MSG, the Secret Ingredient

Have you ever speculated about what an excitotoxin is? (Probably not since many companies prefer you know nothing about them… until now). To define it succinctly, excittoxins are toxic compounds that are known to interfere with brain chemistry and have been the explanation for many neurological and hormonal disturbances. So, how would you feel if you were to learn the food industry hides and disguises excitotoxin additives in your food products so they can’t be recognized? Hopefully you’d be infuriated. One with recognized coverage in the health community is Monosodium Sodium Glutamate (commonly known as MSG). Since its introduction into the American food market almost fifty years ago, MSG is multiplying in usage inside foods we’re tempted to eat everyday: prepackaged meals, soups, snacks, and fast foods. And, not until now, are their effects been known; as a result, we’re paying for it.


MSG is considered a flavor enhancer which was first discovered by Japanese cooks to make food taste better. On its own, MSG doesn’t have much taste, but when added to products like soups and snacks, it can enhance flavor up to eight times its original taste. This emerges as an innovated substance, until its excitotoxin properties were revealed. And evidently, it has been linked to our massive obesity crisis.

Findings show people who eat a considerable amount of products containing MSG are more likely to be overweight. MSG has the capability of interfering with brain’s neurons stimulating appetite so in essence, MSG should be avoided at all cost.

The alarming matter about MSG is that it has been regarded safe by the governing FDA, thus manufacturer can use it as much as they like. Even more upsetting is how these manufacturers use it to their advantage. It’s reported that the principle reason MSG is added to food is to make people eat more of it. Its addictive property can be comparable to cigarettes element, nicotine and manufactures know this. Without any limits on how much can be added to food, people will eat more of if than they would if it wasn’t present. Children are the most at risk so it’s important to be knowledgeable upon this subject.

And we wonder why the nation's overweight?

Top 10 Anti-Aging Tips

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they recognize that eluding the dreadful signs of aging is inevitable. People are just going to accept that we're eventually going to look and feel older. Believe it or not, here are 10 of the best age erasing tips. Although they won’t allow you to overcome time, they thier course of action that will help you feel, look, and stay in your prime.

1.Make you Heart Stronger- With proper conditioning you can increase your cardiac output (amount of blood pumped per minute) and increase your body’s oxygen uptake. With the average heart beating 3 million times, the stronger your heart the longer you can expect to live.

2.Use your Muscles- During a chronic absence of muscle use, you’ll encounter atrophy (muscle loss). The space commonly reserved for muscle is replaced with fat. Since fat occupies 18% more space than a 1lb of muscle, maintaing your weight as you age won’t be so favorable unless you include muscle bearing activities.

3.Limit Alcohol Intake- for those of you who binge, make an effort to limit alcohol consumption to two drinks a day. Any more than two will increase your risk of cardiovascular disease (number one killer of western hemisphere). Also, steer clear of the hard liquors and go for red wine. Red wine contains a compound, resveratrol, that researches suggest may delay or even prevent the onset of chronic diseases.

4.Play Mind Games- As we age, your brain’s capacity to function starts to weaken. It’s a natural occurrence, but we can decelerate the process by deviating from our daily patterns and playing brain stimulating games. Try to do something out of the norm whenever possible. For example, brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand, walking backwards, etc. the experiences will stimulate your brain, redistributing further blood to your gray matter recharging your neurological units.

5.Laughter is the Remedy to All- What is a consequence of aging, Stress. But no worries, you can counteract stress with a simple “knock knock” joke. With laughter, stress can decrease considerably. Not to mention, laughter is great for the heart. With laughter comes an increase in oxygen consumption and vasodilatation (expansion) of blood vessels.

6.Rejuvenate your Skin – The velocity of which your cells renew slows down as you age. At twenty years old, your skin sheds about every two weeks. At the age of fifty, this process may take twice as long. Due to this, your skin loses the protein collagen which keeps the skin intact and compact. This results in wrinkles. Since the face contains the thinnest layer of skin, wrinkles are highly common in this area. Though wrinkles are notorious for making you look older, consider moisturizers which contain retin-A or retinol. These are forms of vitamin A which are acknowledged to create new collagen.

Cultural Impact on Male PE

More often than not, around 30 % of men reach orgasm too soon. Unquestionably, this defines the most common male sexual dysfunction, premature ejaculation. Though Doctors still can’t identify the explanation for this ailment, for the most part, it’s postulated as being a product of psychological problems. Contrary to many beliefs, experts suggest the number of men who seek explanation for the dysfunction may possibly have normal levels of sexual stamina. The spike in patients may essentially be a cultural expectation of “the longer you last, the better you are” (falsifying men’s perspectives). Most men who say they suffer from PE believe they are supposed to last longer than the normal 6 minute threshold. Since there’s nothing wrong with men who consider they should endure longer than 6 minutes. It’s not helpful to relate yourself to a porn star that goes 45 minutes (not realistic) because you will become embarrassed with your own performance.
Coincidently, it not so much an issue of the length of time more so than the satisfaction for both partners. It’s in fact instinctive for a man to try to last longer; however, prolonging a pleasurable experience, with an inaccurate sex education coalesced with the glamorized media will maneuver into this type of misunderstood condition.

