MSG Exposed (Monosodium Glutamate)

I really like jerky, be it beef, turkey or any other kind of dehydrated meat. The problem is just about all of the major brands are flavored with free glutamic acid (MSG) in various forms. In fact, I personally haven’t found any packaged jerky that doesn’t contain MSG. Here we’ll take a look at the big boys of Beef Jerky.

Oberto Natural Style Beef Jerky

Ingredients:
Beef, brown sugar, dextrose, sugar, salt, hydrolyzed corn and soy protein, natural hickory smoke flavor, corn syrup solids, water, vinegar, flavorings, molasses, sodium erythorbate, caramel color, citric acid, sodium nitrite.

At the supermarket I looked at just about all of the flavors and from what I saw they just about all had MSG in some form. I would not recommend Oberto Beef Jerky if you are concerned about consuming MSG (free glutamic acid/glutamate). Soy Sauce was a key component in many brands of beef jerky and turkey jerky that I found. As you should know, soy sauce is very high in free glutamate. Soy sauce also makes the label look “cleaner” as it doesn’t have to list monosodium glutamate.

Pemmican Premium Cut Beef Jerky

Teriyaki Flavor Ingredients:
Beef, Sugar, Water, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Salt, less than 2% of Monosodium Glutamate,, Wine, Vinegar, Flavoring, Brown Sugar, Succinic Acid, Maltodextrin, Corn Syrup Solids, Sodium Nitrite, Lemon Juice Solids, Soy Lecithin. Contains Wheat and Soy

Pemmican doesn’t even hide “monosodium glutamate” in this product.  But as you can see, where there is MSG on a label there is often multiple forms of it, they in a sense piggy-back or stack multiple forms of free glutamate (MSG) in their product and thus the label typically reflects that. The jerky typically tastes very good but that’s exactly why, the monosodium glutamate (MSG) makes it very tasty, but has many health problems at the same time including neurodegenerative disease, obesity and intense food cravings.

Jack Links Beef Jerky

Organic Jack Links Beef Jerky Ingredients:
Beef, water, evaporated cane juice, soy sauce powder (wheat, soybeans, salt, maltodextrin), corn syrup solids, salt, black pepper, garlic, onion.

I listed the organic version of Jack Links Beef Jerky on purpose, we know the regular line has MSG but the “Organic” label can tend to make people think that there is no bad ingredients in the food, and that’s simply not true. As we mentioned earlier in this article there is high amounts of free glutamate in soy sauce and that tends to be why manufacturers love to include it in their products. Soy sauce has a great taste (which is the MSG (free glutamic acid or Umami as the glutamate industry tries to tell us) so that’s why they add it. The regular versions of the Jack Link jerky products contain other forms of MSG (free glutamate) than soy sauce. Typically hydrolyzed corn or soy protein or other forms of hydrolyzed proteins.

Walmart Great Value Beef Jerky

Ingredients:
Beef, Water, Salt, Brown Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, Hydrolyzed Soy & Corn Protein, Flavoring, Monosodium Glutamate, Maltodextrin, Smoke Flavor, Spice, Sodium Nitrate

Walmart also doesn’t hide the MSG in their beef jerky. They also piggyback on their label by adding even more MSG in the form of Hydrolyzed Soy & Corn Protein. Bad, bad, bad, naughty no-no! The best way to enjoy your Beef of Turkey jerky is to make it yourself. You can buy a food dehydrator on the internet or amazon for much cheaper than in a big-box store. Make your own marinades without sauces that contain MSG. You can do it, there are recipes out there that have MSG free ingredients. Use our handy list at Hidden Sources of MSG on Food Labels for a guide to ingredients to stay away from.

Eden Organics Black Beans contain MSG in the form of Kombu "sea tangle"

Eden organics would have you believe that you are eating something organic, healthy and wholesome. But if you know anything at all about MSG (free glutamate) you’d know that simply is not true just by reading their label.

Eden Organics Black Beans

Ingredients
Organic Black Turtle Beans, Water, Kombu Seawood.

“EDEN Organic Black Beans are expertly prepared at our certified organic, circle k kosher cannery in east central Indiana. Beans are washed, soaked overnight and thoroughly cooked with water and a bit of kombu sea vegetable. You don’t taste the kombu, but its natural glutamic acid softens and enhances the flavor of beans. All water that contacts EDEN beans, for washing, soaking, and cooking, is purified water.”

It appears that Eden Organics entire line of canned beans contain MSG in the form of Kombu seaweed. If you buy canned beans the only thing you should see on the ingredient label is: “Beans, water and salt (optional). If there is anything else listed, you don’t need it. If you’re making soup or your own homemade chili with it you can add your own spices so you know without a doubt the content of the food you’re eating.

Remember organic MSG/free glutamic acid is still MSG/free glutamic acid, just as organic rat poison is still rat Poison. It doesn’t matter what you call it, it is what it is.

EdenSoy Organic Soymilk contains MSG in the form of Kombu Seaweed

EdenSoy Original Organics Soymilk

Ingredients:
Purified Water, Organic Soybeans, Naturally Malted Organic Wheat and Barley Extract, Calcium Carbonate, Kombu Seaweed , Sea Salt

Not only does this contain MSG in the form of Kombu Seaweed (sea tangle), but soy is naturally high in glutamate. During processing of soy beans the glutamic acid is released from it’s protein creating free glutamic acid (MSG). Russell Blaylock M.D. states this in his book Excitotoxins. Kombu has been used for centuries in asian cooking to add flavor to their cooking, however, just because it has been used for a long time throughout history doesn’t make it healthy. If this were true we could continue painting our houses with lead-based paint and eat the nutritious paint chips that flake off. Of course, we’ve learned over the years that lead-based paint is not a very good choice for the general publics health. We live and we learn.

I’ve been told that cyanide has a wonderful nutty flavor, that’s natural and could be considered organic, however, just because it tastes good doesn’t mean we should eat.

Eden Organics Wasabi Chips contain MSG (free glutamate)

Wasabi Chips, Hot N Spicy

Ingredients:
Potato Starch, Organic Tamari Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Sea Salt, Grain Alcohol, Koji), Rice Bran Oil, Carrot, Cabbage, Spinach, Bell Pepper, Wasabi (Japanese Horseradish), Parsley, Lettuce, Sea Salt, Potato Syrup (Potato Starch, Barley Malt)

Yes, soy sauce contains MSG, in fact it’s very high in free glutamate. It doesn’t matter if it’s listed at monosodium glutamate, soy sauce, hydrolyzed vegetable protein or yeast extract, they all contain MSG (free glutamate). Period.

Always read the labels to know what you’re buying before you put in in your cart, or in your mouth.