MSG in food - really nothing to worry about

[TimBKK]

“I recently bought a food product that had a “no MSG” label on the front of it. This strikes me as an odd selling point—the sticker is front and center like a shiny gold star. I presume it’s meant to ensure safety and reassure the buyer. But for what? Do people really still believe that monosodium glutamate (MSG) is harmful? It turns out there is a widely held belief that MSG is bad for us...Yet all the research I’ve seen says otherwise. MSG is not a harmful substance. Further, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated MSG as a Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) ingredient long ago in 1958. Despite requests over the years to remove the GRAS designation, the FDA kept it on the list given the available evidence. But the additive continues to be the subject of controversy, and many still question its safety.”

 

https://peterattiamd.com/should-we-still-be-worried-about-msg/
 

 

[Airalee]

I found that I have an allergic reaction to it if I eat it too much...so for me, it’s nice to have that warning.  I certainly wouldn’t want to see it banned because not everybody is as unfortunate as me and it sure makes the food taste better,

[Firefan]

I notice I get REALLY thirsty when having higher MSG meals. I think my body want to dilute it as: your body's solution to pollution is dilution. I do have the same reaction when I eat a lot of salt though, so am not saying it is dangerous, just that I see no need to add EXTRA when I can avoid when ordering soups Etc.

Some people DO have a much more serious reaction to it. Presume an allergy or food sensitivity thing. Cheers!

[OneMoreFarang]

MSG is banned in many kitchens in high class restaurants because there are too many people who have bad reactions to MSG.

[onebir]

A lot of Chinese people (!) are quite wary of it. Mostly they think it's damaging long term, but I've seen one or two friends get obvious acute reactions (one needed help walking home after some MSG-dusted kebabs!).

[KC 71]

If my wife orders some noodles out ,i usually ask her to get non msg for me if possible.I'm sure she once told me even lay crisps are loaded with it.Could be wrong though.

[Airalee]

27 minutes ago, onebir said:

A lot of Chinese people (!) are quite wary of it. Mostly they think it's damaging long term, but I've seen one or two friends get obvious acute reactions (one needed help walking home after some MSG-dusted kebabs!).

That was my reaction after eating Thai food 2 days in a row after arriving in Thailand for my first time.  Was walking along and all of the sudden it felt like my joints were full of broken glass.  Sat down for a rest and when I tried to get up I could barely walk.  Made it back to the guest house with the help of my brother.  Could barely make it up the stairs.  My hands and feet had swollen up so badly I couldn’t see the tendons (and I’m a wiry guy).  My brother said that he’d bet that I was allergic to MSG. Took 2 days to recover.  I looked up the adverse reactions online and the list was longer than what you’d see in a prescription drug pamphlet.  From then on, I learned to order my food without it (and how to say it in Thai).  Have tried it again a few times after that and had the same reaction, but milder as I didn’t eat it for 5 meals in a row.  So...for me...nasty stuff.  But damn...it makes the food taste good. 

[EricTh]

14 minutes ago, KC 71 said:

If my wife orders some noodles out ,i usually ask her to get non msg for me if possible.I'm sure she once told me even lay crisps are loaded with it.Could be wrong though.

Almost all noodles in Thailand has MSG.

 

Lays is loaded with MSG. The original taste of TASTO chips don't have MSG.

[Meat Pie 47]

8 minutes ago, Airalee said:

That was my reaction after eating Thai food 2 days in a row after arriving in Thailand for my first time.  Was walking along and all of the sudden it felt like my joints were full of broken glass.  Sat down for a rest and when I tried to get up I could barely walk.  Made it back to the guest house with the help of my brother.  Could barely make it up the stairs.  My hands and feet had swollen up so badly I couldn’t see the tendons (and I’m a wiry guy).  My brother said that he’d bet that I was allergic to MSG. Took 2 days to recover.  I looked up the adverse reactions online and the list was longer than what you’d see in a prescription drug pamphlet.  From then on, I learned to order my food without it (and how to say it in Thai).  Have tried it again a few times after that and had the same reaction, but milder as I didn’t eat it for 5 meals in a row.  So...for me...nasty stuff.  But damn...it makes the food taste good. 

I am not to sure if it makes food taste good it is used to soften meat and maybe other stuff

[onebir]

11 minutes ago, Airalee said:

That was my reaction after eating Thai food 2 days in a row after arriving in Thailand for my first time.  Was walking along and all of the sudden it felt like my joints were full of broken glass.  Sat down for a rest and when I tried to get up I could barely walk.  Made it back to the guest house with the help of my brother.  Could barely make it up the stairs.  My hands and feet had swollen up so badly I couldn’t see the tendons (and I’m a wiry guy).  My brother said that he’d bet that I was allergic to MSG. Took 2 days to recover.

That's way worse than my friend; she just felt dizzy, and recovered in a few hours...

[EricTh]

12 minutes ago, Airalee said:

That was my reaction after eating Thai food 2 days in a row after arriving in Thailand for my first time.  

 

MSG is a neurotoxin. I get headaches and feeling of weakness after a heavy dose of MSG so I always ask Thai cooks not to put MSG.

