I’m stepping into risky territory here… and I’m sure to invite the righteous anger of some readers upon me. But I think it’s important.
It’s been a little more than a year since I told you that Chick-Fil-A is choked with MSG. And since December 4, 2004, nothing has changed. If you take a moment to visit Chick-Fil-A’s web site, you’ll see they’re still lacing their chicken breasts with MSG like there’s no tomorrow. It’s listed as an ingredient twice in the Original Chicken Sandwich.
This just kills me. (Not to mention that it kills other people.) But it kills me in a different way. Because Chick-Fil-A is supposedly a Christian company based on Christian values.
Case in point: Dan Cathy, Truett Cathy’s son and current CEO of the company, was featured on the cover of the November/December 2004 New Man magazine, “America’s #1 Magazine For Christian Men.” The article is titled: “Don’t Have a Cow! How good food and family values made a chicken chain famous.” (I believe it was this article that prompted me to write my post last year.)
In the article, Dan Cathy makes a few revealing comments about his personal and spiritual beliefs. For instance, he says, “I think if you read the headlines today, to me it’s an even stronger case for biblical principles to be applied in our personal lives. You read what took place with Martha Stewart and Ken Lay [at Enron]… it wasn’t because those folks didn’t know how to read The Wall Street Journal. It’s because they violated biblical principles that they find themselves in that situation. Even the world recognizes when you step over the line with greed and dishonesty and violations of personal integrity.”
Speaking of biblical principles, Corinthians 6:19-20 says (and I’m paraphrasing here): “Your body is a temple [...] therefore glorify God in your body.” Somehow, putting MSG into my body doesn’t seem to fit with biblical principles.
In case you don’t know what MSG does to you, let me give you a list of some of the known side effects: migraines, arrhythmia, depression, ADHD, insomnia, asthma, panic attacks, irritable bowel, etc. These are just a handful of symptoms caused by MSG. The Migraine Web lists 51 known side-effects of MSG… and these were all documented back in 1993 by a Ph.D. My guess is even more side-effects and symptoms have been documented since then.
Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. recently wrote a book called Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills. He defines an “excitotoxin” like this: “a substance added to foods and beverages that literally stimulates neurons to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees. Can be found in such ingredients as monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame (Nutrasweet), cysteine, hydrolyzed protein, and aspartic acid.”
Dr. Blaylock argues that MSG and other excitotoxins are a primary cause of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological diseases. Not only that, he writes:
The defenders of MSG safety frequently cite a study in which human volunteers were fed large doses of MSG combined with a mixed meal of protein and carbohydrates. Only 10% developed a headache. Most were unaffected. But when the study was repeated using 14 human volunteers, this time keeping the subjects without food overnight, all developed headaches, tightness in the chest, and other symptoms of neurological toxicity related to MSG. So merely going without food overnight can greatly increase the toxicity of MSG. In another study involving 1529 persons, it was found that 25% developed adverse symptoms after eating foods containing MSG. Children have been reported to develop “shudder attacks,” shivers, and migraine-like syndromes which stopped when MSG was eliminated from the diet. (p. 157)
If you knew this, and you were the CEO of Chick-Fil-A, would you continue to add MSG to your sandwiches?
I guess I should interject here and state for the record that I think very highly of Chick-Fil-A as a company. They treat their employees very well and go out of their way to give back to the community. And I believe that it is merely ignorance that allows MSG to be added to their food products. If Dan Cathy read this article, I believe his Christian values would cause him to make some changes, and fast.
Here’s Chick-Fil-A’s corporate purpose: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-Fil-A.”
Knowing that MSG causes neurological damage and that it can even lead to Alzheimer’s disease, would Dan Cathy or Chick-Fil-A continue to use MSG in their food? I don’t think so, especially if they’re acting in accord with their corporate purpose.
Yet it’s a funny thing about Christians. It’s my observation that not many of them are concerned with health at all. Christians can hardly gather without a box of doughnuts to lure them.
I’m not the only one who has made this observation. Check out what Martin Zender says in How To Quit Church Without Quitting God:
Although it doesn’t force people to eat junk food, the modern Christian religion is famous for sugary treats and emotional people. What a coincidence. Anybody ever heard of a roast beef social?
