Scan the can for MSG
MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a synthetic version of the flavour known as umami (the taste was named by a Japanese scientist). The flavour occurs naturally in some foods, including Parmesan cheese, soy sauce and mushrooms, and it’s a prominent part of Asian cooking. MSG went out of favour when it became associated with headaches and other unpleasant symptoms but the food industry still sneaks it in as a flavour enhancer. How to find it? Check out the ingredient list on the labels of prepared foods – on soups, for example. Keep reading, because it’s pretty far down on a long list (although if there is no MSG, that’s usually prominently mentioned at the top).
MSG is sometimes listed under its own name but often under other names, among them “hydrolysed soy protein, autolysed yeast, and sodium caseinate, but these are not interchangeable names for MSG,” says Bannan.
The latest research, however, suggests that there are benefits of MSG if individuals don’t have side effects from it. According to a study in Neuropsychopharmacology, for example, researchers evaluated changes in the brains of women after they consumed chicken broth with or without MSG. They found that added MSG lit up areas of the brain connected to satisfaction and better eating control.
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Source: RD.com
