KELP

Habitat:  Kelp is a seaweed harvested from rocky ocean shores around the world.  Many varieties of kelp grow in different parts of the world. It’s technically a sea vegetable. It can grow up to 30 meters and form kelp forests which rise from the ocean floor up to the surface.

Healthy Info:  Kelp is a member of the brown algae family and there are more than 30 different varieties. Bongo kelp is the most common form used in nutritional supplements.  This form of kelp is rich in iodine, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, among many other minerals.  In fact, 70 minerals and trace elements are found in kelp.   One of the most recognized kelp benefits is thyroid regulation. Kelp is rich in iodine, which is important for thyroid function.  Your thyroid absorbs iodine from your blood in order to make and distribute hormones into the body.  Without iodine, your thyroid isn’t able to function properly.  When your body is deficient in iron, your thyroid doesn’t work correctly and your metabolism slows.  You’ll end up gaining weight and putting your health at risk.

Kelp is a natural diuretic, kelp is good for those troubled by water weight. Diuretics clean out the system and assist in shedding water and toxins in the system.

Many people are avoiding sodium in their diets, and for good reason.  Sodium is associated with heart disease and water weight gain. But when salt first became available for seasoning food at the table, manufacturers added iodine as a health benefit.  For years kelp stayed hidden in the closet while people got their necessary iodine from table salt.  But now that salt is being avoided iodine is not as readily available and so kelp is becoming more and more favored as a healthy source of iodine.

Additional kelp benefits:

• Lowering cholesterol
• Help with digestion
• Appetite control
• Boosted immunity
• Increased energy levels

Properties:  anti-bacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiprotozoal (medicines that treat infections), antihelmintic (expels worms), antineoplastic (inhibiting or preventing the growth or development of malignant cells)

Reference:

• www.herbs,lovetoknow.com/kelp
• www.herbwisdom.com/kelp

Submitted by: Jyll Renee’, Master Herbologist (Click here to learn more about Jyll Renee.)

Visit our FREE Online Herbal Materia Medica

Visit our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants

Vitamin/Mineral Vegetable Powder

• 1 part – Kelp Powder
• 1 part – Toasted Sesame Seeds
• 2 part – Nutritional Yeast
• 1/2 part – Garlic Granules
• 1/8 part – Spirulina

Kelp – Kelp is a seaweed that thrives on sunlight and takes in the host of nutrients and minerals found there.  Kelp is the #1 herb for supplementing iodine.  Kelp has been used for decades for strengthening nails, and supporting hair growth.  Kelp is packed with necessary nutrients such as iron, calcium and potassium.  Kelp is a great replacement for sodium.

Toasted Sesame Seeds – Sesame seeds are high in energy, and also contain many health benefits, nutrients, minerals, anti-oxidants and vitamins.  The seeds are a very good source of dietary  proteins.  Sesame seeds are a very good scours of B-complex vitamins such as niacin, folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6) and riboflavin. Niacin reduces LDL or “bad cholesterol” levels.  These yummy seeds have a ton of rich essential minerals such as calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium and copper all for healthy bone, tissue, and muscle; it is also wonderful for  kidney health.

Nutritional Yeast – One ounce of nutritional yeast contains 14 grams ofprotein.  It is also high in fiber, which helps eliminate constipation, assist in lowering cholesterol, reduce the risk of colon disease, and protect against high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.  Nutritional yeast has plenty of B vitamins and very low in sodium.

Garlic Granules – Garlic has been considered by many to be an herbal “wonder” with a reputation in folklore for preventing or treating everything from common cold and flu to the plague. There are proven facts that suggest garlic might be able to assist somepeople in the management of blood pressure and cholesterol levels.  Modern science has shown that garlic is a powerful natural antibiotic.  Studies
have shown that garlic –especially aged garlic – can have a powerful anti-oxidant effect.   Anti-oxidants can help protect the body against damaging free radicals or abnormal cells forming in the body.

