Ive been told that nutritional yeast, yeast extract, soy protein and many other vegan foods are “basically MSG”. Is that true?
I’m afraid your information is incorrect. Unfortunately misinformation about MSG borders on hysteria, in some cases. (For instance, there is no way that MSG can be a “neuro-toxin” that kills brain cells by over-exciting them, as you may have read, since dietary glutamate never makes it to the brain and the brain makes all the glutamate it needs by itself!) The foods you mention are not forms of MSG. They contains “free glutamates”. Chemically, MSG is one of these, a family of substances derived from glutamic acid, which in turn is one of the building blocks of proteins. Glutamate is the most abundant amino acid in nature and plays many roles in the body, more than any other amino acid. It’s a building block of protein, and a neural transmitter, among other things. “Free glutamate”, like MSG, is released by breaking down protein molecules. Some foods, including fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, and Parmesan cheese, naturally contain free glutamates. MSG is the monosodium salt of glutamic ac
