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Aspartame, Dangers of Aspartame, Dangers of Msg, frizztext sotry challenge G, gafas, gallo, garrobo, glutamato monosodico, guitarra, Msg
G for Gallo (Rooster) – Jama Ecuador
We’ve reached G in Frizztext’s Alphabet Challenge, and here is a short sampler of Spanish words that start with the letter G.
G for Gallo/Rooster – Santa Teresa, Ecuador
Garzas – Mangroves/Rio Jama -Manabi Ecuador
Egrets and herons are often lumped into the category of ‘Garza.”
Costa Rica – Iguana “Garrobo” Sunning in Backyard!
A large iguana is called a Garrobo in Costa Rica. After iguana/garrobo, we come to Guitarra, a no brainer! Do you know the word for sunglasses?
(Monticristi, Ecuador) Guitar = Guitarra (That’s an easy one!) – So; what’s the Spanish word for sunglasses?
El Matal, Ecuador
Gafas de sol are sunglasses. My friend Barb paused for this photo before enjoying her beach-restaurant feast!
Now it’s time to get serious for the final word that begins with G. Long ago I was taught that miners took a caged bird into the mine/cave to monitor dangerous gas levels while they worked. If the bird died, that was a signal to get out pronto!
Some people are the ‘canaries’ when it comes to food additives. I have a sensitivity to aspartame and to MSG and can tell within a few minutes if I’ve eaten food tainted with MSG. Both are neurotoxins, also called excitotoxins, and they stimulate and kill your brain cells.
MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) is called Glutamato Monosodico in Spanish, and I am appalled at how it’s tainting the food supply throughout Latin America.
MSG, a brain excito-toxin, creeps into the food chain in Latin America.
Check That Hot Sauce Label for MSG
Bags of pure MSG are often sold in the spice section of many local markets. Aji-No-Moto is another name for MSG, and I (wrongly) first associated aji-no-moto with hot peppers (Aji=hot peppers in Ecudaor)… Sazon is another word that often suggests CONSUMER BEWARE! Check the mustards, tomato juice cocktails and the hot sauces. Many have MSG, though thankfully some don’t!
MSG hides behind words like vegetable protein, yeast extract, natural flavorings, and many more. Almost always, chicken bouillon cubes, instant soup mixes and ready-to-use breaded seasonings have glutamato monosodico. Most highly- seasoned chips are tainted with MSG; if someone handed you a capsule and said, ‘Here; have a bit of neurotoxin – guaranteed to destroy brain cells,‘ would you take it? Heavens no, but many people think nothing of consuming products that contain excitotoxins. MSG is also linked to weight gain! Wake up world! You might not have a reaction, but those chemicals are a silent poison to your body!
MSG and Aspartame – both are also linked to weight gain!
I’ll never forget my first reaction to MSG – classic Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. I feared that if I stood up, I would faint! I dodged Chinese food for years but became sensitive to MSG in other food items. My feet swell; my fingers swell, and I drink large amounts of water to flush the toxins from my system.
About ten years ago I had a mysterious MSG reaction, and I thought, “What on earth am I eating that contains MSG?” I was dizzy and felt drunk and confused; each day I was worse. Suddenly I suspected that I was poisoning myself with a drink that I thought was good for my health! I dashed to the refrigerator and confirmed that the tomato juice cocktails had MSG. I had been drinking those for days! Silly me!
Aspartame? Please, if you drink diet drinks, STOP NOW! Twenty years ago I started having unexplained double vision. Doctors never figured out what was wrong, but I stopped using aspartame-sweetened products, and the symptoms went away. Five years later, I began drinking nutra-sweet lemonades, and I lost my vision for 24 hours. The doctors were baffled and found no cause. They agreed that I was lucky to get my vision back; I am sure that aspartame was the trigger.
99% Ajinomoto (left) y “Resaltador de Sabor (MSG) in Yellow Mustard (right)
Glutamato Monosodico. Please beware of this neurotoxin and its cousin aspartame. Thanks, Frizztext, for allowing me to stand on the soapbox and remind everyone to beware of excitotoxins!
Z
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
You had me at GALLO. Great, great post.
thank you so much! that made me smile! z
All those nasties. Yuck. We have to be very careful with reading labels but then the manufacturers make the writing so small that I need a magnifying glass to see it.