*side effects – garlic might affect the breath.  Watch out for “imported garlic”

Spirulina – Spirulina is found in many fresh water environments, spirulina is often deemed the most nutritionally complete of all food supplements, containing a rich supply of many important nutrients,
including protein, complex carbohydrates, iron, and vitamin A, K and Bcomplex.  Spirulina is an ideal
anti-aging food; it is easily digested and loaded with anti-oxidants.  Beta carotene is good for healthy eyes and vision, the beta carotene in spirulina is 10 times more concentrated than carrots.  Iron is essential to build a strong system, yet is the most common mineral deficiency.  Spirulina is rich in iron, magnesium and other trace minerals, plus it is much easier to absorb than iron supplements.

Grind or mix all ingredients together and put in spice shaker.  Use as a seasoning at the table!

Yum!

Jyll Renee Master Herbologist

(765-644-0312)

Submitted by: Jyll Renee’, Master Herbologist (Click here to learn more about Jyll Renee.)

Visit our FREE Online Herbal Materia Medica

Visit our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants

When using as a detox tea, I make a gallon of dandelion leaf tea, refrigerate, and sip on it throughout the day, sweetening it a bit with liquid stevia.

Precautions:

Dandelion tea may irritate the stomach lining in some individuals. It increases the amount of bile produced. People that have gallstones or gallbladder ailments should not drink dandelion tea. Occasionally, individuals who are allergic to plants in the daisy family may experience skin irritation when handling leaves or extract.

Individuals who are diabetic should carefully monitor their blood sugar  levels when drinking dandelion tea. The tea also counteracts the effects of antacids and drugs that reduce acid production in the stomach.

-Kathleen Roberts, LoveToKnow Herbs

For  more information on this wondeful herb please visit: Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) ~ LuminEarth’s Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Anyhow, Thought you might like to know how I use up all of the dandelion greens in my yard.  I really like this method, because you use everything!

Here’s what I do:

• Get a large kettle, one that holds at least one gallon of water
• Gather enough dandelion greens to fill the kettle at least half full (click here to earn about how to identify and gather dandelion greens)
• Clean and rinse the dandelion leaves, returning them to the kettle
• Fill kettle with one gallon of water
• Bring to a rapid boil
• Boil for 10 minutes

At this point, you have dandelion tea!  (Technically, this is a “decoction” because you have boiled the leaves in the water.  A “tea” is made by bringing the water to a boil, turning off the heat source, and steeping the leaves.)

• Remove the dandelion leaves from the “tea”
• Save the tea, this can be consumed hot or cold.  (I like to place mine in a gallon jug and drink it as iced tea.)
• Sweeten to taste with honey, stevia, or your sweetener of choice.

Here’s how I prepare my dandelion greens:

• Get a large skillet
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Add one chopped onion (plus any other yummy veggies you want!)
• Sautee onion until tender
• Add dandelion greens
• Sautee until greens are well heated
• Add freshly ground sea salt and pepper
• Add a couple dashes of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• Serve on top of brown rice

A few other ways to use the boiled greens:

• prepare as you would canned spinach
• add to a stir-fry after the other veggies have been cooked
• layer into lasagnae
• season the boiled greens with Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper, then top with a bit of shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese (another one of my favorites!!)

YUMMY!!

Click Here to Learn More About the Dandelion Plant

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants

Click Here to Visit Our FREE Online Herbal Materia Medica

References:

• Dandelion Loose Leaf Tea. (n.d.) LoveToKnow Herbs. Extracted October 10, 2011 from http://herbs.lovetoknow.com/Dandelion_Loose_Leaf_Tea

The Books We Use:

• A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guide)
• Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers: When and Where to Find Them by William Hutson
• Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places by “Wildman” Steve Brill
• Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies: Natural Health, Beauty & Home Care Secrets by Jude C. Williams, M.H.
• Ortho’s All About Herbs by Maggie Oster
• Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
• Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists by Richard Lucas
• Sunset Herbs: An Illustrated Guide by The Editors of Sunset Magazine
• The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer
• The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.
• The Natural Physicians’s Healing Therapies: Proven Remedies Medical Doctors Don’t Know by Mark Stengler, ND
• The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine by Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.
• The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra, L.Ac., O.M.D.
• Wildflowers of the Land Between the Lakes Region, Kentucky and Tennessee

Wheatgrass is a oxygen-filled super food

My dog just turned me on to one of nature’s most beneficial food sources for humans (and dogs and cats): wheatgrass. We’ve all heard of wheatgrass juice and yes, this is the same stuff. Now unpucker your face and read on!

