How about MSG?

[O2Bfree]

Wondering how folks here feel about monosodium glutamate.

Of course many foods contain natural glutamates and there are other types of added glutamates in prepared foods, such as yeast extract and soy protein, but what about plain old MSG?

Do you have adverse reactions to it? Avoid it because it seems unhealthy? Or maybe you're a closet MSG fan like me? I've always liked using it for some dishes, though I'll usually refrain when cooking for people outside our household. People can get pretty testy about it, even if they have no qualms against eating fast food or prepared foods.

 

[Morgan22]

I voted I use MSG in home cooking. But really, my DH does. If I was doing the cooking I would just leave it out. I don't taste the difference between when he adds it to dishes or excludes it. He says he tastes the difference. And we do not have any adverse reactions to it.

 

[davebarnes]

Get the word
https://www.facebook.com/nigelngcom...t-with-your-friends-who-hate/778777069541105/

 

[O2Bfree]

Get the word
https://www.facebook.com/nigelngcom...t-with-your-friends-who-hate/778777069541105/

I don't do FB. What's it say?

 

[davebarnes]

I don't do FB. What's it say?

Uncle Roger say: Don’t make your problem mine.

 

[audreyh1]

I avoid it. Funny fuzzy mouthfeel.

 

[audreyh1]

I don't do FB. What's it say?

“MSG is salt on crack.”

 

[Bruceski44]

I get a bad head rush from ingesting it. Tunnel vision, buzzing in my ears and the back of my neck feels hot. My mother had the same reaction. It starts up, I stop eating and it goes away after a few minutes. I take another bite and off I go again.

That’s how it works- it changes the way your brain operates so that flavors are enhanced. I wonder how that could be a good thing.

 

[Scrapr]

The craze to eliminate MSG was a prank letter to the New England Journal of Medicine. Apparently there was a bet involved

This American life story
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/668/transcript

 

[EastWest Gal]

Thank you for this thread and I enjoyed the article. I use small amounts of MSG occasionally in savory dishes. Heck, it’s the salt of an amino acid. It’s supposed to give the taste of umami.

I have an acquaintance who insists she cannot have any MSG, caffeine, and a host of other things. I don’t believe it for a moment. She’s so obese she can barely move. She says she’s getting prepared for bariatric surgery, but we’ll see.

I’m posting the article on Facebook. I’m sure she’ll see it.

 

[ckelly78z]

A few years ago, I figured out that when I ate Chinese stir fry, I sometimes developed bad stomach cramps later that night, or the next morning that would persist for a day, or two. I narrowed it down to the times that I had a second helping because it tasted so good.

I haven't had any MSG related cramps since I figured this out, and controlled my portion intake...I.E. don't eat like a pig (I'm 5'10" 180#, so not overweight).

 

[Dtail]

Don't really pay attention to it except in the general concept of overuse of salt.
Doesn't affect me.

 

[Aerides]

I don't add it, but a lot of recent articles indicate there's no known medical issue with it. The only evidence of problems is anecdotal.

 

[audreyh1]

Thank you for this thread and I enjoyed the article. I use small amounts of MSG occasionally in savory dishes. Heck, it’s the salt of an amino acid. It’s supposed to give the taste of umami.

Yeah - definitely the flavor of umami. I prefer mushrooms or roasted beef.

 

[braumeister]

I remember when it was first marketed under the name Ac'cent in the 1950s. My parents bought it because of what it contributed to cooking, and I liked the taste so much I would occasionally eat it right out of the shaker. I've been adding it to food all my life.

 

[EastWest Gal]

MSG occurs naturally in many foods. It is also produced as a product of yeast fermentation. Here is partial list:

https://msgfacts.com/glutamate-in-food/

I think it's the amount that matters. Too much sodium.

 

[O2Bfree]

Don't really pay attention to it except in the general concept of overuse of salt.
Doesn't affect me.

MSG does have only 1/3 the sodium of salt, though I suppose many prepared foods that have MSG also are also high in NaCl.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

The craze to eliminate MSG was a prank letter to the New England Journal of Medicine. Apparently there was a bet involved

This American life story
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/668/transcript

So, ingesting MSG and DHMO at the same meal is practically suicide.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrogen_monoxide_parody

 

[O2Bfree]

So, ingesting MSG and DHMO at the same meal is practically suicide.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrogen_monoxide_parody

Loved the lists there:

Dihydrogen monoxide:

• is also known as hydroxyl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
• contributes to the "greenhouse effect".
• may cause severe burns.
• contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
• accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
• may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
• has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:

• as an industrial solvent and coolant.
• in nuclear power plants.
• in the production of styrofoam.
• as a fire retardant.
• in many forms of cruel animal research.
• in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.
• as an additive in certain "junk-foods" and other food products.

 

[O2Bfree]

The craze to eliminate MSG was a prank letter to the New England Journal of Medicine. Apparently there was a bet involved

This American life story
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/668/transcript

I gathered from the transcript that the letter was not a prank, but Dr. Howard Steel's claim that he wrote the letter was a prank.

 

[O2Bfree]

Uncle Roger say: Don’t make your problem mine.

Thanks.

Uncle Roger is also on YouTube:

Another MSG video:

 

[JoeWras]

I remember when it was first marketed under the name Ac'cent in the 1950s. My parents bought it because of what it contributed to cooking, and I liked the taste so much I would occasionally eat it right out of the shaker. I've been adding it to food all my life.

THIS! I thought I was the only kid who "hit" the Accent shaker.

 

[Amethyst]

I get a much milder version of the symptoms you describe. Never affected my vision, but ears buzz and whole body feels warm. It's not absolutely horrible, but why invite trouble?

I get a bad head rush from ingesting it. Tunnel vision, buzzing in my ears and the back of my neck feels hot. My mother had the same reaction. It starts up, I stop eating and it goes away after a few minutes. I take another bite and off I go again.

That’s how it works- it changes the way your brain operates so that flavors are enhanced. I wonder how that could be a good thing.

 

[Boho]

Those are troubling side effects that I don't get but they still make me limit my intake and I don't add it to food. I feel the same way about grapefruit because of all the drug interactions, even though I'm not on drugs. I do eat peanuts because they're supposed to be healthy but I wonder what's up with people who are severely allergic to them and whether my health is affected to a lesser extent. I may switch to walnuts.

 

[O2Bfree]

Those are troubling side effects that I don't get but they still make me limit my intake and I don't add it to food. I feel the same way about grapefruit because of all the drug interactions, even though I'm not on drugs. I do eat peanuts because they're supposed to be healthy but I wonder what's up with people who are severely allergic to them and whether my health is affected to a lesser extent. I may switch to walnuts.

I have a friend who is deathly allergic to fish and another who gets violently ill when she eats garlic. And then there are people who hate the cilantro, saying it tastes like soap. The cilantro thing has been proven to be genetic, and research is finding genetic clues in people with peanut allergies. It'd seem that food allergies would indeed have a genetic cause, but yeah, you gotta wonder - are food allergies spectrum issues that can cause subtle problems in seemingly asymptomatic people?

Take care with the walnuts, they are high in glutamates!