(NaturalHealth365) Did you know that most processed foods contain additives that are known to cause brain damage and place us at risk for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease and dementia?

Unfortunately, these “excitotoxins” (like aspartame) can be found in just about all heavily processed foods, meaning many canned, bottled and boxed foods.  To be clear, the science swirling around about these dangerous substances is pretty grim, as you’ll see.

Excitotoxins: How the food industry has hijacked your brain and willpower

Do you know that one common excitotoxin, L-cysteine, is made of human hair combined with poultry feathers?  How sick is a system where scientists actually spend this much time trying to hijack the human brain in order to create an addiction to a food that will destroy human health, make it impossible for you to stay slender and healthy, and to simply live a happy, healthy life?

To know the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signs off on this, as well as the arsenic used to set off the inflammatory response in poultry, and the hormones given to cattle to fatten them up, one wonders why America is one of the few countries poisoning its own food supply.

This is why a clean, organic diet full of whole foods is so important.

How highly toxic food additives are linked to obesity and brain lesions

For many years, Russell L. Blaylock, MD has openly talked about how excitotoxins destroy the brain and cause a shocking number of cancers, Alzheimer’s disease plus many other neurological disorders.

To be perfectly clear, these toxic substances are proteins which excite brain cells and cause them to die.  In case you’re wondering, they can be found under such names as, monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame (NutraSweet), cysteine and hydrolyzed protein.

But, how are excitotoxins linked to obestiy?

Basically, it’s because – when consumed – they can cause lesions in the brain that directly impact our ability to process leptin, the hormone that signals the brain that we are full and that it’s time to stop eating.  For example, animal studies with rats given MSG get grossly obese.

In addition, researchers from the University of North Carolina conducted a study in rural China and discovered that individuals who used the most MSG – when preparing meals – are the ones most likely to be obese, no matter how many calories they ate a day or their levels of physical activity.

Exposing the list of common excitotoxins to avoid

There are over 70 known excitotoxins that are added to our food today to make them more tasty, appealing, a food that we will crave to the point of distraction . . .

One frightening fact regarding aspartame is that this common sweetener is actually composed of three excittoxins/neurotoxins: aspartic acid, methanol, and phenylamine. The trouble with this is that excitotoxins are doubly or triply damaging to one’s health when more than one is combined, and here we have three powerful excitotoxins combined.

 Common foods that contain excitotoxins

• Bacon bits
• Salad dressings
• Frozen dinners like Stouffer’s, Lean Cuisine, Hungry Man
• Vegetarian “convenience” foods
• Soy sauce
• Spice blends
• Broths (especially Safeway’s brand)
• Nuts (especially Diamond Siracha-flavored nuts)
• Children’s foods (especially Plum Organics)
• Chips
• Vegan breakfast sausage
• Tofu products
• Canned soups
• Chinese food
• Fast food
• Many boxed foods

Basically, it’s up to us to read labels carefully.  And, whenever possible, try to eat fresh (organic) food in its natural state to avoid these nasty ingredients.

Sources for this article include:

Jpands.org
Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills
ScienceDirect.com
JAMAOpthamology
NIH.gov
NIH.gov
NIH.gov