It all started because my dog Katie loves to eat grass. At first this habit concerned me because I’d only heard that dogs eat grass when they’re sick. True, but then I did some research and it turns out that some dogs just enjoy grass and are often looking for something to replace the nutrients their diet is missing.  Oh, so grass has nutrients…duh, yeah like most things we are surrounded by; grass has been overlooked and at best relegated to the “ornamental” category. Most grass belongs there, but not wheatgrass. Wheatgrass is different. Anyway as providence would have it, my next issue of Dog Fancy magazine featured a one-pager on growing pet grass and suggested it was a good way to ensure that the grass my dog was eating was in fact nutrient-rich, organic and clean. So I went on line in search of organic hard red winter wheat berries to purchase and germinate for Katie.

I easily found the wheat berries I needed at a very reasonable price. I also found an enormous amount of information about wheatgrass and I soon began to understand that I would be growing this wheatgrass for my dog AND for me. In fact, I wondered why more people didn’t use wheatgrass in their diet as it seems to be one of the earth’s super foods – let me tell you a little bit of the info I found about wheatgrass:

Let’s start with chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is the “blood” of plants. Virtually identical to our own hemoglobin (both substances carry oxygen to cells), chlorophyll is oxygen and nutrient rich and is easily absorbed into our blood making nutrient delivery efficient. Chlorophyll is what makes plants green. It is critical for photosynthesis which allows the plant to literally absorb sunshine and turn it into energy.

Here are some great things I learned about the benefits of wheatgrass chlorophyll from the folks at WheatGrassKits.com:

• Wheatgrass Juice is one of the best sources of living chlorophyll available.

• Wheatgrass is high in oxygen like all green plants that contain chlorophyll.  The brain and all body tissues function at an optimal level in a highly-oxygenated environment.

• Chlorophyll is anti-bacterial and can be used inside and outside the body as a healer. (think wheatgrass pulp)

• Farmers in the Midwest who have sterile cows and bulls put them on wheatgrass to restore fertility.  (The high magnesium content in chlorophyll builds enzymes that restore the sex hormones.)

• Chlorophyll can be extracted from many plants, but wheatgrass is superior because it has been found to have over 100 elements needed by man. If grown in organic soil, it absorbs 92 of the known 102 minerals from the soil.

• Liquid chlorophyll washes drug deposits from the body.

• Chlorophyll neutralizes toxins in the body.

• Chlorophyll helps purify the liver.

• In the American Journal of Surgery (1940), Benjamin Gruskin, M.D. recommends chlorophyll for its antiseptic benefits. The article suggests the following clinical uses for chlorophyll: to clear up foul smelling odors, neutralize Strep infections, heal wounds, hasten skin grafting, cure chronic sinusitis, overcome chronic inner-ear inflammation and infection, reduce varicose veins and heal leg ulcers, eliminate impetigo and other scabby eruptions, heal rectal sores, successfully treat inflammation of the uterine cervix, get rid of parasitic vaginal infections, reduce typhoid fever, and cure advanced pyorrhea in many cases.

• Dr. Birscher, a research scientist, called chlorophyll “concentrated sun power.” He said, “chlorophyll increases the function of the heart, affects the vascular system, the intestines, the uterus, and the lungs.”

• According to Dr. Birscher, nature uses chlorophyll (wheatgrass) as a body cleanser, rebuilder, and neutralizer of toxins.