You are so right about the fine print! Thanks, amiga! Z
I watch out for MSG – not because of any noticed side effects, but because it is unnecessary and not good for anyone – but wasn’t aware of the other terms that “hide” it in products. Yeast extract! Really! Thank you for the good information!
thank you so much for your feedback! i admire you for watching out for msg, even if you don’t have the reactions. wise woman!
thanks again,
lisa/z
Great gallo! But I share your concern about MSG. And why should it be necessary on a continent with so much taste in their food. If only peolpe could cook themselves..the problem is it is everywere. Too bad.
hey! thanks for your comment; “Great Gallo!” that sounds like a new line from a batman movie!
i notice that the younger generation is quick to use pre-mixed seasonings — it’s so much easier for them to add it to foods and – presto- they have a tasty entree! most of the people aren’t aware that the msg is included, and that it’s bad for one’s health.
it’s sad that the problem is everywhere.
thanks for your feedback.
z
great blog for critically needed information…I too love the gallo !
thank you dear friends! sending you extra love and energy. z
I soooooo remember your “fainting” spells! Especially once when we were helping Charlie Boy with the horse pasture wooden fence beside your home. He was on the garden tractor FLYING around the yard and you fell out in his path! I quickly yelled at you to MOVE and help push you out of the way as he continued on his path without hesitation! haha….I had forgotten about that!
hey! i had forgotten as well! my thermostat must have been overheated, which made my blood pressure fall. i remember fainting after knocking the hole in my knee/barrel racing, and i remember almost fainting in the cattle gap after the horse broke its leg…. and … and .. and… and i eventually learned how to dodge the fainting spells!
i think of you every single time i see lima beans at the produce market! the aroma takes me back to minnie’s section of the house!
thanks for the comment!
lisa
Hi Lisa,
Great article, most informative.
Are you familiar with the GMO problem?
I don’t know about Ecuador but we are getting GMO food in Belize.
Great info on Australian site if you are interested.
organicgardener.com.au
Save our seeds blog
Monika
oh yes, i’m very familiar with the GMO – in fact i buy bulki popcorn in town and always wonder about that source.. i’m getting ready to plant some of those seeds and the offspring will surely be healthier!
thanks for the site;; it’s opening now!
thanks, also, for your feedback!
Z
Wow this is some serious stuff. I remember reading about how dangerous MSG is but never knew anyone that had these life-threatening reactions. I’m glad that we cook from scratch w/o the use of pre-mixed spice packages, etc. I’m so glad you shared this information. So how do you protect yourself when you eat at restaurants? I would think you order with specific questions and instructions?
hey
i always ask at a chinese restaurant, and they – of course – are educated and know why i ask and always give great service. other times, they truly don’t have any idea why i am making a ‘fuss’ about what goes into my food, but the word ‘allergy’ helps. sometimes it slips through, like last night, the tomato sauce on my shrimp must have come from a packet.. it was delicious, but my feet started stinging and i thought, ‘uh oh.’ i drink lots and lots of water, which seems to help flush it on out. i’ve read that magnesium helps…
usually i request ‘ala plancha’ and request garlic and little more.. add lemon after that, and it’s high quality and tasty and healthy. if the soup has a yellow tint, almost always there’s the chicken bouillon, so i pass on the soup.
of course, cooking at home is the best choice, and my feet stay skinny!
z
Very informative, the first time I heard you about MSG I started to check all the product´s label from my family’s restaurant ¡I felt disappointed! Aji-no-moto, soy sauce, mustard, magui all of those products are part of the basic ingredients here, it´s really hard to change their feed habits, our customers are always worry about food´s flavor but they never ask: what do this food have? We used to ask people any suggestion for our restaurant and nobody told us nothing about ingredients so I understood the main problem here: We don´t know what we are eating and nobody cares.
what a great comment, because YOU care, and you can begin to help make a change. i often help/teach others how to make their own spices… paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne or jalapeno powder, dried parsley… they use it until they run out and then usually resort to the convenience of ready-made!
most people truly aren’t aware of the ingredients in the spices, and many times it will say ‘all natural,’ so they think they’re selecting something healthy.
there is one restaurant in town that is interested in being as health conscious as possible. i think i am going to design a great big ‘award’ for them to display inside and outside that says, ‘MSG Free Restaurant,’ and ‘Aspartame Free Restaurant.’ Then others will start asking, ‘What’s MSG and what’s aspartame?’ and hopefully the community will become better informed. My hope would be to stay really busy making new awards for the other restaurants – wouldn’t it be great if the town became known as a town full of heathy-conscious restaurants?
That’s my plan, anyway, and hopefully it will make a difference.
