MSG. If you’ve ever eaten at a Chinese restaurant, had a bag of potato chips, crackers, salad dressings, there’s a good chance that you’ve ingested MSG. MSG stands for Monosodium Glutamate, which is used as a flavour enhancer in many foods a.k.a. the thing that keeps you wanting more.
According to an article by Dr. Mercola, retired neuroseurgon Dr. Russell Blaylock author of “Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills” 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.”
Craaaaazy. Just because something is delicious, it may not necessarily mean it’s nutritious…
According to the Mayo Clinic, MSG can produce what they refer to as the MSG Symptom Complex-a list of symptoms that can show up after consuming something containing this ingredient.
- Headache
- Flushing
- Sweating
- Facial pressure or tightness
- Numbness, tingling or burning in the face, neck and other areas
- Rapid, fluttering heartbeats (heart palpitations)
- Chest pain
- Nausea
- Weakness
(to read the full Mayo Clinic article, click here)
There are some camps who believe MSG is harmless, while others believe it is harmful. As with all issues, you get the final vote. After all, you get to decide what you eat/don’t eat.
But today, I want to let you in on another M.S.G that is lurking around. This M.S.G. stands for Mediocrity, Selfishness, and Greed. And unlike the “it’s bad for you/it’s not bad for you” rap of it’s food counterpart, this M.S.G. IS destructive. It can be found in companies, certain lifestyles, t.v. shows (insert ‘reality’ t.v.), gossip, and more. It is a flavour enhancer that tricks you and I into believing that the life we are leading is healthy, successful, and significant. What people don’t tell you is the list of side effects of M.S.G.
Side Effects of M.S.G.
- Discontentment-constantly searching for the next “high” via food, shopping, t.v. show, relationship, like, follower, etc.
- Moodiness
- Complacency-those who live same-day on repeat though it’s not exactly a day they would want to repeat
- Inhibitor of excellence
- Feeling “stuck”
- Lack of joy
- Feelings of euphoria are short term
- Insatiable appetite for more stuff, more likes, more followers
- Constant comparison of your life with others
- Visual impairment
- Lack of compassion for others
- Frequent pity parties
M.S.G. has the ability to remove possibility and reduce potential from your life.
So what can you and I do about it?
- Begin the day in gratitude (you can’t feel blessed and bitter at the same time)
- Keep a gratitude list (if we are going to count anything, let’s count things that actually matter. Consider taking the #1000gifts challenge:))
- Nix the gossip
- Be intentionally kind (here are 101 ideas for you!)
- Pick up a canned good to donate to a local food bank every time you grocery shop
- Think about who you can help vs. who can help you
- Seek out positive role models/mentors (you are never too young or too old to have a mentor)
- Fill your mind/spirit/body with good things (cut ties with junk, which may mean editing who you follow on social media, your “friends” list on fakebook, the songs on your playlist, the things you read, the food you eat)
- Surround yourself with positive, forward thinking/forward moving people. Bucket fillers vs bucket dippers.
- Perspective, perspective, perspective.
Photo credit: tumblr “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”-Chuck Swindoll
Friends, this post is for me as it is for you. I need the reminder. I need the encouragement. And I need to remember to live each day with NO M.S.G. Will you join me?
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