Hard to argue with the benefits of chlorophyll or that wheatgrass is a great way to get chlorophyll.

Wheatgrass as survival food

As stated above, wheatgrass has over 100 elements needed by man for bodily survival. Wheatgrass contains the entire range of necessary vitamins, minerals, enzymes, essential amino acids, and nutrients (including beta carotene, folic acid and vitamin C) that we need to survive.

Wheatgrass is a complete protein. So basically if all you had to eat was wheatgrass, you could make it for quite a while and be quite healthy too.

Wheatberries (wheatgrass seeds) can keep for years (like 50+) as long as you store them in a cool, dry space and in an airtight container.

Wheatgrass in daily diet

Taking into account what I’ve already shared re: benefits of wheatgrass chlorophyll, fresh, high quality wheatgrass juice has also been said to be useful in:

• Detoxing the organs

• Strengthening the immune system

• Boosting the body’s PH levels, reducing food cravings (weight loss/control)

• Improving eye sight and night vision

• Enhancing gum health

• Rejuvenating tissue

• Reversing the aging process, including eliminating gray hair (I know, right?!)

So what’s bad about wheatgrass?

While there’s nothing truly “bad” about wheatgrass and it is not toxic in any way even if you consume high quantities, there can be adverse effects to consuming too much wheatgrass juice. Keep in mind that wheatgrass is an excellent detoxifier, but detoxifying is never something you want to do too much or too fast.

If you’re new to wheatgrass you should limit your intake to 1 oz of wheatgrass juice per day, max. Keep to this for at least the first week. After that you can build to 2 oz per day, but even then the safest way is to take 1 oz in the morning and 1 oz in the evening. This stuff is potent!

Drink wheatgrass on an empty stomach or you may experience nausea. Wait at least half an hour before eating.

How to get wheatgrass into your diet

There are many ways to get wheatgrass into your daily diet, but keep in mind that fresh, organic wheatgrass juice is best. You can buy it flash-frozen and here are some links for you to consider in that regard:

For most of us, that means growing and juicing our own. So here are some tips on that:

Growing your own wheatgrass

Organic Hard Red Wheat Berries

You can certainly buy wheatgrass growing kits and for the beginner that may be the easiest route at first. But growing wheatgrass is really easy and if you want to go it alone, you’ll need:

• Organic hard red wheat berries
• Fine mesh strainer
• Cup or jar
• Plastic sprouting tray
• Organic potting soil
• Paper towels
• Plate or draining saucer

Instructions:

• Using the strainer, rinse berries well under pure running water
• Pour the berries into the cup or jar and fill with water, just covering the berries
• Soak the berries for 8 to 12 hours (shorter in the summer, longer in the winter)
• Fill your plastic tray with potting mix and place the tray on the plate or saucer
• Drain the berries using the strainer, rinsing gently and spread them evenly over the soil
• Layer 2-3 paper towels over the berries and water over the towels. Do this every day for 3 days, making sure the paper towels stay moist
• In 3 days time you should have grass shoots, so remove the paper towels and put the tray in a sunny location
• When the grass is 6-7 inches tall, it is ready for juicing and eating

Stuff to help you grow your own:

Organic Wheatgrass Growing Kit – Grow & Juice Wheat Grass: Trays, Seed, Soil, Instructions & More	Organic Wheatgrass Growing Kit w/ Hurricane Stainless Steel Wheat Grass Juicer- Everything to Grow & Juice Wheatgrass	Certified Organic Hard Red Wheat – 5 Lbs – For Growing Wheatgrass to Juice, Sprouting Seed, Grinding to Make Flour & Bread, Growing Ornamental Wheat Grass & More. Makes Excellent Food Storage. Outstanding Germination Rate.

