It is important to understand that our bodies were designed to utilize the nutrients available to us in nature, and not those made in a laboratory. As a result, researchers like neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock have discovered that some additives to our foods, like excitotoxins, may in many cases actually cause brain damage. The brain is a complex organ that requires the proper balance of nutrients and neurotransmitters to function properly.Some of the common names for excitotoxins are MSG, aspartate (Found in NutraSweet), hydrolyzed protein, and natural flavorings. Most consumers who would never purchase foods containing MSG have no idea that “natural flavorings”, “hydrolyzed protein” and “spices” are simply hidden forms of MSG. Any of these additives may contain anywhere from 12% to 40% MSG. You will find these additives in nearly every processed food on your grocer’s shelf, whether it is your health food or regular grocery store.
Blaylock explains in his book, Excitotoxins - The Taste That Kills , that many times manufacturers will even label their food additives as “all natural”. When in fact, as is the case with hydrolyzed protein, it is made from junk vegetables already very high in glutamate, aspartate and cysteine (naturally occurring amino acids that are also naturally occurring excitotoxins). Next, the vegetables are boiled in an acid bath and then neutralized with a caustic soda. The end product is a brown sludge that is highly concentrated in glutamate, aspartate and cystoic acid (converts to cysteine in the body).
Remember above we talked about the brain needing a proper balance of neurotransmitters for optimal functioning. Well, glutamate and aspartate are also neurotransmitters. When these amino acids are added to our food in the highly concentrated forms that they are, they become deadly toxins to the nerve cell receptors and neurons. They literally excite them to death. (Source: ezhealthydiet.com)