Someone sent me a brochure from Trinity Church in East Lansing, Michigan. Appreciate this entry under the category, For Parents of Children: “400 dozen cookies will be needed for 400+ children expected to attend this year’s Vacation Bible School!” The exclamation point at the end of the sentence is a harbinger of things to come. This baking frenzy will add up to a dozen cookies per child. What I would want to know is: Who’s bringing the insulin?
Speaking of sugar, the most Christian of the so-called Christian holidays is Christmas. Sugar is the goddess of Christmas. Christmas is an eating orgy, and sugar is the mistress of ceremonies. “C12 H22 O11″ makes for a very good chant while greasing cookie sheets. I have sought to discover in books of antiquity that Jesus was actually born in a sugarcane field in Costa Rica. I have sought in vain. (pp. 127, 128)
I quote this to point out that it’s not just Chick-Fil-A who is clueless about good health… it’s also Christians in general. And they, of all people, should have concern for the health of their bodies.
Bob Kyle runs a Chick-Fil-A restaurant in Winter Springs, Florida. In the New Man article, he says, “If you’ve got bad food and you’re a great Christian, you’re probably not going to get a lot of customers.”
Bob almost stated it perfectly. In fact, I might rephrase what he said to say: “If people finally discover you’ve got bad food and you’re a great Christian, you’re probably going to lose a lot of customers.”
I can only hope…
Now. At this point you probably love me or hate me. That’s OK. I understand.
However you’re feeling, I’m going to ask a favor of you. If you know anybody at Chick-Fil-A, will you send them a link to this article? If you know Dan Cathy or anybody else in his family, would you let them know what I’ve written?
Again, my purpose is not to disparage Dan Cathy or Chick-Fil-A. I’m as big of a hypocrite as anybody else. But I would love to convince them to remove MSG from their food and help Americans to be more healthy. Will you help me?
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I went to Chick-Fil-A’s web site and filled out a contact form, giving them the link to this article.
I think what you said about Christians and not caring/being ignorant about food we stuff ourselves with, really hit the nail on the head. It bothers me to see people – Christians, very ill and not bothering to take some responsibility by switching their diet. Instead, they take a pill or have some crazy invasive surgery to fix it.
A lot of this is plain ignorance, I understand – but I’ve also known many who were given some knowledge of better nutrition=less/no disease, and still did not have the gumption/self discipline to pursue wellness. As a friend said once, “It is easier to change one’s religion than one’s diet”. So they keep struggling along with their illnesses, saying, “Woe is me” as if there is nothing that could be done about it.
Last but not least, I want to SCREAM whenever people serve innocent kids cookies, candy and other junk at church. Most of the time they don’t even bother to ask the parent’s permission. Then if I dare gripe, I’m a weird mean healthy snob.
Gosh Ryan, I could have written this post! Maybe not as succinctly, but I feel the same way.
I just had to add – when someone writes about something I feel strongly about, I tend to let my strong feelings come out, like in the comment above. But I do want to clarify that I’m not perfect either and do struggle with LOTS of things.
The main thing I’m upset about is that I like to see people get well and it frustrates me when I feel they could, but they’re not open to a different way of living in order to get well. It’s not that I’m judging them, so much as I simply feel sad that they feel so sick.
Hi Ryan,
I agree that MSG is one of many horrible additives that do harm to people. If my husband inadvertently ingests MSG, he gets an immediate migraine with an accompanying rash on his face. So my “gripe” with your post, if it must be called a gripe, is not with your indignation of ChikFil-A putting MSG in food, but with your indictment that it is unChristian to use MSG, and of Christians who aren’t concerned about health as if it’s a sin.
We need to look at the Bible IN CONTEXT and use it wisely. This should be one of our biggest concerns as Christians. If God calls it sin, we should. If God doesn’t, we shouldn’t. The Scripture you paraphrased from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 must also include verse 18: :
v18″ “FLEE IMMORALITY. EVERY OTHER SIN THAT A MAN COMMITS IS OUTSIDE THE BODY, BUT THE IMMORAL MAN SINS AGAINST HIS OWN BODY. v19: Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and thay you are not your own? v20: For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
This verse is used to call smoking a sin, overeating (or eating poorly) sin and everything else. But it is talking about SEXUAL IMMORALITY being the only sin against one’s own body. That’s what it says. What you eat is a freedom – see Colossians 3. However, if the Lord convicts you that you should eat more prudently and to you it is sin, then so be it.
