I posted this on my Initiate Wellness blog (
http://initiatewellness.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/msg-you-make-me-sick/) and I'm posting it here because I think it's important for you to know.
Last night, around dinner time I wasn't feeling particularly creative or inspired to cook, but I did anyway. My pantry consists of a lot of dried beans, several different types of whole grains, many non-wheat flours, nuts, seeds, seaweeds, rices, hot sauces, canned tomatoes and stuff like that; things that my kids, though grown, walk into and tell me there's no food. Most of what I have has to be pre-pared and I'm fien with that. My eldest son is staying with me temporarily and he eats like a typical guy does, a lot. On a whim I bought Near East rice pilaf so he could easily prepare it when he has to fend for himself. Well, last night, not feeling much like cooking, I made the rice pilaf to go with the local beef tips and steamed Brussels sprouts-healthy, yes? NO!
I found a few years back that I'm particularly sensitive to MSG, highly sensitive! I didn't see it on the ingredient label so I was safe or so I thought. About an hour after eating I was feeling a dull headache that within a very short time became hard hitting; it felt like my entire forehead and temples on the inside was on fire! Soon, the slightest light pierced my eyes - my head felt like it was about to explode and to be honest, the thought of my head exploding was a welcomed, comforting thought; just get it out!
I tried drinking lots of water to flush it out with no success. I tried herbal tea, laying on the floor, feet raised, eyes closed but the intense pounding continued. It was fairly early, for me anyways, but I had to go to bed; I needed to lay in a very dark, very quiet place. I ended up having to take one of my migraine prescription tablets against my personal preference but fortunately about 4 hours later it worked.
What was in this rice mixture that disguised itself as MSG anyway? Upon looking into it further I found that it contains
autolyzed yeast extract, (Yeast extract contains naturally occurring
glutamic acid, of which
monosodium glutamate is a concentrated salt form). This doesn't have to be labeled MSG unless there is more than 78% of it in a product.
Beware. If you suffer from headaches and you're not sure what you triggers are, it could be MSG, it's not uncommon. There are many foods that are headache triggers and finding out which ones might be triggering yours can make a world of difference in your life! Find a way to make it go away. If you need help figuring out what ails you, I can help. Contact me anytime!
* To learn the many names and disguises of MSG, click here:
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html