Juicing your wheatgrass

You’ll definitely need a juicer for this process. Blenders don’t really work. Some find luck using a mortar and pestle. Either way, here are some tips:

• Cut the grass ½ “above the soil surface with scissors
• If using a juicer, follow instructions in the juicer manual
• If using mortal and pestle, first chop up the grass. Then, while adding a little water at a time, grind it into a fine paste. Use a clean muslin cloth to strain the juice into a cup. Repeat the process using the same leaves until the grass turns white (this means all the chlorophyll has been extracted)

Here are some additional links that may be of help to you:

Wheatgrass Juice 90 Caps	Wheatgrass Deep Cleansing Shampoo 12 Oz	Wheatgrass Sprouting Seed Cert. Organic (Agropyron elongatum; Tall Wheatgrass) 1 lb: C	Wheatgrass Nature’s Finest Medicine

Wheatgrass	The Wheatgrass Book	Starwest Botanicals Organic Wheatgrass Powder, 1 lbs	Healthy Juicer - Manual Hand Powered Wheatgrass Juicer - Wheat grass juicer

Resources:

Adamson, Eve (2011). “Grow Pet Grass”, Dog Fancy, August 2011

Stewart, Christopher. “Wheatgrass Exposed”, WheatgrassKits.com, 2009, http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/issue3.htm

“Benefits of Wheat Grass”, AmazingGrass.com, accessed August 2011,  http://www.amazinggrass.com/benefits-of-wheat-grass.html

“What Are Wheat Grass and Wheatgrass Juice?”, DynamicGreens.com, accessed August 2011, http://www.dynamicgreens.com/wheatgrass-benefits-of-wheatgrass.html

“Side Effects Of Wheatgrass”, WheatGrass.me, access August 2011, http://www.wheatgrass.me/side-effects-wheatgrass

“How much wheatgrass juice should I drink?”, HappyJuicer.com, access August 2011, http://www.happyjuicer.com/wheatgrass/how-much-wheatgrass.aspx

It's written all over their faces...Spinach Smoothies Taste Great!!

Here is an excellent spinach smoothie recipe from my good friend, Laurie Laurain.  Laurie lives in Pulaski, PA,  and runs a daycare center out of her home. 

She has come up with an amazing way to get the little tykes to eat their greens– this Spinach Smoothie. 

As you can tell from the photo, they LOVE IT!!  I had the pleasure of trying this smoothie on a recent visit to PA, and it is simply delicious!

Spinach Smoothie

1 cup frozen pineapple
2 bananas
2 large handfuls of loose spinach
2-3 cups cranberry pomegranate juice

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth using the liquefy setting. Ice may be added to make a Frozen Spinach Smoothie.

Thank you, Laurie, for this AWESOME recipe!!

Here's another good friend, Lauri Johnson, testing out the Spinach Smoothie with me. It was AWESOME!!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN IF THE PLAYER IS NOT WORKING

Kimmi Jae and Jody are wonderful hosts, and the show is amazing!!

Their show topics range from the occult and hauntings to holistics–and everything in between.  No subject is off limits!  Be sure to check them out Tuesday nights at 8:00 pm EST at PARA X RADIO – THE REIGN!

This episode covered holistics and herbal healthcare, including some home remedies and supplements used to assist in healing certain ailments.

In the episode, Becki explained that you must be very careful while combining herbs and prescription medications because herbs could interact with the medication.  If you are on prescription medications, it is always best to check with your doctor before experimenting with herbs.  Another possible scenario while using herbs and prescription medications at the same time is that as you heal, you may not need as strong of a prescription.  It is very important to be supervised by your doctor in this situation!  For example, having too strong of a blood pressure or heart medication could have devastating effects!

Becki also promised to share some websites that will help with information on herbs, supplements and interactions with pharmaceuticals.  They are listed below.

• THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE  is a great source for this (scroll down the sidebar on the left for the herbal index) and other information on alternative medicine.
• The LINUS PAULING INSITUTE has an extensive micronutrient information center that includes detailed information on vitamins, minerals, pytochemicals, foods, beverages and much more.
• NATURE’S SUNSHINE is an amazing source of herbals, supplements, essential oils, and holistic healthcare supplies.  The company has it’s own Health Sciences Department, which is constantly researching and updating information on the most current pharmaceuticals and can easily explain to you all possible interactions when you call their toll free number. They only supply information for their products, but are a wonderful resource if you are on prescription medicines and want to begin caring for yourself naturally.