The Poison We Eat & Don’t Know

Are you ever astonished by your unfledged ability to pronounce the ingredients on the back of our packaged goods that you consume daily? If you’re like most of the nation, pronunciation of these chemicals is demanding, but it still doesn’t inquire us to question their influence to our health. Well, what we can make certain of is the food industry’s are eradicating real ingredients from food and substituting it with artificial substances. The artificial substances we coin chemical additives, are now a significant part of our diet. But I argue, are they necessary? Interestingly, there is more than 40 different rationales for additives with more and more being added to our daily menu .Though its importance is to enhance flavor, improve texture, preserve food, and add flavor, unless you’re eating unprocessed foods it’s fundamentally impossible to identify what you’re ingesting.

In the past, major concern with most additives is the possibility that they could cause cancer. Luckily, with support from the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) any additive that has been shown to cause cancer in animals or humans at any dose is prohibited. The process is mandatory but just the episode of this previously occurring stirs unease for me. With their prevalence being universal in practically all packaged foods, I guess I have a motive to be concerned. The FDA has included 3,000 ingredients on the FDA safe list. To go through this process the FDA enacted that for any additive to earn approval, it must improve the quality of the food without possessing any hazards to health. Since large amounts of these chemicals may essentially be unhealthful, it is important for everyone to be aware of what they are consuming.

*For further information please visit: Food Additives

10 Health Tips for February

1. LMAO! - Bring humor into your life this month. Whether it’s through friends or possibly family members. Not only does it ease stress and lower blood pressure, it may boost your immune system.



2. Eat Breakfast- An early start on eating ensures your metabolism will function efficiently throughout the day. Eating a nutritious fiber meal decreases hunger late in the afternoon. Have you ever noticed how slim breakfast eaters are compared to those who just rush out the house?


3. Learn to Cook- Think you know how much salt and butter goes into your entrees at restaurants? Think again. If you can cook, not only are you in command of what goes into your meals, but you’re probably going to save money in the long run. As an incentive for you fellas, a man who can cook is a charm for women.


4. Grab your Nuts- Nuts are among the best source of healthy fats and proteins around. Their massive dose of omega-3 effectively boosts brainpower. Just a simple handful can moderate your appetite.


5. Drink Green- Green tea is crammed with heart improving and cancer inhibiting polyphenols that most tea (black tea) doesn’t.

Headphones Cause Hearing Loss

One habit we seem to always disregard is the volume of music we listen to through headphones. We’re inclined to turn up the music up a higher volume over time and permitting our ears to become accustom to it. We develop such a dependence, we eventually max out the volume setting. The brain loves consistency, but unfortunately, both good and bad kind. Research suggests it’s possible to adapt louder sounds and at the same time ,be acclimated to it. I bring up this topic because blasting your favorite tunes for prolonged instances will cause permanent hearing damage. Distinct from every other function in your body, your body has no defense mechanism for exceedingly loud noises. The product of loud noise eventually die off the cells in your inner ear due to the stress placed upon. The fewer the cells, the harder it is to hear. Some may suffer tinnitus which is the constant ringing in the ear.

The best way to break this habit is by retraining your brain on how to perceive lower volume levels as normal. By forcing yourself to listen to music at a lower level, you brain will recognize it as normal after about a week.

Stop Cheating your Muscles!

Continually, at the gym I see the same mistake come about day in and day out. For every additional 10 pounds or so a guy throws on the barbell, he restrain his range of motion. Full range of motion gives us full potential for building strength so why the need for the heavy load that alters our motion? Could it possibly be the inherent trait that actually lifting more weight gives us guys the sense we’re becoming stronger? Well, our full range of motion is frequently overlooked and it must be recognized. What sense gives us the idea to place additional weight on the bar when we’re not ready for the challenge? Failing to see the importance is full range of motion can cause weak spots in your muscles that predispose you to muscle strains (which are muscle tears) and other skeletal muscle injuries. The best approach is to use a complete range of motion, even if it means lifting a lighter load. It may be awkward since your friends will be looking on, but take notice. If you feel similar stress during a lighter load, you’re probably working your muscles in the range of motion they’re weakest in. eliminating these weak spots will transform your body in a new way.

Growth Hormone Effects

Growth hormones are anabolic (tissue-building) hormones that stimulate most body cells to increase in size and divide. Furthermore, they have incredible means to promote protein synthesis, while encouraging the use of fats for fuel. Although the implication for this hormone is imperative for our normal growth cycle, its commercial prevalence, due to technological genetic engineering techniques, has been its down side. The popularity of its synthetic counterpart has caused much unknown outcome of its effect on us.

Commonly, athletes and elderly are primarily tempted to use GH for its body building properties. While it has been publicized that muscle mass will increase through its utilization, there is no evidence for an increase in muscle strength. Supporting evidence displays that only the connective tissue collagen increases not the contractile proteins actin and myosin. Moreover, the excessive use of synthetic GH can ultimately lead to joint muscle pain, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, and a shortened life span.

Is Creatine Safe?

Indeed, creatine is unquestionably the most popular sports supplement of all time. Although its significance has been known for over two decades, only recently has its ergogenic effect been assessed. Numerous studies indicate creatine supplementation coalesced with a highly vigorous resistant training regimen will ultimately elevate muscular strength and fat-free mass. However, does the ingestion of this amine (nitrogen compound) pose any health risks or side affects? To this date, the research in this field is limited but minor side effects have been observed such as nausea, neurological dysfunction, minor gastrointestinal distress, and muscle cramping.