Seize The Day Blog

Health-Related Articles & Recipes

Ritz Crackers Ingredient Label Overview

~Ritz Crackers Ingredient Label Overview~

To read the complete article on ingredients, labels, chemical additives, and which to avoid…click here: Ingredients and Ingredient Labels: Be Sure to Read the Fine Print!

Ingredients: Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron), Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid, Vegetable Oil (Soybean and/or Canola and/or Palm and/or Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil), Sugar, Salt, Leavening (Baking Soda and/or Calcium Phosphate), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Soy Lecithin, Malted Barley Flour, Natural Flavor.

Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron)—this type of flour is heavily processed in a way that makes it extremely unhealthy for us to eat. In fact, ingredients like this one are what started the gluten-free trend. People began believing the myth that gluten is the culprit behind their weight gain thus kick starting an entire million-dollar industry. Never once, do they stop to consider the role other ingredients could be playing. If they did, people would soon realize that gluten isn’t the real culprit, ingredients that actually cause the body to store bread as fat (like Unbleached Enriched Flour) rather than energy are (ahealthiermichigan.org).

Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}—an ingredient that gives the impression of being the true, blue natural version of Vitamin B1 (and, therefore, healthy), but is actually a synthetic and chemical form of “Vitamin B1.” Your digestive system will thank you for avoiding this ingredient!

Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}—it acts in the same stealthy way as Thiamine Mononitrate where it both poses to be something healthy and realistically is composed of synthetic/chemical compounds. If you consume too much of this ingredient, which is easy to do due to the fact that it is found abundantly in processed foods and common dietary supplements, your liver could be in danger (smart-publications.com).

Folic Acid—an oxidized synthetic compound that is neither whole food nor is it nutrient rich in any way. It is used to fortify foods, in other words, it strengthens and protects certain products so that they will have a longer shelf life, therefore, increasing sales for the given food company. An ingredient that has the sole purpose of “strengthening” and “protecting” food may sound like a good thing, but by digging a little deeper you will discover that it is completely synthetic, formed through chemical processes, and through the conduction of scientific studies it has been found to cause cancer (chriskresser.com).

Vegetable Oils (Soybean/Canola/Palm/Cottonseed)—Unnatural production process using many synthetic and toxic chemicals (authoritynutrition.com).

Sugar—most likely refined sugar and, therefore, overly processed and stripped of any natural nutrients it may have contained pre-refinement process (globalhealingcenter.com).

Salt—iodized salt (not sea salt) is also known as a leeching agent, meaning it sucks all of the nutrients and minerals out of your body similar to the way an actual leech will suck the blood from its host (Gross, I know).

Leavening (Baking Soda & Sodium Phosphate)—preservative and stabilizer, linked to kidney disease, heart disease, high blood pressure. “Scientists in Vienna found that large amounts of phosphates can kick start the production of a hormone called FGF23 in the bones, which puts strain on the heart and can lead to h.b.p.” (huffingtonpost.ca).

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)—the worst kind of sugar out there for a multitude of reasons, but mostly because it is linked to many other health problems beyond obesity. “Through massive advertising campaigns by the Corn Refiner’s Association’s attempt to dispel the myth that HFCS is harmful and no different than cane sugar. It is a “natural” product that is a healthy part of our diet when used in moderation. Except for one problem. When used in moderation it is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay, and more” (drhyman.com)

Soy Lecithin—most do not know that soy or soy byproducts (such as soy lecithin) are actually code names for MSG (you know, that horrible ingredient found in the majority of processed foods. I mean, who’s idea was it to add an ingredient to food that is literally “worse for your health than alcohol, nicotine and many drugs” (articles.mercola.com)?) Someone who cares more about the money in their pocket than the state of our health, that’s who! Soy Lecithin, like most of the other ingredients found in Ritz Crackers, is highly processed and contains many toxic chemicals due to this process. Read more about Soy Lecithin and why you should avoid it here.

Malted Barley Flour—codename for MSG and contains enough MSG to cause anyone with a sensitivity to this ingredient to have a mild-severe reaction depending on the person. “This is sprouted barley…it is only added to flour when the wheat quality that season is poor…it does contain some MSG, but the problem is that the enzymes released in sprouting begin to break down the protein of the wheat flour it is added to, creating more MSG” (naturalnews.com). Fantastic, a product that not only contains MSG but produces it, as well! Here’s my advice, even if you do not have a sensitivity to MSG (like myself, for example) avoid it like the plague!

