I recently purchased 2 boxes of Right nutrition shakes and I've had a couple of packets and love the taste of them. I also started reading a book (and online articles) about the dangers of consuming MSG and how it goes by many other names. One of those was "Calcium caseinate" so I started rooting through my pantry to see what products I had to toss out that had any of the MSG names. I was so disappointed to see that the nutrition label on the box of Right shakes has calcium caseinate as one of the ingredients. I thought these products were supposed to be more "natural" than other protein powders??

Hope, I am no chemist or scientist but From what I have read Calcium Caseinate is a biologically-unique grade of protein derived from milk, and is low in fat, lactose and sodium. In addition, Calcium Caseinate boasts an impressive nutritional profile that's naturally rich in amino acids, protein and calcium. Despite having the same high quality rating as traditional whey isolates (which is the Gold Standard for protein and used as the base in the Right Shakes), Calcium Caseinate is more slowly utilized based on its coagulating properties. This slow digestion process allows the body to absorb more of the amino acids and peptides, while offering a steady and prolonged supply of nitrogen to muscle tissues. In doing so, satiety (fullness) can be enhanced while muscle fibers are efficiently nourished.
Not sure of the connection to MSG but I kind of like MSG on burgers personally and don't know of any ill effects to me because of it
Dave

I would also check out the authenticity of the "article". Anyone can write anything and post an article whether the facts are correct or not. I've found only very positive information on the calcium caseinate.

Oh my Gosh Hope... We would never add MSG to RIGHT Nutrition products. Our protein blends are 100% natural and completely free of artificial flavorings of any kind.

~Bill

Please don't think that I am mad about this - I am/was seriously hoping that I'm wrong!! I am currently reading Jillian Michaels' book, "Master Your Metabolism" which is where I first read about the other names MSG goes by and then I started Googling it. This website: MSG - Hidden Sources is one of them that I found that mentioned MSG and calcium caseinate. There are some other websites I can mention, too. Why are there so many conflicting messages out there now? It's making me paranoid!

Thanks so much Bill - I greatly appreciate your response and still admire and love you no matter what.

I'm not sure how credible this is, but it's just another website I saw..

MSG / monosodium glutamate -- hidden in processed food

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hope ..... Why are there so many conflicting messages out there now? It's making me paranoid! .....

Hope for a very long time I did nothing to change my life because of an issue Bill refers to as "Paralysis of Analysis" I have so many book shelves of conflicting ideas on nutrition, exercise, spirituality, theology, Psychology, Home remedies, Alchemy, Family.....you get the picture then I listened to what Bill said one day. He said "Let me take all the guess work out of it for you" and I just followed his easy to follow plan for success in Transforming your life and gave up all things besides "Bill By the Book" in my life. Guess what? Like thousands of others it worked for me too! I just did what he said and let the rest go. What did I have to lose? not much time. What did I gain? My Hope for a better tomorrow!
Blessings for your journey Hope.
Dave

Hope, this is my thinking. If you were trying to loose a lot of weight after being sedentary and not eating properly in the first place then what I try to tell people is to use the fat free, sugar free stuff and eat what has been mentioned in most of the suggestions in BFL and eating for life. Being over weight is far more detrimental than some of the stuff that is put into processed foods. Once a person has established their weight goal then I would suggest bringing their nutrition to the next level, whole foods and organic foods.
The other part of this is that I have learned to pray over my food. We may know what's in it or not, but it is still handled by other people as it is shipped out, stocked etc.It doesn't have to even be a noticeable prayer and it's something that not only members here have shared with me, my nutrionalist suggested the same.
in all honesty, I think we can pick anything apart and find the negatives, but I think what Bill puts out here is top notch compared to the other choices.
Hope that helps a tad,
Troy

You guys are very right - first of all I completely trust that Bill has everyone's best interests at heart and this is one of the reasons why I did not, for one second, hesitate to purchase the Right nutrition stuff. It's also why I have been doing BFL for 2 years now (since I found it in 2007). I realize that this is not the first controversial subject I've encountered with nutrition and fitness and I think sometimes the more I read stuff the more obsessive I become. I love Jillian Michaels and have only the utmost respect for her too, but I am thinking I need to just PUT DOWN THE BOOK! If I adhere to every thing I read I'm not going to be eating much of anything at all!