Other verses on the temple (1 Corinthians 3 and 2 Corinthians 6) are talking about the Body of Christ, fellowship with unbelievers, how we build our foundation, and have nothing to do with the physical body either. And if we point out gluttony as a sin from the Old Testament, then we better be willing to follow all of the OT laws, which I praise God we are not under.
I agree it is unwise to eat MSG and other damaging chemicals. So I wouldn’t eat Chik-Fil-A, nor would I feed it to my family. Maybe they should reconsider putting it in their food – not because it’s unChristian to have it in there, but because it’s unhealthy.
I realize this is a HealthBlog and not a Bible Blog, but we do need to use care when we use the Word of God. Ryan, you said,
…that it’s not just Chick-Fil-A who is clueless about good health… it’s also Christians in general. And they, OF ALL PEOPLE (capitals mine), should have concern for the health of their bodies.
The Bible says “for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come.” (1Tim4:8)
If Chik Fil-A chooses to use MSG it is not in violation of any scripture, although I personally won’t eat it. To use the label of Christianity to persuade them to stop using it is, IMHO, not a responsible use of Scripture.
Thank you for considering, Grace
I think you’re going off the deep end here. You need to pull your head out of the crank health nut web sites and read a little more broadly. For instance, try some searches on government sites (google: e.g., “site:.gov msg”). Here’s a site to start with: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/msg.html
No reputable scientific studies in the U.S. or abroad have found anything more than slight transient symptions in a small percentage of the population who OD on the stuff (several grams at a time).
Grace – Thank you for your comments. All good points.
Mark – Thank you for suggesting additional reading material.
A couple of things I feel I should clarify.
1. I wrote this post to get attention.
2. I am not saying it’s unChristian to eat MSG. I am saying it seems to be against Christian values to feed MSG to an unsuspecting public.
3. Nowhere did I say eating MSG was a sin.
4. I would not have introduced the subject of Christianity if Chick-Fil-A was not so outwardly Christian. They have chosen a Christian framework for their company, therefore the argument must take place within the framework they’ve chosen.
5. I almost left out Corinthians 6:19-20 because of what Grace pointed out. What I quoted is out of context. So why did I still use it? Because of the analogy of the body as a temple. Jesus also uses this analogy in John 2. It seems to me the body (like the temple) should be kept as clean as possible: physically, spiritually, emotionally, etc.
6. Grace mentioned the scripture that says, “For bodily discipline is of little profit.” This implies there is profit in bodily discipline, just not very much (at least compared to godliness).
7. Mark – if you are correct, and you can overdose on several grams of MSG, that’s pretty potent stuff, isn’t it?
Hi,
Thanks for addressing my points Ryan. I appreciate your opinion. But I must comment again -
RYAN: 2. I am not saying it’s unChristian to eat MSG. I am saying it seems to be against Christian values to feed MSG to an unsuspecting public.
I wasn’t aware they were keeping it a secret. If they are trying to do that, then it’s deceptive, which is sinful.
RYAN: 3. Nowhere did I say eating MSG was a sin.
No, but the article title, “And they Call themselves Christians…” implies that they are doing something un-Christian by putting MSG in their food. I think of un-Christian as sinful, and sin as defined by God’s Word.
RYAN: 4. I would not have introduced the subject of Christianity if Chick-Fil-A was not so outwardly Christian. They have chosen a Christian framework for their company, therefore the argument must take place within the framework they’ve chosen.
I agree that if they are using the “Christian” label, then they should uphold Christian values. I don’t put much stock in corporations or governments calling themselves “Christian”, as God saves individuals, not groups. But I do see your point.
RYAN: 5. I almost left out Corinthians 6:19-20 because of what Grace pointed out. What I quoted is out of context. So why did I still use it? Because of the analogy of the body as a temple. Jesus also uses this analogy in John 2. It seems to me the body (like the temple) should be kept as clean as possible: physically, spiritually, emotionally, etc.
