A study reported in the New York Times caught my eye, regarding MSG being linked to obesity!
You can read it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/health/nutrition/26nutr.html?_r=1&part...
It caught my eye, because my niece was coming over for lunch one day, and I wanted to make her some mac-n-cheese. At the grocery store, I looked at the ingredient list of some of the popular mac-n-cheese (even the one in the blue box that is most popular and ads are geared toward kids!), and I noticed that monosodium glutamate (MSG) was added!!!
MSG does NOT need to be added to children's foods! there are plenty of other choices out there for mac-n-cheese; some are whole wheat or organic shells and cheese, which are probably better. (and, of course the BEST is making it at home, which is easy to do!).
The study found, among other things, that, "one-third of people who used the most MSG were almost three times as likely to be overweight". It was reiterated that MSG does not "cause" obesity, but they are finding an association (for instance, MSG makes food taste better, so more food may be consumed).
So, now I'm even more surprised that MSG is added to packaged foods marketed towards kids. Sure, I'm not talking about candy or cigarettes, so we can keep this in perspective, but come on! Is this really necessary to add MSG into mac-n-cheese?! I'm going to write a letter to Kraft and let them know my concern and disappointment.