What are Excitotoxins?

We've all seen the laundry lists of unpronounceable ingredients on processed food labels, right? Well excitotoxins are usually hidden in that list and if you want to be healthy, resilient, independent and avoid hidden poisons in the food system then you'll want to know about excitotoxins.

Do you know what chips, cheezies, fast foods, chewing gums, processed foods, toothpaste, sweeteners, salad dressings, candy, soft drinks, sauces and flavourings have in common? You guessed it...they usually contain excitotoxins. Especially if they are produced by the large corporate food processing industry.

Excitotoxins are chemicals either added to food or found in food that cause an overstimulation of the nervous system which can cause cells to be destroyed or act abnormally. These chemicals are found in processed foods of all types. In order to be at your best health these substances should be avoided as they can clearly be more accurately defined as poisons.

The most common excitotoxins are aspartame (an artificial sweetener) and monosodium glutamate (commonly known as MSG).

Why do BIG FOOD companies use excitotoxins?

It’s quite simple..and quite disturbing actually. These huge unethical corporations and the people who run them do not care about the health and wellness of their customers. They use these ingredients to increase sales and profits at any cost. Excitotoxins give them a competitive advantage in the marketplace. This is because when consumed they give the consumer an unnatural “high” or overstimulation of the nervous system which can unnaturally activate the natural “feel good” hormones of the brain. It essentially “tricks” the brain into thinking the substance they are consuming is good for them and leads to increased purchasing and increased consumption behaviour.

The way these chemicals cause damage to the body is by stimulating glutamate receptors. Glutamate receptors are part of the nerve complex that is stimulated by glutamate (an amino acid), and aspartic acid, which is found in aspartame. If these receptors get overexcited, the nerve cells can virtually excite themselves to death. These receptors are found abundantly in the brain, but are also found throughout the body. Glutamate is one of the most abundant neurotransmitters (chemicals that make nerves function) in the brain. It is used to keep the brain alert. The glutamate receptors play a role in learning, memory, endocrine system control and emotions. If you get too much of it, the nerves become overexcited and can malfunction. Furthermore, due to the affects on dopamine receptors and “feel good” hormones consuming products containing excitotoxins can lead to serious addictions.

Another disturbing fact is that the effects many excitotoxins can be cumulative in the body making effects even worse. That diet soda or Chinese food you ate years ago may still be having an adverse effect on your health today. The effects on a fetus, infant or small child can be worse because they are four times more sensitive than adults to excitotoxins. If you combine MSG with aspartame, the negative effects are staggering. Let’s say you eat MSG containing foods like certain chips, a frozen dinner or commercial soups. Your blood glutamate will go way up. A 20 fold increase is not unusual. Then you add a diet soda and your blood glutamate can go up 40 fold, or a 4,000% increase! Almost all processed food has at least one excitotoxin, many have 2 or 3, so effects get worse as you combine the toxins.

If that wasn’t enough bad news already, combine all of these disturbing facts about excitotoxins with the fact that they are usually found in processed commercial products which contain many other unhealthy substances…genetically modified seed oils, refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial food dyes, artificial flavours, propylene glycol, etc…and the list goes on.

Start identifying excitotoxins on labels. When reading the ingredients, look up some innocent sounding terms such as hydrolyzed yeast, autolyzed vegetable protein, soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, whey protein, spices, enzymes, stock, broth, carrageenan, and even the term natural flavors. Any of these terms can (and usually do) mean that the product contains excessive levels of glutamate. If the food is considered a “diet” food, look for aspartame in the ingredient list. Aspartame and other “sweet” tasting excitotoxins are even found in toothpaste, chewing gum and mouth wash products.

Different people will have differing reactions to excitotoxins. Some “lucky” folks have the ability to detoxify them from the body and see little or no reaction. I find that most people will see some reaction, so keep on the lookout for how you feel and what you ate. Very high intake of any excitotoxin can lead to abnormal learning, addictive behaviors, behavioral and emotional issues and even affect the endocrine systems in children. When animals are fed MSG early in life, they quickly become obese, they can develop short stature, small endocrine organs , adrenal glands, thyroid gland, ovaries, testes and pancreas, and a high risk of seizures. Some of these effects are reversible and some are permanent. Makes you wonder why there are excitotoxins in infant formulas from companies such as Nestle and Similac…

It’s just a smart move to limit, or better yet, eliminate all the excitotoxins from your diet. The 2 main excitotoxins are MSG and aspartame. They have been linked to cardiac arrest, seizures, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, certain cancers, fatigue, learning disabilities, obesity, and a host of other health problems. If you are eating out at an oriental restaurant, always order your meal “no MSG, no chicken broth” (in a Thai restaurant, be sure to order “no fish sauce”, it will most likely contain MSG). Never eat any foods sweetened with artificial sweetener. Sucralose is another popular artificial sweetener, which is also very bad, but for different reasons. Make it a habit to regularly shop at a store that does not allow these ingredients on their shelves knowing that you can trust them to not carry any products that contain these additives.

Remember, your nervous system controls everything in your body. Be sure to have a properly functioning nervous system and a diet free of toxins that can cause nervous system damage and you now have a plan for long term good health. If you and your family would like to come to my office for a nutrition evaluation, wellness consultation, biofeedback testing or biofeedback therapy please call my office at 403-507-4488 or you can send us a message by email.

Here are the excitotoxins blog refererences that I used in creating this blog.

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/interview-with-jodi-ledley/#gsc.tab=0

https://www.westonaprice.org/book-reviews/excitotoxins-by-russell-blaylock/#gsc.tab=0

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/msg-root-of-obesity/#gsc.tab=0

https://www.thehighersidechats.com/dr-russell-blaylock-excitotoxins-food-industry-corruption-keeping-us-sick/

If you want to dig in and find more information, Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills by Dr. Russell Blaylock is an amazing resource.