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- During the second half of the twentieth century, there
was an exponential increase in the number of chemical additives put in
common food and beverage products. Many respected researchers in the field
of health and nutrition are wondering aloud if this has played a role in
increased levels of violence and mental illness in American society, particularly
among young people.
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- One of the most harmful food additives to the developing
brain is MSG. For many years, Americans have been aware of the presence
of MSG in most Chinese restaurant food. However, few people are cognizant
of the fact that food labels which read "NO MSG" are frequently
misleading, because companies have learned to cleverly disguise MSG by
inventing new names to hide it under. In his book Excitotoxins: The Taste
That Kills, Dr. Russell Blaylock explains the horrific effect that MSG
and other chemicals called "excitotoxins" can have on the developing
brains of young people:
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- "What if someone were to tell you that a chemical
added to food could cause brain damage in your children, and that this
chemical could effect how your children's nervous systems formed during
development, so that in later years they may have learning or emotional
difficulties? What if there was scientific evidence that these chemicals
could permanently damage a critical part of the brain known to control
hormones, so that later in life your child might have endocrine problems?...Would
you also be upset to learn that many of the brain lesions caused by these
products in your children are irreversible and can result from a SINGLE
exposure of these products in sufficient concentration?"
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- Another so-called excitotoxin is aspartame (NutraSweet),
and Dr. Blaylock, like many other health experts, says there is evidence
"strongly suggesting that the artificial sweetener in your diet soft
drink may cause brain tumors to develop, and that the number of brain tumors
reported since the introduction of this artificial sweetener has risen
dramatically." Many also believe that NutraSweet might play a role
in youth violence, due to the fact that it decreases serotonin levels in
the brain.
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- Dr. Blaylock goes on to write, "How would you feel
when you learn the food industry hides and disguises these excitotoxin
additives (MSG and Aspartate) so they can't be recognized? Incredulous?
Enraged? The fact is many foods are labeled as having "No MSG"
but in fact not only contain MSG but also are laced with other excitotoxins
of equal potency and danger."
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- Here is a list of food additives that, according to Dr.
Blaylock, always contain MSG:
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- Monosodium Glutamate
- Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
- Hydrolyzed Protein
- Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
- Plant Protein Extract
- Sodium Caseinate
- Calcium Caseinate
- Yeast Extract
- Textured Protein (Including TVP)
- Autolyzed Yeast
- Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
- Corn Oil
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- These are additives which FREQUENTLY contain MSG:
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- Malt Extract
- Malt Flavoring
- Bouillon
- Broth
- Stock
- Flavoring
- Natural Flavors/Flavoring
- Natural Beef Or Chicken Flavoring
- Seasoning
- Spices
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- And additives which may contain MSG:
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- Carrageenan
- Enzymes
- Soy Protein Concentrate
- Soy Protein Isolate
- Whey Protein Concentrate
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- Given the inordinate amount of processed food in the
average American diet, these facts should cause great alarm in the minds
of health-conscious individuals. From the day US children are born, they
are fed a steady dosage of boxed, canned and packaged foods which contain
many of the toxins listed above; kids' snacks and meals of TV dinners,
candies, chips, ice creams and other desserts are frequently laced with
MSG and other toxins. How many cases of teen depression and suicide, or
a plethora of mental illnesses afflicting young people (anorexia, bulimia,
bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) might be partly attributed to their diets?
Just how prevalent were these problems before these products were put
on the market?
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- Is it really a coincidence that many third world countries,
struggling with the plights of famine and disease, still have fewer instances
of mental illness in their young people? Is this because their diets consist
so heavily of natural, holistic foods? Has anyone in the food industry
OR the FDA taken the time to wonder what the causal factors might be behind
the 20th century explosion of degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer's,
Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's disease and ALS, not to mention teen violence
and insanity? Why are no elected officials voicing suspicion about the
FDA's handling of the NutraSweet controversy (namely the documented affiliation
that many of their officials have with the MONSANTO Co.)? And has the
impartiality of the mainstream news media been compromised by their dependence
on massive advertising revenues generated by the suspects in this case?
It is curious that these important questions have yet to be asked by a
single member of the national press core.
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- A sober pessimism has enveloped many in the field of
consumer advocacy. In a recent interview with ExNews, Mary Nash Stoddard,
head of the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network, stated that her earlier
mission - achieving an outright ban on chemicals like NutraSweet - has
shifted to public education, so that consumers will be empowered to make
informed health choices for themselves. Both researchers now call upon
a concerned public to share with family and friends the truth about the
many dangers lurking on our supermarket shelves.
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