Thank you again for your heart-felt comment, and I am sure you can make a difference. It’s sometimes hard to find a way to nudge someone into new habits.. it takes a while.
Lisa/Z
i just read your comment again, and your last sentence, ‘nobody cares.’
i care. you care. we can make a difference.
You’re right!!! 🙂
Wow! Thanks for sharing the Spanish name for MSG. I’ll be on the lookout for that nasty additive, now. It simply amazes me how we are slaves to food additives…less so in Central America, but it’s on the increase. I’m so grateful that we have a fresh supply of fruit and vegies from our garden.
Yes, it’s great when you know what’s going into your food, and where that food came from!
I hope that sweet Ometepe is msg free! z
Being a physician, I was skeptical about the reputed dangers of aspartame and had consumed many gallons of diet Coke and Pepsi up until the last couple of years. Then reports started appearing in the medical literature that contrary to what we were lead to believe, diet drinks seem to cause as much weight gain as the sugary kind consequently leading to our epidemic in the U.S. of obesity, especially amongst children and consequently diabetes. So I have stopped drinking diet drinks. Fruit juice is better!
good for you, doc!!!!
here in ecuador, the company ‘juan valdez’ sells a brown sugar/stevia blend that is very good. one only needs half or less than the normal, so i feel really good about using that product! a small pint of natural honey is five dollars, so i am frugal with that!
thanks so much for your comment!
lisa
I’ve got my fork and knife too!!! when do we eat?
tonight! come on down! z
I’m jealous of your friend Barb, not only because she’s there but she has CRAB!!!!!!!!!!!! I love crab LOL 🙂
she and another friend, laura, came down to help with the first show of the mola series. it was nice having a little ‘down time,’ and you surely understand that!
z
Man if only….. 🙂
Thank you – excellent post!!!
you are very welcome! thanK YOU!
I love the gallo – and all the G’s, except for MSG. I’m with you – it’s bad, bad stuff. I try to stay away from “fake” sweeteners, too, for the most part. I learned about MSG way, way back in the 70’s in NYC, when it became an issue at Chinese restaurants. Before too long, people knew why they felt dizzy/sick and many Chinese restaurants began to tout the fact that they did not use it. It’s nowhere near as prevalent here anymore as in Latin America. Good thing you’re paying attention, but I guess your body will do it for you. To your health!!
Just read your reply to silvana – do it!
Thank you; yes, it’s incubating, though it’s going to take a little more time w/the restaurant.. i noticed their hot sauce had msg in it! little by little, i don’t want to offend them or make them think i’m judging them!
I travel through your post….love to see the products of the places…that gallo remainds of the ranch we had in Mexico…will try to post something with the letter “G”
doris, your life sounds very interesting! how great that you have ‘ranch life’ in your blood! z
So here is my post about the letter F, will make a post about the rancho…I was very young that time but it was fun ….http://miartedoris.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/la-guelaguetza/
“MSG hides behind words like vegetable protein, yeast extract, natural flavorings, and many more.” That is scary. One truly has to be a food sleuth. Thanks for the info. Good advice.
you are so welcome! thank you amiga!
Love the fun G photos! MSG is scary… Thank you so much for posting the information, z!
you are so welcome.. i am by no means a medical person, but i know the scary things that have happened to me and i have learned a lot because of those scary moments. thanks for your comment!
z
Great photoes especially the lady with the shades and is that a lobster lunch?
you are right! lobster lunch!
your most-recent post was great! the drawing and the quote are like glimpsing into the heart of a genius! thanks so much for sharing! z
Soap box, shmoap box! Good to know. Be aware and take good care. G
thanks, amiga! again there you are making others smile! z
I’m really sad to know that so many MSG laced foods are on the shelves in Ecuador. Sigh… Thank you for standing up on your soap box re MSG and aspartame. I also avoid both those “additives”. To me aspartame tastes like chemicals – I cannot understand how people don’t mind the taste. If you want sugar add sugar for pete’s sake.
Love the pictures of the rooster and your friend in the sunglasses about to enjoy her lovely meal.
thanks, rosie! i’m not surprised that you are msg and aspartame savy! yes, enjoy sugar for sugar and cut calories elsewhere! though as you know, sugar’s not good for us either! i now use a half mix of brown sugar/stevia that’s very satisfying. z
I like to learn Spanish step by step with your illustrated dictionary, Z!
