ESLTALK

Most people have fond childhood memories from McDonalds; romping in the play place, opening up the happy meal that Mom and Dad got for you as a reward for being good while they ran errands, and finding the cool toy stashed in the box along with your tasty burger, fries and small soda. As we grow up, we hold on to these fond memories and we return to McDonalds again and again in the hopes of feeling the simple joy that we felt there as a child. We also come to realize that McDonalds is a source of fast, cheap food. Though most of us are well aware of the fact that fast food is unhealthy, we normally ignore this knowledge and keep on eating it. Typically, once the signs that fast food is hurting us start appearing, signs such as a growing waistline or decreased energy, the food has already taken hold of your body and you have developed an addiction. How does the McDonalds Corporation lure customers in and hook them for life in spite of the well known fact that the food served in the restaurant is unhealthy? The answer is in an ingredient called MSG.  MSG can be found in a lot of food labels: the Campbell's soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays flavored potato chips, Top Ramen, Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen prepared meals, Kraft salad dressings, especially the 'healthy low fat' ones.