Ruuuuuunnnnnn from aspartame (Nutrasweet).

The fact that MSG (monosodium glutamate) and aspartame/Nutrasweet) (aspartic acid) are well-known triggers of seizures (they are "excitotoxins") is the basis for my G.A.R.D. (glutamate-aspartate restricted diet). The phenomenal thing to see is that the foods that are rich in these non-essential, neurostimulating amino acids (glutamate/aspartate) can also be major seizure triggers. They just take longer (4-6 hours) to reach the brain and trigger the seizure since they are bound to the food and need the digestive process to release them. The "free forms" (MSG/Nutrasweet) take less than an hour to reach the brain, inciting pain, migraines and seizures.

It was really cool to see that the seizure interval of most of my un-medicated epileptic canine patients was, in fact, 4-6 hours after eating their gluten-grain or soy based diets. This is the same interval that "insomniacs" experience, as they wake up at 1-2 AM and struggle to go back to sleep.

But no matter what you do, ruuuuuuunnnn from Nutrasweet and MSG.

I hope this helps,
John

PS. A good resource is Dr. Russell Blaylock's "Excitotoxins- The Taste that Kills."