Please check out our website LuminEarth.com for more details and remedies. Our extensive Herbal Materia Medica  will explain to you how all of the herbs work.

LuminEarth.com is all about Natural Healing, Energy Healing, Homopathy, Herbology, Permaculture, Phenomena. Dive into our natural world. Learn how to live harmonically with the earth and people around you. Discover that our world is much more than meets the eye!

Becki Baumgartner, along with Joyce Dierschke authors the website: LuminEarth.com. Becki is a Natural Health Consultant for Nature’s Sunshine and a Paranormal Investigator for Volunteer State Paranormal Research. She has a BS in Natural Health with a Minor in Herbology and is currently studying with AMORC.  She is also a member of the Nashville Psychics Meetup Group. Her main interests are Natural Health, Herbology, Permaculture, Energy Healing, Holistic Nutrition, Wild Edibles & Medicinals, Paranormal and Psychic Research, Metaphysics, and Mind/Body/Spirit Wellness.

Joyce Dierschke is a professional writer, graphic and web designer. Along with Becki, Joyce authors the web site: LuminEarth.com. Joyce also authors TheMarCompass.com, a marketing blog and BornToPaddle.com for kayakers, canoers and paddlers. You can see samples of Joyce’s work at JoyceDierschke.com. Joyce is also a Paranormal Investigator for Volunteer State Paranormal Research, and a member of Nashville Psychics Meetup Group.  Her main interests and accomplishments are Writer, Artist, Web Expert, Kayaker, Hiker, and Dog Lover.

Our interests include alchemy, aliens, altered states, alternative medicine, aromatherapy, astral travel, ayurveda, binaural beats, channeling, clairvoyance, conspiracy theories, cryptozoology, edible landscaping, electronic voice phenomena, energy healing, esp, ghost hunting, ghosts, healing, herbalism, herbology, holistic living, holistic nutrition, isochronic tones, meditation, mediumship, metaphysics, natural health, out of body experiences, paranormal research, permaculture, pets, phenomena, plant pharmacology, psychic ability, psychic research, reiki, self-hypnosis, spirit guides, spirit photography, spirits, spirituality, survival, sustainability, ufo’s, wild edible plants, wild edibles, wild medicinal plants, and wildcrafting.

Courtesy of Swanson Health Products

Whey protein beverages reduced blood pressure in young men and women in a six-week controlled intervention. A study out of Washington State University found that daily consumption of whey protein resulted in at least a six-point reduction in average blood pressure of women and men who had pre-existing high blood pressure. 

Though the 71 study participants were between 18 and 26 years old, the study’s leader, Susan Fluegal, says that older people with high blood pressure would probably get similar benefits from the whey protein. The study is published in the International Dairy Journal. Whey protein is low-cost and has not been linked to any adverse effects, says Fluegal, a nutritional biochemistry instructor. 

Results showed up in the first week of the study and lasted for the study’s six-week duration. However, there were no results for study participants who had pre-existing normal blood pressure. 

High blood pressure is often referred to as the “silent killer” as it typically does not present with any symptoms. However, high blood pressure is strongly correlated with stroke risk, as well as risk of heart disease, the nation’s number-one killer.

Nearly 800,000 Americans suffer from a stroke every year, the leading cause of adult disability. 

Risk factors for high blood pressure include: age, black race, family history, obesity or overweight, lack of exercise, smoking, a high sodium diet, inadequate potassium and vitamin D, heavy drinking and emotional stress. High blood pressure can also lead to an aneurysm, heart failure, kidney problems, vision loss, metabolic syndrome (which can lead to type 2 diabetes) and memory problems. 