 

This is a medical report on ill effects of MSG.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10942912.2017.1295260

[Airalee]

3 minutes ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

I am not to sure if it makes food taste good it is used to soften meat and maybe other stuff

It’s a flavor enhancer.  Try some krapow with it and without it.  You’ll see what I mean.
 

“MSG is used in cooking as a flavor enhancer with an umami taste that intensifies the meaty, savory flavor of food, as naturally occurring glutamate does in foods such as stewsand meat soups.^[4][5]”
 

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate}

[EricTh]

1 minute ago, Airalee said:

It’s a flavor enhancer.  Try some krapow with it and without it.  You’ll see what I mean.
 

“MSG is used in cooking as a flavor enhancer with an umami taste that intensifies the meaty, savory flavor of food, as naturally occurring glutamate does in foods such as stewsand meat soups.^[4][5]”
 

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate}

 

Flavor enhancer to the sellers but a neurotoxin for medical practitioners. It's a toxin to the brain.

[sezze]

10 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

Flavor enhancer to the sellers but a neurotoxin for medical practitioners. It's a toxin to the brain.

So is salt , and many other food stuff . Even water is toxic if you drink to much . There is no evidence that MSG is harmful in any way . Some people have higher respons to it , so do have some people on peanuts or shrimps .

[Airalee]

6 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

Flavor enhancer to the sellers but a neurotoxin for medical practitioners. It's a toxin to the brain.

Alcohol is a toxin too but once in a while I like a glass of port or maybe a beer.  
 

Even as someone who gets severe reactions to MSG if I eat too much, I would prefer to leave it up to the individual to choose whether or not they want it and not ban it.  I know many people who love it, have no acute reactions to it and if they choose to poison themselves....up to them.  As long as there is “truth in labeling”,  and restaurants have to divulge that they use it (I know....they don’t, but it’s easy to order without it as I usually do)...then I prefer the “live and let live” approach.  Agree completely that it’s nasty stuff however.

[pookondee]

funny, people ingest all sorts of crazy stuff in their system, yet some worry about MSG.

 

In the case of the open markets, that meat sits out all day unrefridgerated.

Do you think thats got nothing in it?

In that case, whatever that use there is a lot better than the alternative of stuff going rotten.

 

In many of our countries MSG use is banned, yet they allow it in corn chips and snacks and many other things, and no-one says zip about it.

 

I think people have the thought instilled in their mind  that it will give them dry throat, so thats what they get.

 

[bendejo]

The stuff gives me insomnia.

 

Some eateries use too much of it, perhaps by accident.  When I first learned about it, some years ago when it was called "aji no moto," it was from recipes in Chinese cookbooks, and even for a whole pot of food (like 6+ portions) it would never call for more than 1/4 teaspoon.  I believe that if it is to be used at all it should only be in tiny amounts, the idea is not to actually taste it.  In SEA and Egypt I've been in situations where I thought the food was too salty, and a few minutes another taste emerges and I realize it's MSG and messes up my stomach.

Back in Europe and the Western Hemisphere how many markets actually have a whole section of the stuff?

(pic taken in Indonesia)

 

 

[impulse]

3 hours ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

I am not to sure if it makes food taste good it is used to soften meat and maybe other stuff

 

It's actually a drug that fools you to believe the food tastes good.

 

When I eat stuff laden with MSG, I get crabby and look for a place to take a nap.  They can publish all the peer reviewed, double blind studies they want, but I know what happens when I ingest it.

 

Follow the money...  Tens of billions of dollars of processed food products would be unpalatable without the addition of MSG.  I think the 7 dwarfs went over from Big Tobacco to Big Food, taking their dodgy research methods with them.

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by impulse

[sezze]

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

 

no evidence on safety so far , while being on the market over 100y . If you think it gives you headaches , it will give you headaches . There's more harmful stuff on your food then MSG , especially in Thailand . Prawns and harvested fish are full with medicines , many vegetables in Thailand have large amount of antifungal and other very harmful substances .

American meat got hormones in it , while known to be certainly no good for you . Theres much more to worry about then a bit of msg .

[EricTh]

8 hours ago, sezze said:

So is salt , and many other food stuff . Even water is toxic if you drink to much . There is no evidence that MSG is harmful in any way . Some people have higher respons to it , so do have some people on peanuts or shrimps .

 

LOL. Salt is not a neurotoxin. I have already provided a link to medical studies to prove that it is a neurotoxin which means it's a toxin to the brain.

 

Of course, this is NOT the only proof, you can google for more.

[EricTh]

7 hours ago, pookondee said:

funny, people ingest all sorts of crazy stuff in their system, yet some worry about MSG.

 

In the case of the open markets, that meat sits out all day unrefridgerated.

Do you think thats got nothing in it?

In that case, whatever that use there is a lot better than the alternative of stuff going rotten.

 

In many of our countries MSG use is banned, yet they allow it in corn chips and snacks and many other things, and no-one says zip about it.

 

I think people have the thought instilled in their mind  that it will give them dry throat, so thats what they get.

 

 

Nonsense! You won't be talking about so-called 'thought instilled in their mind' if you have allergic reaction to MSG.

