Migraines? It's not the chocolate, chocolate fans

Plain, milk, with nuts, fruit, 70% dark, extra brute, white - most of us find chocolate an enjoyable food stuff yet for so many it's a migraine trigger. But is it really? Here's the low-down:

Chocolate Lover? Review Finds No Definitive Proof It Triggers Your Migraines by Gianna Melillo- HERE

Although it is the most commonly cited food-based trigger for migraines, there is insufficient evidence to prove chocolate is a migraine trigger, according to a review of 25 studies published in Nutrients. “All provocative studies have failed to confirm that chocolate can trigger migraine attacks,” researchers said. “Many possible mechanisms through which chocolate can influence migraines exist, and more are beneficial than unfavorable.”...

In fact, it's well known that dark chocolate - at least 75% cacao - is a very beneficial antioxidant...

Has anyone really checked the ingredients of your favourite chocolate? My migraines used to be triggered by chocolate during the early phase of my perimenopausal state. I noticed I could only eat dark chocolate Toblerone, not the milk chocolate Toblerone. I checked the ingredients list and the one thing the milk choccie version of Toblerone had that the dark version didn't, was the inclusion of  the word: 'flavouring'.

Why is this significant?

Only 10 companies control most of the world's ultra processed food chain - this is a massive food industry, and since the 1940's they've been adding flavouring to make low quality food more palatable. They're still doing it now, only they've taken to hiding their toxic flavour enhancers under secret names. Depending on the percentage of monosodium glutamate; which is the artificial flavouring in a product, it doesn't have to be declared on the label. Sneaky little larks! Here's some of the names you'll find where the food manufacturers can hide their toxic chemicals:

Flavouring, flavourings or natural flavouring, hydrolysed milk protein, barley malt extract and soya lecithin..

Spot some of those the flavourings in the ingredient list of the Topic bar below...

Why am I making such a big thing about this?

Because MSG is a known migraine or headache trigger! In fact it's one of the top reported side effects of consuming MSG! And soya lecithin, unless certified as organic, is always made from GM soya beans, could this also be a contributing factor to side effects? Oh, and anything with a 'hydrolysed' label is definitely MSG.

(The Aero bar ingredient list)

OK, you still think I'm talking a load of baloney? (and anyway, all this chocolate talk is making you crave a chocolate break right now).

Well, let's take a look at some big brand names of chocolate and see if they all have some of the hidden names I mentioned.

Milk Chocolate Toblerone: Flavouring

White Chocolate Toblerone: Flavouring

Coconut Toblerone: Flavouring

Fruit and nut Toblerone: Flavouring

Dark Toblerone - no flavouring, soya lecithin (dark Toberlone ingredients label below)

Cadbury creme egg - Flavourings

Cadbury Dairy Milk - Flavourings

Cadbury Double Decker Chocolate Bar - Flavourings

Cadbury flake - Flavourings

Cadbury Wispa Chocolate Bar - Flavourings

Cadbury Aero - Flavourings

Cadbury Crunchie Chocolate Bar - Flavourings

Cadbury Fudge - Flavourings

Cadbury Chocolate Eclairs - Flavourings

Cadbury Timeout Wafer Bars - Flavourings

Cadbury Twirl - Flavourings

OK, so I think we can say that Cadbury include 'flavourings' in most of their popular milk chocolate bars...

Well, would you look at that! Cadbury Bournville Dark Chocolate Bar - no flavourings, just soya lecithin.

Bounty bar - soya lecithin E471

Fry's Turkish Delight -  modified maize starch, flavourings

Galaxy - soya lecithin

Galaxy Minstrels Chocolate - soya lecithin

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar - soya lecithin

**Produced from Genetically Modified Sugar Beets and Soya Beans)

Kitkat - soya lecithin, yeast, natural flavourings

Lindt Selection Chocolate Box - milk proteins, barley malt extract, flavouring, Vanillin*

*vanillin is a known GM source of flavouring

Mars - barley malt extract, soya lecithin, hydrolysed milk protein

M&M's - flavouring

Milky Way Chocolate - barley malt extract

Nestle Milky Bar - natural flavouring

Revels - flavouringsSnickers - soya lecithin, milk protein (is that hydrolysed milk protein?) Tesco Classic 74% Dark Chocolate 100G - flavouring Tesco Milk Chocolate Bar 200G - flavouring Tesco Dark Chocolate Bar 200G - flavouring

Topic - hydrolysed milk protein, barley malt extract

Twix - soya lecithin

Yorkie Bar - no flavouring (Interesting... it also states: No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives)

I thought I'd take a quick look at the more expensive bars of chocolate - you notice that none of them contain the nebulous 'flavouring' tag. We also have to remember that soya lecithin, unless labelled as organic will contain GM soya, so even some of the more expensive brands are not without the problematic 'bad boys' on the ingredients label!

