Excitotoxins.

I love my grandma dearly and have always loved her foods, but she now uses splenda in literally every vegetable she cooks. It used to be sugar, which I would rather not have, but it would be better than splenda. I easily pick out the taste in foods and know how it makes me feel so I don't eat it.

I wanted to delve into the dangers of splenda and other excitotoxins and what exactly it does, so I am using an article that I found that explains it well.

'Excitotoxins are basically amino acids that also function as neurotransmitters in the brain. But when brain cells are exposed to this chemical in large amounts (through dietary consumption), they become over-excited. During this stage, the nerve and brain cells fire their impulses rapidly until they reach extreme exhaustion, a near-death state.

Commonly found in canned soups, diet soda, sausages, salad dressing and processed vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. Excitotoxins are used as a flavoring agent in most such foods, but an over-dose of it can destroy the nerve cells. Since the protective enzymes in a baby’s brain are not fully developed, they are unable to detoxify the Excitotoxins that enter its brain. This is why pregnant women and young children should completely avoid foods containing even small amount of Excitotoxins.

The two most common forms of Excitotoxins are – Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG) and Aspartate. Glutamate is a prevalent additive and is used in a many food products. MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing rats (and humans) to become obese. It can also cause brain damage in your children, and that this chemical could effect how your children’s nervous systems formed during development so that in later years they may have learning or emotional difficulties. It’s crazy that FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food. They claim it’s safe to eat in any amount. MSG manufacturers and the processed food industries are always on a quest to disguise the MSG added to food. Below is a partial list of the most common names for disguised MSG. Remember also that the powerful excitotoxins, aspartate and L-cystine, are frequently added to foods and according to FDA rules require NO LABELING AT ALL.

Food Additives that ALWAYS contain MSG

Monosodium Glutamate

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

Hydrolyzed Protein

Hydrolyzed Plant Protein

Plant Protein Extract

Sodium Caseinate

Calcium Caseinate

Yeast Extract

Textured Protein (Including TVP)

Autolyzed Yeast

Hydrolyzed Oat Flour

Corn Oil

Aspartate is another excitotoxin that is widely used as an artificial sweetener in soft drinks, cereals, ice creams and so on. Aspartame (pre-cursor to aspartate) is known to cause various neuropsychiatric disorders such as panic attacks, mood swings, dizziness, blackouts and visual hallucinations.'

via www.bewellbuzz.com