International Dairy Journal 20(11):753-760, 2010 

Source:  Swanson Vitamins. Lee Swanson Research Update, February 2011.  Extracted verbatim with permission on March 8, 2011 from http://www.swansonvitamins.com/health-library/articles/blood-pressure-support/whey-protein-appears-to-help-lower-blood-pressure.html?SourceCode=INTHIR402   

Get great deals on whey protein from Swanson Health Products! 

• Chocolate Whey Protein
• Strawberry Whey Protein
• Vanilla Whey Protein

Related Links
 

[1] “It” is monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer that’s known widely as an addition to Chinese food, but that’s actually added to thousands of the foods you and your family regularly eat, especially if you are like most Americans and eat the majority of your food as processed foods or in restaurants.

MSG is one of the worst  food additives on the market and is used in canned soups, crackers, meats, salad dressings, frozen dinners and  much more. It’s found in your local supermarket and restaurants, in your child’s school cafeteria and, amazingly, even in baby food and infant formula.

MSG is more than just a seasoning like salt and pepper, it actually enhances the flavor of foods, making processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher and smell better, salad dressings more tasty, and canned foods less tinny.

While MSG’s benefits to the food industry are quite clear, this food additive could be slowly and silently doing major damage to your health.

What Exactly is MSG?

You may remember when the MSG powder called “Accent” first hit the U.S. market. Well, it was many decades prior to this, in 1908, that monosodium glutamate was invented. The inventor was Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese man who identified the natural flavor enhancing substance of seaweed.

Taking a hint from this substance, they were able to create the man-made additive MSG, and he and a partner went on to form Ajinomoto, which is now the world’s largest producer of MSG (and interestingly also a drug manufacturer).[2]

Chemically speaking, MSG is approximately 78 percent free glutamic acid, 21 percent sodium, and up to 1 percent contaminants.[3]

It’s a misconception that MSG is a flavor or “meat tenderizer.” In reality, MSG has very little taste at all, yet when you eat MSG, you think the food you’re eating has more protein and tastes better. It does this by tricking your tongue, using a little-known fifth basic taste: umami.

Umami is the taste of glutamate, which is a savory flavor found in many Japanese foods, bacon and also in the toxic food additive MSG. It is because of umami that foods with MSG taste heartier, more robust and generally better to a lot of people than foods without it.

The ingredient didn’t become widespread in the United States until after World War II, when the U.S. military realized Japanese rations were much tastier than the U.S. versions because of MSG.

In 1959, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration labeled MSG as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS), and it has remained that way ever since. Yet, it was a telling sign when just 10 years later a condition known as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” entered the medical literature, describing the numerous side effects, from numbness to heart palpitations, that people experienced after eating MSG.

Today that syndrome is more appropriately called “MSG Symptom Complex,” which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identifies as “short-term reactions” to MSG. More on those “reactions” to come.

Why MSG is so Dangerous

One of the best overviews of the very real dangers of MSG comes from Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon and author of “Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills.” In it he explains that MSG is an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees — and potentially even triggering or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and more.

Part of the problem also is that free glutamic acid is the same neurotransmitter that your brain, nervous system, eyes, pancreas and other organs use to initiate certain processes in your body.[4] Even the FDA states:

“Studies have shown that the body uses glutamate, an amino acid, as a nerve impulse transmitter in the brain and that there are glutamate-responsive tissues in other parts of the body, as well.

Abnormal function of glutamate receptors has been linked with certain neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s chorea. Injections of glutamate in laboratory animals have resulted in damage to nerve cells in the brain.”[5]

Although the FDA continues to claim that consuming MSG in food does not cause these ill effects, many other experts say otherwise.

According to Dr. Blaylock, numerous glutamate receptors have been found both within your heart’s electrical conduction system and the heart muscle itself. This can be damaging to your heart, and may even explain the sudden deaths sometimes seen among young athletes.

He says:

“When an excess of food-borne excitotoxins, such as MSG, hydrolyzed protein soy protein isolate and concentrate, natural flavoring, sodium caseinate and aspartate from aspartame, are consumed, these glutamate receptors are over-stimulated, producing cardiac arrhythmias.