 

I have never read anything about MSG when I frequently have headaches for unknown reasons.

 

So-called doctors only gave pain-killers which doesn't solve the root cause and didn't tell me what's the cause. 

 

It's only after I read about the MSG effects many years later, I realised that MSG is a neurotoxin. When I stopped eating MSG, my headaches went away. It's definitely not due to 'thought instilled in mind'.... LOL

 

I told several other friends about this who didn't know the after-effects, and their situations also improved after I told them.

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by EricTh

[EricTh]

6 hours ago, bendejo said:

The stuff gives me insomnia.

 

Some eateries use too much of it, perhaps by accident.  When I first learned about it, some years ago when it was called "aji no moto," it was from recipes in Chinese cookbooks, and even for a whole pot of food (like 6+ portions) it would never call for more than 1/4 teaspoon.  I believe that if it is to be used at all it should only be in tiny amounts, the idea is not to actually taste it.  In SEA and Egypt I've been in situations where I thought the food was too salty, and a few minutes another taste emerges and I realize it's MSG and messes up my stomach.

Back in Europe and the Western Hemisphere how many markets actually have a whole section of the stuff?

(pic taken in Indonesia)

 

 

 

In all Asian countries, most people don't know about the bad effects of MSG, that's why they put loads of MSG into their food.

 

MSG was created by the Japanese. Ajinomoto is a Japanese word.

 

The people in these asian countries may have headaches later or other reactions which the 'doctors' shrugged off with pain-killers.

 

For those who know how to read medical reports, it is a neurotoxin. 

Edited December 21, 2020 by EricTh

[EricTh]

8 hours ago, Airalee said:

Alcohol is a toxin too but once in a while I like a glass of port or maybe a beer.  

 

Alcohol is a liver toxin and not neurotoxin. It destroys liver cells which try to purge the toxin away.

 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-related-liver-disease-arld/

 

However, liver cells can regenerate itself unless it is severely damaged through years of abuse which will lead to liver cancer.

Edited December 21, 2020 by EricTh

[Dagfinnur Traustason]

So much talk about nothing! MSG? Ask yourself why you need it? Dangerous or not, why do you need it? Learn to cook food instead, and you will not need to enhance any flavours.

A totallt worthless product, for people that can´t cook themselves a healthy and tasty meal with original and fresh ingredients.

@OneMoreFarang Thanks! I love that you have used common sense and banned such a useless product. ????

[Airalee]

5 hours ago, impulse said:

Follow the money...

I’d bet that if it could be taxed (easily) it it would never be banned.

[Airalee]

37 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

Alcohol is a liver toxin and not neurotoxin. It destroys liver cells which try to purge the toxin away.

 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-related-liver-disease-arld/

 

However, liver cells can regenerate itself unless it is severely damaged through years of abuse which will lead to liver cancer.

“Studies clearly indicate that alcohol is neurotoxic, with direct effects on nerve cells. Chronic alcohol abusers are at additional risk for brain injury from related causes, such as poor nutrition, liver disease, and head trauma. The potential cost to society of alcohol-induced brain damage is enormous.”

https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/10report/chap02e.pdf

 

I’m not arguing about what’s good or bad.  Many things are bad for us.  Seems like the things that are big moneymakers either via taxes or corporate profits get a pass.  All the others get banned.  We can choose to be as healthy as possible yet we will still be taxed indirectly to take care of people who don’t choose to be healthy.  Just seems to be the way things are.  Life will go on.

 

[markeewan]

Apart from having a sleepless night I can't really attribute any after effects to MSG.

 

But there is something in some Thai food that will give me a very severe headache for 48 hours. No matter how many Sara or Brufen I take it will not go away.

 

Twice i have had the experience  after eating at Tesco Lotus food halls, so I won't eat there anymore. I have a feeling that it is a brown or red dye added to the food, but to be honest I don't know. 

When my wife cooks the same dishes at home there is no problem, so it is something that is being added in the commercial environment.

[Laza 45]

Follow the science.. 

 

“It’s wacko, it’s weird; it’s not true that MSG has any kind of toxic or causative role in food allergies.”

 

https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/is-msg-bad-for-your-health/

[CLW]

Maybe some people just don't want to have MSG it in their food for whatever reason.

Same with people who are allergic to nuts etc.

Anyway it's already hard to avoid when eating outside or convenience food.

Therefore, if I cook at home I don't want to use it then.

[fittobethaied]

Just remember, the tobacco industry said that cigarettes weren't bad for us. There's big money in MSG and you can bet that the industry has paid off the scientists to write positive reports. Personally, I don't trust the science on any product and will only trust how my body responds to such things as MSG. My wife and I are deathly allergic to it, and many other people that I know as well. I carry around business cards with me to hand to anyone that cooks my food, and it says "Please do not add MSG to my food. I am allergic to it and I may die"! You'd be surprised how many laughs I get from the cooks, waiters and waitresses; and most of the time the warning goes unheeded and they put it in the food anyway. They actually believe that their food won't taste good without it, and I will leave the restaurant and tell all my friends the food is no good in that place. Welcome to Thailand where logic is a 4 letter word.