Natural Flavor—another codename for MSG, may contain up to 20% MSG, not even Organic products containing this ingredient are safe! “MSG, Aspartame and bugs in your food are all considered “natural flavors” and “natural colors”…the line of distinction between foods labeled “all natural” and cancer causing food is not only blurred, it barely exists…regulations for the word ‘natural’ only apply to flavors; anywhere else you find it on food packaging means absolutely nothing regarding quality. Secondly, the FDA definition of ‘natural flavors’ and ‘natural flavoring’ allows for the substance to be extracted from plant or animal ‘matter.’ So when you buy something organic, vegetarian, or vegan, and it has ‘natural flavoring,’ you could be eating a pig, cow, turkey, chicken, or lamb which was shot up with growth hormones, fed GMO pesticide-laden corn and grain – probably mixed with other animals of it’s same breed, then shot up with antibiotics due to infections and diseases from living in confined quarters on slats covered in feces” (naturalnews.com). Some people might consider this quote to be “TMI,” but people need to know the truth about ingredients like Natural Flavoring because the sooner you make the decision to cut it completely from your diet, the closer you will be to getting healthy from the inside out.

 

Sources:

1) https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2011/07/26/whats-in-your-food-enriched-flour-tops-list-of-unhealthy-ingredients/

2) www.livestrong.com/article/313249-the-side-effects-of-thiamine-mononitrate/

3) www.smart-publications.com/articles/excess-vitamin-B2-riboflavin-can-be-toxic/

4) http://chriskresser.com/folate-vs-folic-acid/

5) http://www.authoritynutrition.com/6-reasons-why-vegetable-oils-are-toxic/

6) http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/sugar-problem/refined-sugar-the-sweetest-poison-of-all

7) http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/05/07/unhealthy-ingredients-phosphates_n_5280250.html

8) http://drhyman.com/blog/2011/05/13/5-reasons-high-fructose-corn-syrup-will-kill-you/

9) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/18/soy-can-damage-your-health.aspx

10) http://chriskresser.com/harmful-or-harmless-soy-lecithin/

11) http://www.naturalnews.com/039109_MSG_hidden_ingredients_taste_enhancer.html

12) http://www.naturalnews.com/036308_natural_flavors_MSG_aspartame.html

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): The Ingredient That Should Come with a Warning Label

IMG_2778

In my previous post on Catamenial Epilepsy, I touched briefly on the topic of Monosodium Glutamate, a food ingredient more popularly known as MSG. Many restaurants and food companies pride themselves on the exclusion of this ingredient in their products. Why do they do this? I know that whenever I hear anyone mention MSG it is usually because they are trying to avoid it. Over the last few years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has supposedly been making an “effort” to keep it out of our foods (whether this is actually true or not will be discussed below). So, why is this ingredient so bad? Judging by the many restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores (like Trader Joe’s, for example) that have made a serious effort to advertise the lack of MSG within their products, I think it’s safe to say that society in general knows this ingredient is bad.

However, most people don’t know why it’s bad or even the extent to which it can harm the human body. These important details aren’t discussed like they should be. You have the right to know what you’re putting into your body, so keep on reading because you won’t find anything sugar coated in this blog post.

What is Monosodium Glutamate?

A good start to understanding MSG and its harmful effects is to first understand what it is. By breaking down the intimidating “Monosodium Glutamate,” you will find nothing more than a man made chemical. That’s right; MSG isn’t even a naturally occurring ingredient that we have been eating by mistake all these years. No, it is a man made chemical that has been purposely added to many foods and products. You’re probably thing right about now, ‘Why on Earth would anyone do something so idiotic?’ The answer is money.

This synthetic substance is cheap to make and it enhances real food flavors to be more fresh, savory, and heartier than they actually are. Many times this “enhancement” of flavor is also disguising the true poor quality of a food. It originates in Asia and has made its way around the world and into most of our processed foods. The fact that MSG is dominantly found in processed food presents an even bigger issue due to the fact that a typical American diet is filled with these food products.

Dr. Mercola gives an excellent description of the actual makeup of MSG in his amusing, yet appropriately named article MSG: Is this Silent Killer Lurking in Your Kitchen Cabinets: “It’s a misconception that MSG is a flavor or “meat tenderizer.” In reality, MSG has very little taste at all, yet when you eat MSG, you think the food you’re eating has more protein and tastes better. It does this by tricking your tongue, using a little-known fifth basic taste: umami. Umami is the taste of glutamate, which is a savory flavor found in many Japanese foods, bacon, and also in the toxic food additive MSG.”1

How does Monosodium Glutamate affect our bodies?

