Monosodium glutamate is something worth mentioning. If you read labels, you find it in many things. It is also called by other names. It is an insidious ingredient which wears many ‘hidden faces’. My site is primarily about losing weight.

But, if you are not healthy, lack energy and don’t feel good, you will probably have to look closely at food labels and begin examining all the ingredients in what you eat.

For example, take a look at ingredients in your favorite ‘dip mix’. Inside one particular popular brand pack, the first three ingredients are maltodextrin, (used as a thickener and can spike blood sugar, has no nutrition, can suppress growth of healthy gut bacteria, is made from GMO corn and can cause allergic reactions or side effects) salt and monosodium glutamate (aka: sodium glutamate.)

MSG or monosodium glutamate is used as a flavor enhancer, but there are consequences! Remember, when I said 'what tastes good isn't necessarily good for you'?

The first five ingredients are the largest content. You mix it with about 8 oz. of sour cream, and they say a serving size is 3/4 of a teaspoon! What! Are you kidding me? Who eats that little? If you eat chips and dip, you will at least eat 1/4 of a cup (12 teaspoons) of the dip, minimum! This is especially if you drink alcoholic drinks at the same time.

What I am saying is that you get a huge serving of these first three ingredients. No good. See how you feel after eating it, and I’ll bet you felt better before your first chip. But, how do we stop eating junk food? We need to find substitutes like healthy snacks.

Don’t forget, people who are not necessarily overweight or obese may ‘still’ have ailments, conditions and diseases. Be careful losing weight on some ‘fad’ diet promising 30 lbs. weight loss within a single month.

I lost about 5 lbs. each month taking me about a year to lose nearly 50 lbs. Unlike fad diets, my weight is staying off. Most people end up gaining all the weight they lost right back again. You don’t need to buy a diet plan’s prepared meals. Real unprocessed unrefined food is superior nutrition.

You can bypass a lot of the guesswork involved by reading labels, choosing the right foods and not eating anything processed or refined. If you limit your diet to plant based whole foods, your health problems may completely disappear.

Adopting a plant based diet is as much a lifestyle change as it is a health benefit. I lost almost fifty pounds, my blood pressure dropped markedly, I began feeling much better, had more energy and increased my chances of living to 100 and possibly beyond.

For a much more in depth look at monosodium glutamate and how it’s ‘masked in food’ continue to what is MSG?

Note- contact your doctor before you change your diet.