Monosodium Glutamate or MSG is traditionally considered an ingredient that brings out the taste of food. Asians use it in generous amounts when cooking and here in America, MSG is present in a lot of the packaged meals we buy from the grocery, and in foods served in fast food chains and restaurants.
Although MSG may enhance the flavor of food, it also has a negative effect on the body. A study done by a research team at the University of Waterloo shows that MSG causes the pancreas to increase its secretion of insulin. This reaction in turn causes the body to store more fat in the cells resulting in rapid weight gain leading to obesity.
When overweight or obese people start a healthy lifestyle that consists of a healthy diet and regular exercise, their weight loss efforts may still be sabotaged if they do not limit their consumption of MSG. This substance has an addictive quality which explains why we love eating foods that contain it. To make matters worse, it is next to impossible to totally avoid it as most of the foods we prepare at home and those served in restaurants contain MSG.
Once in a while, we indulge in our favorite foods such as when there's a special event to celebrate, when we accomplish an important task or goal, or when we simply want to relax and let loose for a while. However, when this indulgence becomes a regular practice and the urge to eat has become irresistible, then food has become an addiction. This is usually attributed to the consumption of too much MSG.
If you there are certain foods that you seem unable to resist, chances are they contain MSG. Limiting your caloric intake is fine, but it may also be necessary to specifically identify food items that you believe you are addicted to and cross these out of your diet plan. Even if you decide to limit your intake of these foods, the fact that they contain an addictive substance will cause you to cheat on your diet sooner or later. Furthermore, anyone who goes on a diet, especially one that is particularly stringent, develops a feeling of being deprived which increases the desire to cheat even more.
Thankfully, this dilemma can be solved easily. A high-fiber diet offers a lot of health and weight loss benefits and it contains absolutely no MSG. Food sources of fiber include fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grains. You know exactly what it is you are eating and it is up to you if you choose to season your dishes with MSG which of course you would not. Fiber works as a natural appetite suppressant. It creates a feeling of fullness in the stomach so you don't have to struggle with going for seconds or thirds for that matter. Also, it is low in calories so even if you eat a lot of it (which is unlikely anyway), you still wouldn't go beyond your caloric requirement for weight loss. In addition, fiber helps in eliminating cholesterol from your system and it also slows down the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar, the effect of which is a decreased desire to snack on sugary foods.
Counting calories is fine but it is difficult to determine whether the foods you consume are MSG-free. With a high-fiber diet however, you not only avoid MSG, you also get to control your caloric intake, your appetite you're your cravings for unhealthy snacks with little or no effort. It's a win-win situation.
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