Here’s the biggest problem lying within the chemical makeup of MSG: glutamate. This ingredient also happens to be a naturally occurring amino acid within the human body that multiple organs, like the brain and nervous system, use as a neurotransmitter to carry out certain bodily functions (Dr. Mercola). Consuming MSG results in the elevation of glutamate levels within the body, thereby interfering with the stability of neurotransmissions between organs.   

MSG is also considered an excitotoxin, “which means it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees — and potentially even triggering or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and more” (Dr. Mercola). Dr. Mercola has a lot of great information on MSG, the dangers of this ingredient and how to avoid it. I strongly encourage everyone to read his article (link provided above); I guarantee you will gain some vital insight into the silent killer known as MSG.

Due to the fact that processed foods are such a large part of the average American’s diet, men, women, and children are flooding their bodies with glutamate. Companies using this ingredient are choosing to jeopardize our health in order to save a few extra bucks in production costs.

Although the FDA has made some efforts at getting “Monosodium Glutamate” off the ingredient list of many foods, the organization has made an even greater effort in creating code names for MSG. The fact of the matter is you can no longer assume that just because “Monosodium Glutamate” isn’t listed, MSG is not present within a food or product. This is why avoiding MSG completely can be such a challenge. Some code names for MSG are Natural Flavors, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Soy, and Carrageenan. There are over 40 different hidden ingredients containing MSG, click here to read a full list. Be sure to also read the “Reminders” section found below the list of ingredients, the site gives some really great tips on how to avoid MSG in common foods.

How MSG impacts my body

MSG has certainly had quite the impact on my state of health since I was first diagnosed with Catamenial Epilepsy in 2009. Many people can eat MSG without having an extreme reaction to it, but, unfortunately for me, I am not one of those people. No, MSG has long been an enemy of mine. Shortly after my diagnosis, I discovered that I had also developed an allergy to the ingredient. My allergic reaction came in the form of grand mal seizures and was caused by the weakening of my Blood Brain Barrier. (To learn more about the Blood Brain Barrier, click here, and scroll down to the bottom of the post.)

Due to my extreme allergy, I was forced to cut MSG out of my diet completely. Now, I avoid processed foods at all cost. I try to eat 100% Organic (sometimes there are certain foods that are absolutely impossible to find Organic), and all of my meals are cooked from scratch using recipes. I have found that from scratch baking is the best way to keep MSG out of my diet. At 16 years old it was hard to give up processed foods like Oreos and Cheetos Puffs, but today, as a 22-year-old woman, I have realized that it was the best thing I could have done for my body.

Ready to cut MSG out of your diet?

Did you know that MSG makes you want to keep eating even when you’re full? It’s like an addictive ingredient that tricks your body into thinking it needs more food when, in actuality, it needs less. With food additives like this, it’s no mystery why obesity has become such a large issue in America. Cutting MSG filled foods from my diet allowed me to rid my body of synthetic ingredients by replacing them with naturally healthy foods. No chemicals, just vitamins…a very beneficial change!

If you are experiencing health problems, I sincerely recommend evaluating your diet. It made a world of difference in the stability of my epilepsy and the overall quality of my life. It can be so easy to rely on medications to fix the problems we experience, rather than becoming proactive in alternative ways. Sometimes you are the only source capable of healing not only the symptoms, but the cause of your health issues, as well. I understand that overcoming any problem is a challenge, which is why I like to think of my health as an elephant. How do you swallow an elephant? One bite at a time. By thinking of it as a step-by-step process, everything becomes less overwhelming. So, seize the day, take control of your health and let your first bite of whatever your elephant is be your diet.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Medical Disclaimer:

The information posted on Seize the Day Blog, including but not limited to, articles, images, recipes, text and other material are shared for informational purposes only. None of the writings should be looked upon as advice meant to replace that of an actual medical professional. If you suspect you have a serious medical condition you should seek help from a healthcare professional immediately. Please be aware that the author of this website is posting information simply to inform NOT to recommend others about health-related topics. Before following any information (i.e. undertaking a new healthcare or diet routine) found here on Seize the Day Blog, you should always consult a medical professional first. Please be sure to never disregard any medicinal advice because of something you have read on this website. 

Sources:

1Dr. Mercola. “MSG: Is this Silent Killer Lurking in Your Kitchen Cabinets.” Accessed on July 28, 2015.

<articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/21/msg-is-this-silent-killer-lurking-in-your-kitchen-cabinets.aspx>