When magnesium stores are low, as we see in athletes, the glutamate receptors are so sensitive that even low levels of these excitotoxins can result in cardiac arrhythmias and death.”[6]

Many other adverse effects have also been linked to regular consumption of MSG, including:

• Obesity
• Eye damage
• Headaches
• Fatigue and disorientation
• Depression

Further, even the FDA admits that “short-term reactions” known as MSG Symptom Complex can occur in certain groups of people, namely those who have eaten “large doses” of MSG or those who have asthma.[7]

According to the FDA, MSG Symptom Complex can involve symptoms such as:

• Numbness
• Burning sensation
• Tingling
• Facial pressure or tightness
• Chest pain or difficulty breathing
• Headache
• Nausea
• Rapid heartbeat
• Drowsiness
• Weakness

No one knows for sure just how many people may be “sensitive” to MSG, but studies from the 1970s suggested that 25 percent to 30 percent of the U.S. population was intolerant of MSG — at levels then found in food. Since the use of MSG has expanded dramatically since that time, it’s been estimated that up to 40 percent of the population may be impacted.[8]

How to Determine if MSG is in Your Food

Food manufacturers are not stupid, and they’ve caught on to the fact that people like you want to avoid eating this nasty food additive. As a result, do you think they responded by removing MSG from their products? Well, a few may have, but most of them just tried to “clean” their labels. In other words, they tried to hide the fact that MSG is an ingredient.

How do they do this? By using names that you would never associate with MSG.

You see, it’s required by the FDA that food manufacturers list the ingredient “monosodium glutamate” on food labels, but they do not have to label ingredients that contain free glutamic acid, even though it’s the main component of MSG.

There are over 40 labeled ingredients that contain glutamic acid,[9] but you’d never know it just from their names alone. Further, in some foods glutamic acid is formed during processing and, again, food labels give you no way of knowing for sure. 

Tips for Keeping MSG Out of Your Diet

In general, if a food is processed you can assume it contains MSG (or one of its pseudo-ingredients). So if you stick to a whole, fresh foods diet, you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll avoid this toxin.

The other place where you’ll need to watch out for MSG is in restaurants. You can ask your server which menu items are MSG-free, and request that no MSG be added to your meal, but of course the only place where you can be entirely sure of what’s added to your food is in your own kitchen.

To be on the safe side, you should also know what ingredients to watch out for on packaged foods. Here is a list of ingredients that ALWAYS contain MSG:

These ingredients OFTEN contain MSG or create MSG during processing:[10]

So if you do eat processed foods, please remember to be on the lookout for these many hidden names for MSG.

Choosing to be MSG-Free

Making a decision to avoid MSG in your diet as much as possible is a wise choice for nearly everyone. Admittedly, it does take a bit more planning and time in the kitchen to prepare food at home, using fresh, locally grown ingredients. But knowing that your food is pure and free of toxic additives like MSG will make it well worth it.

Plus, choosing whole foods will ultimately give you better flavor and more health value than any MSG-laden processed food you could buy at your supermarket.

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If you like spicy, you’ll love this one! 

It is a cross between two of my favorites, Ginger Rice and New Orleans Dirty Rice. 

The recipe is quick and easy.  Just toss it all in the rice cooker and let it cook! 

My family likes it best made with brown rice.  Nice and healthy, with no preservatives or MSG.    YUM!!

GINGER DIRTY RICE

Basic Rice Mix

3 c rice
6 c water
2 t black pepper
1 t crushed red pepper
1/2 t basil
1 tsp salt
2 t  ginger
½ t turmeric
1/2 t oregano
2 T margarine
2 t minced garlic

Optional:

2 T vegetable flakes
1 lb chopped or ground meat of your choice
1/2 c  chopped onions
1/2 c chopped celery
1/2 c chopped green bell peppers

Cook in rice cooker on standard rice settings.  Enjoy!!

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