Is MSG Bad for Diabetics?

We try to eat organic when we can, and also try to avoid additives and artificial ingredients in our food when we can, but for many years we have avoided MSG or monosodium glutamate. I first heard of MSG because my sister discovered she would get intense migraine headaches every time she ate it. MSG is an additive that enhances the flavor of the food. I don’t like the idea that someone can use less real or natural flavors and ingredients, and just use the chemical additive to make the food taste better. However, once I started doing a little more research, I found that some scientists have linked MSG with higher rates of obesity, insulin resistance and possibly, onset of Type 2 diabetes.

Avoiding MSG seemed easy, because we aren’t big Chinese food eaters. I always thought MSG was just used in American Chinese food. But that’s wrong. Some KFC, Chick Fil A, Doritos, and Pringles products and a lot of boxed or canned soups contain MSG.  I personally was excited to discover that MSG is in my mother in law’s Doritos and my husband’s fried chicken sandwich at Chick Fil A, because I didn’t want them eating those anyways. Now MSG is my excuse to tell them to lay off the chips and fast-food fried chicken.

Do your own research and talk to your doctor about whether avoiding MSG is right for you.

Post a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.