I really appreciate the responses - I still do NOT understand why so many websites says these other names are MSG and the reason why I worry abut MSG is because I have read that it is added to foods to make them more addictive. Since I have struggled with a food addiction for the past 10+ years (and I'm only 28) it all freaks me out a bit.

Again - I truly appreciate your responses and support. Thank you!

They are identified as MSG because they are high in glutamic acid. The lists you find online are grouping a wide variety of items into this list including soy protein, whey protein, whey protein isolate, gelatin, pectin, and yeast.

Yeast. As in the stuff you toss in your bread to make it rise.

The logic appears to be that anything that has a high concentration of glutamic acid has the potential to recombine into MSG. I must confess that my eyes roll a bit here. Yes sports fans, my Jello includes gelatin in order to addict me to the wiggly, jiggly goodness. Has nothing to do with the natural properties of gelatin. Additionally, most sources of animal protein include glutamate and some glutamic acid.

I also note that they don't include things like tomatoes or peas on those lists, both of which have high concentrations of free glutamate in them.

In this context, I would completely expect to see calcium caseinate in a protein shake. Its a slower digesting protein that helps balance out a well rounded product. Also note that whey protein is also on those lists. Does that mean we toss all our protein shakes?

I think your odds of getting addicted to your protein shake are slim. This is a great example though of why you need to use things you read as a base. Ask questions. Don't assume that any one person, book, or website is the final word on a subject. Look around and do your own research.

In the mean time, enjoy your Right shakes.

Clara thank you SO much for this clarification! What you said makes so much sense and I really appreciate you giving me a better understanding about all this stuff. It amazes me that people can take this kind of information and twist it in ways that can make people like me absolutely paranoid! I told my husband tonight that I am going to put away all of those kinds of books for a while. That's what I was thinking about protein shakes - do I have to toss them? There I was looking at my 2 boxes of Right nutrition packets thinking, "But they're so dang good...is there anything I CAN eat?!" I really appreciate your explanation...thank you so much!

I'm off to have a shake...heheheh...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Dave Hope for a very long time I did nothing to change my life because of an issue Bill refers to as "Paralysis of Analysis" I have so many book shelves of conflicting ideas on nutrition, exercise, spirituality, theology, Psychology, Home remedies, Alchemy, Family.....you get the picture then I listened to what Bill said one day. He said "Let me take all the guess work out of it for you" and I just followed his easy to follow plan for success in Transforming your life and gave up all things besides "Bill By the Book" in my life. Guess what? Like thousands of others it worked for me too! I just did what he said and let the rest go. What did I have to lose? not much time. What did I gain? My Hope for a better tomorrow! Blessings for your journey Hope. Dave

WOW! THat's exactly what I do - Paralysis of Analysis"! Never heard of it before, but I, too, have the bookshelves stuffed full of the same things! Thanks for the light bulb!

Liz

Any coincidence the word Clarification starts with the word Clara,,,,lol... Thanks Clara i am so glad you took the time to explain this also, you are very good at putting stuff like this down in easy to understand terms,
Troy

I noticed that, too..Clara - Clarification...I know who to go to next time I have a question!

This is long after the fact. I am very sensitive to MSG and its other forms. I get severe migraines. I ordered one box of Right light...no problems.no headaches, so I ordered 8 boxes. I would know if it was there. It's not. I have been using it since January.MMMM good...stuff...

MSG is a food additive, it is addictive b/c it causes insulin spikes therefroe making you want to eat more. Think of how Chinese food never "sticks", loaded with simple sugars (think white rice, sauces etc) and MSG. Sugar=insulin release, MSG=huge insulin release= increased appetite.

Tonia