headaches and I'm sure there are millions of other sensitive people that react to it as well. I’m not about to put that stuff in my body after all of the articles I’ve read.

Scientific studies can be very tricky. First of all, who do you think funds the millions of dollars for these studies?!? People interested in making money. Bottom line. I don't know if there are any reputable studies proving it's dangerous or not but if there isn't, it's because there isn’t anybody who will make any money from proving it's unhealthy. I'm sure there are plenty of studies that show it's not dangerous and I wonder who paid for THOSE studies... Hmmmmmm.... The companies who put it in their food maybe? Follow the money trail... If I cared about your opinion I might take the time to find out about scientific studies but I don’t so I won’t…. I trust my doctor, I trust my nutritionist / naturopath, I trust my chiropractor and yes, I trust the millions of articles that try to get through to people about how dangerous it is and what it will do to your health in the long term.

To those of you that agree with the rude and condescending post above, read the article again before you jump on the denial bandwagon... Maybe a little slower this time? It doesn't say that MSG MADE you fat. It states that MSG contributes to obesity. BIG DIFFERENCE. If you choose to eat it, that's your choice. If you choose to remain ignorant of the dangers, it's another personal choice you are free to make. After all, ignorance really is bliss in most cases.

I'm just sharing information that I believe in and consider valuable. The smart ones will do their own research and trust their own instincts. Whether you agree or not is totally up to you but I'm not about to be intimidated and/or discouraged from sharing information. If you don't like it or don't like me, please click on the next post. I'm here for support, not drama.<BR style="mso-special-character: line-break">

Feel free to share information, but there is no need to imply that because we agree with someone that disagrees with you, and have information to back it up, are ignorant. Support comes in many forms, and not always agreeing is okay. The sheep mentality is what gets people in trouble, and I, for one, am not going to blame MSG for my deplorable pre-op eating habits. Several things can be considered dangerous in large amounts. The big Aspartame conspiracy is one that comes to mind stating that aspartame causes cancer, and other malignancies. I'm not ignorant by any means, but I'm not going to sit back and take every article about "what we shouldn't eat" to heart. We're all independently intelligent humans, and are able to read the article your shared. Like I said, a small amount of MSG is not going to make me fat, and didn't contribute to me shoveling in linebacker size portions of foods that did not have any additional MSG added to it. Being ignorant is "not knowing, or not being informed", I'm informed, and know that MSG poses no immediate danger to my health in small quantities and from naturally occurring ingredients found in some foods that I might eat on a once to twice weekly basis. Calling people ignorant, or suggesting we read your information slower, isn't going to get you any points or support. It only makes you look petty, and indicates that you can't handle the fact that we do not agree with you, or your findings.

Foods are labeled (broths specifically) NO MSG ADDED, but in tiny, fine print, it goes on to state that glutamate is a naturally occurring ingredient in some foods. Again, moderation is the key, and I'm pretty sure we're all intelligent enough to know not to siphon MSG straight from the packages, just like we're intelligent enough not to suck on a car's exhaust pipe while the engine is running. Part of the information you posted even stated that some might not have any adverse reactions, so it must not be as dangerous to our health as the article or your own personal experiences are leading people to believe. On your rant about the money trail, who do you think is funding the studies to push all the organic, non-additive laden foods to the population? I'm sure that money trail talk can run both ways, and it should be up to each individual to decide what is best for their own personal health.

This is about the crap that gets ADDED TO OUR food to make it taste better and make us crave more and eat more and choose one product over another. It is a conspiracy and it's not a theory. Junk manufactures want us addicted and they will do whatever it takes to make us buy and eat their products. It's all about money and it is up to us to educate ourselves and make informed decisions (or not).

Maybe you should consider the long term effects of eating small amounts.

This is my last reply on this post. I'm not into all this drama.