In John 2 Jesus is talking about the defilement of God’s house and sacred things (making profit off of spiritual things), and Him being the temple that is destroyed and raised – I can’t see how that Scripture fits. Maybe I’m missing it.
RYAN: 6. Grace mentioned the scripture that says, “For bodily discipline is of little profit.†This implies there is profit in bodily discipline, just not very much (at least compared to godliness).
I referenced this because you said, “…that it’s not just Chick-Fil-A who is clueless about good health… it’s also Christians in general. And they, OF ALL PEOPLE (capitals mine), should have concern for the health of their bodies.
I think Matthew 15 kind of negates this mindset – when the Pharisees questioned why Jesus and His disciples didn’t follow the hand washing ritual. Jesus told them it matters little what is put into them but what comes out of the person. I know this isn’t about health but it is specifically about food going in and coming out. It seems to apply more.
The Bible indicates that Christians OF ALL PEOPLE should have a concern for their godliness. If you have concern for your physical body, then that’s great, but I can’t find it mandated anywhere in the Bible. It’s a freedom. I personally think it’s foolish not to take care of yourself, but not un-Christian. If the Lord chooses to put His finger on that area of a Christian’s life, He can change someone in that area.
My point really is let’s not use health to separate the Body of Christ (the Temple). There’s so many things that divide the Body. Your article had the tone of speaking down to those who aren’t into a health regimen, although you may not have meant to do that.
BTW, I definitely agree that parents should be asked if their children can have cookies, etc at church – or the parent should tell church workers ahead of time what the limits are for snacks.
Sorry for rambling, and thanks for responding. I really enjoy the articles on this site.
Grace
GRACE: The Bible indicates that Christians OF ALL PEOPLE should have a concern for their godliness. If you have concern for your physical body, then that’s great, but I can’t find it mandated anywhere in the Bible. It’s a freedom. I personally think it’s foolish not to take care of yourself, but not un-Christian. If the Lord chooses to put His finger on that area of a Christian’s life, He can change someone in that area.
I realize this was written in response to Ryan’s comments, however, I wanted to make a quick comment. There are places in the Bible that allude to taking care of our body. We are also to take the best care of what God has given to us as the story of the talents points out. Even if we are entrusted with nothing else, we have been given our body which has been created in the image of God.
Based on that, I do think that it *is* sinful not to care for our body. Sin is sin. Man puts degrees on sin, not God, so saying one sin is worse than another is pointless. However, lest I sound too self-righteous, we all fail to take perfect care of our body whether it’s through what we eat, over-exertion, lack of sleep, emotional stresses, etc. Those who write for or read The Health Blog are simply working toward doing the best we can for our body.
Whether the Bible “alludes to taking caring of our body” is one point. Whether the Bible calls it sin NOT TO is another. I am not putting degrees on sin, just being careful not to add to God’s Word by calling something sin where God doesn’t. So although it’s a good idea to take care of one’s body, it is not sinful not to. At least, I haven’t found it in the Bible.
I applaud those who write for or read The Health Blog for working toward the best you can for your body. Personally, I signed up for it so I could read good information on health issues. However, I maintain that it’s not a matter of sin for all Christians, UNLESS God has personally convicted you that, to you it is sin. That principle applies in all areas of freedom.
Grace
Grace writes: “No, but the article title, “And they Call themselves Christians…†implies that they are doing something un-Christian by putting MSG in their food. I think of un-Christian as sinful, and sin as defined by God’s Word.”
This is a good point. I wrote the headline specifically to get attention, so I was thinking less of what it meant and more about how it would get people to read.
The implication I was trying to make is that, if Chick-Fil-A is a Christian company, then maybe they ought to consider removing MSG from their food.
I was not trying to imply they are unChristian, although I see how it can come across that way.
Also, when I mentioned that “it seems to be against Christian values to feed MSG to an unsuspecting public,” Grace replied by saying, “I wasn’t aware they were keeping it a secret. If they are trying to do that, then it’s deceptive, which is sinful.”
I used the word “unsuspecting” not because Chick-Fil-A is trying to keep their use of MSG a secret, but because the majority of Americans are uninformed about food additives. They are an “unsuspecting public” because they don’t realize what they are eating (the only way to find out is to ask for an ingredient list or visit the corporate web site), nor the damage it does to their nervous systems.
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