WHY, Cheez-It, WHY!? Why did you DO THIS to your snacks?

Well, I don't like having to write bad reviews about products, especially when it's a BRAND we like. Ugh. We got to try these new crackers from Cheez-Its, and while we initially thought they were pretty awesome, it turns out that there's something BAD in them... 

We buy Cheez-Its frequently because it's one of the few snacks all of us can eat. Original Cheez-Its do not have any MSG, and they are mild enough to not cause me any digestive system problems. They're not the healthiest snack out there, due to the white flour and sodium, but they ARE made with real cheese, and if we're going to snack, there's tons and tons of worse options out there. 

I was really excited to get these in the mail as a sample from Ripple Street. I didn't hesitate to give a bag to my youngest son, and I ate some myself. When I was filming my son's reaction to them, he called them "spicy," which I thought was weird. Then, I noticed the "spiciness" myself and read the packaging. MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! 

So, what's up with this!? 

Do you ever feel "weird" after eating at certain Chinese places, KFC, or packaged snacks such as Doritos? It MIGHT be the MSG.

MSG has been used as a food additive for over a centry. It used to be sold in America as "Super Seasoning" and "Accent". Many food manufacturers often hide the addition of MSG by calling it autolyzed yeast extract, glutavene, calcium caseinate, or sodium caseinate on food nutrition labels. It is also sometimes labeled as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, textured protein, hydrolyzed plant protein, soy protein extract, or “natural flavoring.” Sneaky, right? 

So what's the glutamate part in monosodium glutamate? Glutamate is a natural component of the nervous system. Glutamates are neurotransmitters linked to memory. Apparently though, glutamates are actually toxic to neurons, and in excess, will kill the neurons. Yes, there are glutamates found in foods such as tomatoes and some cheeses, but this is gluatamate in its natural form. To get the "monosodium" part, manufacturers strip off the glutamates and add a single sodium to it, hence "mono" sodium. 

So why can it be bad for you? Well, flooding your system with such an excess of glutamate causes the neurons to fire abnormally, over-exciting and even killing them. (Stroke victims have been found to have an excess of glutamates in their brains) MSG works to trick your brain into thinking that the food you are eating is nutritious and good, and even high in protein since it occurs naturally in protein-rich foods when they are cooked. Then, all that excess glutamate swimming around in your brain gets converted into GABA, another neurotransmitter, which is calming and affects the brain the same way that valium does. GABA is found in several different kinds of anti depressants and anti anxiety medicines. Finally, MSG also stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin, which acts like an ANTI-appetite suppressant. When the blood is flooded with insulin, the blood sugar drops, so you think you are still hungry an hour later, even though you've just (over)eaten.

So basically, when you are eating something containing MSG, your brain thinks that it is eating nutritious food and it calms you into a happy, valium-like lull, making you over-eat. Then, since your blood is now flooded with insulin, you end up still hungry an hour later.  Processed food manufacturers put MSG in their foods to cut costs on the ACTUAL protein they'd otherwise have to put in, and to keep people unknowingly eating and eating and eating multiple portion sizes at a time.

MSG ingestion can cause inflammation of the small intestine, commonly referred to as leaky gut, which will result in symptoms such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. MSG has also been linked to headaches—including a debilitating migraine headache—but this link is far from conclusive for the general public (but believe me, if you are sensitive to MSG, you will KNOW an MSG headache when you get one). 

Over the years, the FDA has received many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG. These reactions — known as MSG symptom complex — include: headache, flushed skin, sweating, tightness in the face, numbness, tingling, or burning in the face or neck, heart palpitations, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, weakness, and a general feeling of not being well. 

Some people may have a sensitivity to MSG in the same way others have food intolerances to things like lactose, gluten, and wheat, which may be why it's been so hard to find a correlation between MSG and health. It is likely that a small population has MSG issues similar to how a different (or overlapping) population has lactose sensitivity or celiac, etc. 

So, shame on you, Cheez-It! You have several products that are perfectly fine without having to add MSG, so WHY WHY WHY do you have to add it to this, or anything else for that matter? UGH! 

Are there any foods you can't eat?