How do you feel about MSG?

[Lisa0825]

I'd always heard bad things about MSG. People talked about finding out they were allergic to it because they felt bad after having Chinese food, which often has a lot of MSG. I have never had a bad reaction to it. There are websites with horror stories about all the problems they claim MSG causes.

This website disputes those reports: http://www.msg.org.au/main.html

The reason I ask is because I found out one of my new favorite seasoning blends has MSG in it, and I wondered about recommending it to others. (Sazon Goya con Azafran)

I don't hear as much anti-MSG stuff as I did several years ago. has public sentiment changed? Do YOU think MSG is good/bad?

[Lars39]

1. It's bad in my household; my husband has very bad reactions to it.

He has to go to the ER, and last time it was pretty bad. :(

[Lisa0825]

2. Has he been tested for the allergy?

MSG occurs naturally in many foods. That's why I was wondering if he'd been tested specifically for it. Doe she have to avoid any foods, or just the additive itself?

[Lars39]

6. Hasn't been tested.

Always seems to occur after eating out(salad bar),
or after eating something like bbq potato chips.

[Lisa0825]

7. I read that tomatoes and potatoes have a lot of msg...

does he put a lot of tomatoes in his salad?

[Lars39]

11. No, just a couple, but he does add a lot of peppers and olives.

I'll check into the foods with naturally occuring msg. Thanks. :)

[Stinky The Clown]

13. Salad Bar, huh?

Could be the sulphites used to keep lettuce green and fresh looking. That stuff's ubiquitous. I dare say almost no one in resataurants (except really high end ones) are buying whole heads of lettuce for salad bar use anymore. They buy pre cut or pre shredded lettuce. That's lawys treated with sulphites. Does he also get a reaction from bagged salads from the grocery store?

[Lars39]

14. We've thought about that, too.

He's fine eating bagged greans from the grocery. What's weird is that it doesn't happen enough to get a handle on it, yet when it does happen, it's gotten progressively worse. Last time the ER doc prescribed an Epi-pen.

[livetohike]

3. It's one of my migraine triggers

along with chocolate, red wine and aged cheese. :-(

[Warpy]

4. If you use the freshest ingredients

and are a competent cook, you don't need to put MSG into your food. MSG is one of those "flavor enhancers" that comes in handy when you're keeping food on a steam table for a couple of hours or in a box or can on a shelf.

Because it's a migraine trigger for a lot of people, it's going to be controversial as a food additive. It's not one of my triggers, but I still tend to avoid it unless I'm making a rare trip to the local Chinese takeout place.

Asian people have used MSG for a very long time with no noticeable ill effects. The problem with it is overhyped, IMO. I don't think I'd feed it to dinner guests I don't know well, though, on the off chance that one might be a migraine sufferer who has MSG as a trigger.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Yeah, I'd agree with ya ... overhyped, to be sure, but also real

MSG is actually a natural food. The chemical name makes it sound scary, but is a staple in some Asian cooking. Apart from allegies to it (y'are or y'ain't) and the fact that, for some, it can trigger migraines, it isn't inherently harmful.

Now ... high fructose corn syrup ......... or red dye number whatever ... or yellow dye this'n'that ....... you get the idea.

MSG is small potatoes in comparison to other issues with our food chain.

[Lisa0825]

8. Actually, now they are saying it is a 5th taste...

umami. In fact, they say you even have particular taste buds on your tongue for it, and it is one of only two types of taste buds that babies have at birth. Milk has MSG, so the theory is that babies need umami taste buds to be sure they will like milk.

I'm finding all kinds of interesting info today... like the reason aged beef tastes better is because as protein breaks down, there is more umami ( http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JAW/is_69/ai_105735781#continue )

[Love Bug]

9. I have high blood pressure so I avoid all types of sodium including MSG

I see no reason for it, frankly.

[Lisa0825]

10. I use Lite Salt which has potassium in it.

I am used to the taste, so I don't even notice a difference anymore. The taste of salt is something you become accustomed to, so when you cut back, you adjust.

I had never thought much about MSG until I saw it on the ingredient list on the packaged seasoning. I know it's considered a no-no on the South Beach diet, and didn't understand why, since it says 0 carbs and 0 sugar on the package. But apparently it can also cause insulin levels to rise, and that's one of the factors we try to control on South Beach.

I had something for lunch yesterday with the Azafran (with MSG) in it, and didn't get a crash like I owuld if I had a starchy or sugary meal. So, I don't really think it affects me.

[Mr. McD]

12. Drugs that block the effects of MSG are being used to treat Alzheimer's di

"Last October the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved...,the first drug developed for people with advanced Alzheimer's. It blunts the brain chemical glutamate which can accumulate abnormally and kill brain cells."
-- (AARP Bulletin / July-August 2004, p13)