Green and Blacks Organic Milk Chocolate - soya lecithin (certified organic) Green and Black's Organic Cocoa Powder - no flavourings or lecithin

Green & Black's Dark Orange and Almond Chocolate Bar - blood orange oil and  vanilla bean powder (no lecithin). Green & Black's Organic Dark Bar 85% Cocoa Solids - vanilla extract Green & Black's Organic White Chocolate Bar - soya lecithin (certified organic)

Venchi Venezuela Milk Chocolate - soya lecithin Lindt Excellence Intense Dark 90% Cacao Chocolate Bar - vanilla Lindt Excellence Milk 65%, 55%, 45%, Cocoa Chocolate Bar - soya lecithin Lindt Excellence Milk 70% Cocoa Chocolate Bar - natural bourbon vanilla beans

Belcolade Dark Couverture Chocolate (buttons) all grades - natural vanilla flavouring Callebaut Select 811 Dark Chocolate Callets all grades - soya lecithin and natural vanilla flavouring Ingredients Heaven - Finest Belgian 70.5% Dark Chocolate Couverture - soya lecithin and natural vanilla flavouring

Chocolat Madagascar 100% Cocoa - Single Origin Fine Dark Chocolate Bar 85g - 100% cacao

The HealthyTree Company Organic Raw Cacao Powder - just cacao

Cacao Barry - Extra Brute Amber Cocoa Powder - just cacao

Now it's worth noting that 'natural vanilla flavouring' can also hide additives, because again, it doesn't state EXACTLY where the flavouring comes from; whereas in the Lindt Excellence Milk 70% the vanilla comes from natural bourbon vanilla beans... It seems the more common, cheaper chocolates, the ones that are often advertised in multi packs in UK supermarkets for the bargain price of £1 for 4 bars, all have the ubiquitous 'flavouring'.

The Glutamate Association relies upon the fact that most people are too busy when shopping to check every single label and sometimes the ingredients list on a chocolate bar is hidden under the flap; especially if it's not a large bar.

The word 'Flavouring' doesn't sound so innocuous now, does it?

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: MSG is addictive, it disrupts the endocrine system in the body which in turn screws up our ability to control our appetite... are you addicted to chocolate?

...Here's some important info from Dr. Russell Blaylock, a retired neurosurgeon in his book: 'Excitotoxins - The Taste that Kills'.

"...Another way the FDA works with the Glutamate Association is by yielding to their lobbying efforts to change the labeling laws so that the words “monosodium glutamate” are not required on food labels unless it contains 100% pure MSG. Also MSG need not even be mentioned by any name if one product containing pure MSG is only used as an ingredient in another food. For example, if broth is used to make a soup, and the broth contains pure MSG, MSG does not have to be listed as an ingredient. But if the broth is sold alone, it must appear on the label.As Dr. Schwartz has shown, substances labeled as “spices,” “natural flavoring” and “flavoring” may contain anywhere from 30% to 60% MSG. But you as a consumer are denied this vital information.

Your only recourse is to avoid all foods with these hidden label names. And as you will quickly discover, most manufactured foods contain one or more of these excitotoxin “taste enhancers.”So what should the FDA do? First, it should guarantee the consumer nutritional information by requiring the manufacturer to list all additives containing MSG and hydrolyzed vegetable protein and do so under these names and not disguised names. Second, it should conduct open hearings on the safety of these additives with scientific testimony from those not connected to the food manufacturing industry or to the manufacturers of MSG, NutraSweet®, or hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or their representatives."

Read my MSG comics to find out more about the underhanded tactics of industry to keep MSG in the food chain and the side effects of consuming it.