P.S.:
found again a colored Zebra: at
+
thanks! that’s a well-painted watercolor! the washes are clear and have a great flow of colors. i’ll share this with my friend mary, who painted that great ‘rainbow zebra’!
now I’ve even found a Zebraceros:
http://www.worth1000.com/tutorials/161104/161104-zebraceros
+
amazing, and what a great tutorial!!!!
thank you so much for passing this along!
z
I already knew of course guitarra – I had a spanish guitar teacher – cristina rico – but now I’ll say gigerigi instead of kikeriki!
that seafood dish in front of your friend is HUGE and looks so delicious. MSG has been well documented over here and many products make a point of putting “no msg” on their packaging, I always look for that
My younger son discovered on his own while in college that the aspartame in his soft drink was giving him headaches. And I’m glad you mentioned Chinese foods which are full of MSG — sad to say. Good blog, Z. Thanks for the health tips!
G for great, gorgeous post. Once again, adventure came my way through your posts plus lots of smiles and joy to go. Thanks. Have a fun weekend.
thank you! i’m glad you enjoyed the post! igualmente – have a great weekend as well!
You had me at gallo as well. Love the shots of the rooster. As for MSG, I am right there with you Z.
i love how everyone loves the gallo!!!!! thank you so much for the comment that made my smile widen! z
🙂 This is by far the best rooster photo I have ever seen.. I would be proud to call it my own :). WOW!
WOW! thanks! i liked the image but did not expect so many others to like it as well! thanks, i’m honored! z
P.D. y por que no pusiste un autoretrato para “guapa”? 🙂
i smile! i had guapo and guapa listed, then when pondering which image to select and the hundreds of ones to edit, it was too difficult of a task! i did not want any of my friends to wonder, ‘why didn’t she use an image of me?’
in fact your gravatar is a great example of GUAPA!
😉 😀 gracias Z. Besos….
con mucho gusto, guapa!
You always have such vivid, amazing pictures! But why do I get the feeling that this is the poor rooster’s last hurrah? Is he dinner?
thanks, i have many photo ops.. too many, and i am often behind on managing photos!
i wondered that about the rooster as well; maybe he was going to be put out to pasture?
Gracias. The only g word in Spanish I know, but it seemed to apply.
The best rules seem to be: eat local, cook from scratch, and buy packaged products with the fewest ingredients.
I did find out something that amazed me. I love ice cream. It’s my downfall, even more than chocolate. But I started really comparing, and discovered that the ingredient lists on most ice creams sound like a course in better-living-through-chemistry. Then, I heard about Talenti Gelato. The ingredient of my favorite, mint chocolate chip, are eggs, milk, cream, cane sugar and fresh (!) mint. Now, here’s the kicker. The half-cup serving has fewer calories than the so-called “light” ice creams. Go figure.
Anyway – you’re absolutely right about the aspartame and MSG. There’s no need for them. Begone!
“authorization_required: An active access token must be used to comment” what on earth is going on today w/wordpress? i keep getting this on random comment forms, and this is for a comment on my own post!! i’ll try sending again!
that ice cream sounds wonderful! i prepared a fresh-mint-.hibiscus tea today for the local ‘doctora.’ we are reading ‘veronica decides to die’ – english versions – to help her english skills, but i am also learning more spanish! we worked til dark today, and i’m all but brain dead! ’tis good for the brain cells for sure!
z
We saw MSG for sale here too and I was very surprised. I thought it was well known by now that it isn’t a good thing. I figured if they sold it that way, it was probably hidden in other things too so I’ve been checking labels and yep, it’s in a lot of other things. Thanks so much for the heads up! and for all the other photos too. We have a gallo here who likes to wake us up at sunup sometimes, and he’s lucky my husband hasn’t turned him into sopa de pollo!
oh yes, those gallos like to crow at the moon, and many people threaten to choke them and turn them into sopa!
tspeaking of, he maggi chicken bouillon cubes almost always have msg as well.
thanks, i’m glad you try to dodge the msg!
z
Good for you with your soapbox. I would NEVER drink those diet drinks. MSG is also a no-no. Was your friend intending to eat all of that meal? 😀
She is a petite bundle of energy, and her nickname is hummingbird. Yes, hummingbird devoured her meal!
Thanks! I’m glad that you agree about msg and aspartame. z
Have always shunned aspartame, But wasn’t aware MSG had such drastic side effects. Thanks for the warning Lisa.
you are so welcome, amiga! si, they are both ‘excito toxins/neuro toxins.
here’s to being healthy!
z
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