Msg

[awarrumbungle]

Is anybody else suffering from MSG?

I've done some research and apparently it's a natural substance found in a lot of vegetables etc. So it's apparently not harmful.

But there seems to be a consensus of rumours and opinions that too much gives people problems. i.e headache, dry bad tasting mouth, bad breath...

....

Whad'ya reckon?

[Jai Dee]

But there seems to be a consensus of rumours and opinions that too much gives people problems. i.e headache, dry bad tasting mouth, bad breath...

And I thought it was just a side affect of too much Chang...

[The Nemi]

But there seems to be a consensus of rumours and opinions that too much gives people problems. i.e headache, dry bad tasting mouth, bad breath...

And I thought it was just a side affect of too much Chang...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[johnh101]

MSG is not a natural substance.

It is Mono Sodium Glutamate a chemically manufactured flavour enhancer used frequently in Asian and Oriental cooking. I am not an expert on the subject but I know that it makes me ill. I avoid it at all costs but it is not easy in Thailand, when I have it I feel dizzy, short of breath, nauseous and generally feeling sh1tty. I read that the western body cannot process MSG the way an asian can, something to do with differences in our genetic make up.

When you are buying noodles off the street or in a Thai restaurant I always add

"Mai Ow Pom Shoo Arot" after my order.

I have attached some links which better explain the horrible truth about this stuff.

http://www.msgmyth.com/

http://www.rense.com/general52/msg.htm

http://www.nomsg.com/harmful.html

[johnh101]

So you think you don't eat MSG? Think again...

Some of the names MSG goes under

monopotassium glutamate

glutavene

glutacyl

glutamic acid

autolyzed yeast extract

calcium caseinate

sodium caseinate

E621 (E620-625 are all glutamates)

Ajinomoto, Ac'cent

Gourmet Powder

The following may also contain MSG natural flavours or seasonings

natural beef or chicken flavouring

hydrolyzed milk or plant protein

textured protein

seasonings

soy sauce

bouillon

broth

spices

Free glutamate content of foods (mg per 100g) roquefort cheese 1280

parmesan cheese 1200

soy sauce 1090

walnuts 658

fresh tomato juice 260

grape juice 258

peas 200

mushrooms 180

broccoli 176

tomatoes 140

mushrooms 140

oysters 137

corn 130

potatoes 102

chicken 44

mackerel 36

beef 33

eggs 23

human milk 22

[bkkmei]

aaah, the magic powder! actually being an asian body myself, have no probs with msg but did talk to one American Born Chinese girl who claimed to suffer allergy, so the western/asian thing may not be so clear cut.

anyhow, I've also heard that msg can be found in a range of western processed food e.g. certain brands of crisps...

[sbk]

Actually most processed foods in Asia have minscule amounts of MSG in them, which give me no trouble. It is when the cook uses MSG as a flavor additive instead of salt or sugar. Many many Thai people, esp when cooking large amounts of food, spoon in the MSG. I have had effects from headaches to severe vomiting when this is done.

Check your bottle of soy sauce, yes, it does have MSG, but then check the percentage. It would much much lower than a couple of heaping spoonfuls in a pot of soup.

[rio666uk]

Im english and my thai wife uses MSG quite often when cooking - Ive never had any reaction or problem to it, but i guess that doesnt mean im safe!

i will watch this thread

[jimbob]

Everytime I have had Chinese takeaway and Thai takeaway in London I always felt dizzy, tired etc. I ahve had it in thailand as well from some foodstalls. In small amounts it is no problem but large amounts it f's you up.

[think_too_mut]

MSG is a flavour enhancer that wakes up some cell in your tongue.

The food that has been recycled from the day before may contain it.

Food manufacturing companies from the countries with no access to fresh food all year round (Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, etc) even pay chefs from the (local) Intercontinental hotels to advertise it.

A goulash in Budapest would be undeservedly tastier than the same dish in Sydney, made by Hungarians. No MSG at that place.

Not really a harm, just makes a bad (defrosted) food taste better.

No real need for Thais to use it. Everything is always there, for Thai meals.

If they do, that's the time to change a restaurant or street vendor.

[sbk]

I have heard there are no serious long term effects but I'll tell you the short term effects are enough to put me off.

It is a lazy cook who uses MSG is all. At a restaurant we go to regularly the cook was quite offended when we said "mai sai pom shoo roht" . "Good cooks", she said, "don't need it".

[merlin1]

MSG is not a natural substance.

It is Mono Sodium Glutamate a chemically manufactured flavour enhancer used frequently in Asian and Oriental cooking. I am not an expert on the subject but I know that it makes me ill. I avoid it at all costs but it is not easy in Thailand, when I have it I feel dizzy, short of breath, nauseous and generally feeling sh1tty. I read that the western body cannot process MSG the way an asian can, something to do with differences in our genetic make up.

When you are buying noodles off the street or in a Thai restaurant I always add

"Mai Ow Pom Shoo Arot" after my order.

I have attached some links which better explain the horrible truth about this stuff.

http://www.msgmyth.com/

http://www.rense.com/general52/msg.htm

http://www.nomsg.com/harmful.html

     

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the info.

I avoid it like the plague. If I forget to ask and wind up with symptoms, aspirin and tons of water are helpful.

[RDN]

In Big C, my g/f bought some of this:

I said "Good, it doesn't have any monosodium glutamate!"

She said "What's that?". "MSG" I replied. She then looked a couple of feet to my right:

[awarrumbungle]

John, What your saying my gut agrees with.

But I do remember reading this http://www.msg.org.au/

This confuses me a bit, especially when you have a company like the above.

[seeker108]

Folks, If you still think MSG does not have serious short and long term effects, then also check out the following sites:

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/Obesity%20epidemic.html

https://www.spofamerica.com/table.php?PHPSE...3172f5df0c29e27

In brief we are talking obesity, diabetes, brain cell and other neuro cell destruction just to name a few long-term effects.

And while you're at it learn more about aspartame, Splenda (sucralose) and all of the other extremely poisonous artificial sweetners. Here are a few links, but a search will reveal many more informative sites:

http://www.aspartame.com/

http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/

http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/

http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_testimonials.htm

http://www.wnho.net/splenda_chlorocarbon.htm

http://www.wnho.net/links-aspartame.htm

http://www.foodanddiet.com/NewFiles/splenda-story95.html

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/nutraswt.htm

On a positive note, and excellent replacement for sugar is something called stevia, which is available in Thailand in its natural herbal form (sorry, I don't remember the Thai name), but unfortunately not in the easier to use processed form. I believe it is mostly manufactured in China and for some reason Thailand blocks its importation (though it is easily available in Europe and North America.

Seeker

[seeker108]

John, What your saying my gut agrees with.

But I do remember reading this http://www.msg.org.au/

This confuses me a bit, especially when you have a company like the above.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

awarrumbungle,

All such sites are funded by the industries earning money from the sale of said products. I know it is hard to believe, but sometimes such people twist the truth just a little.

[awarrumbungle]

When in doubt listen to your body

[sbk]

When in doubt listen to your body

Precisely. I have a constitution like iron, very rarely get stomach problems from food UNLESS it has MSG in it. Interestingly enough, years ago when aspartame (Nutra Sweet is one famous name for it) I tried a diet coke and got immediately ill. Never drank diet again. Guess my iron constitution doesn't apply to chemicals

[johnh101]

John, What your saying my gut agrees with.

But I do remember reading this http://www.msg.org.au/

This confuses me a bit, especially when you have a company like the above.

awarrumbungle,

All such sites are funded by the industries earning money from the sale of said products. I know it is hard to believe, but sometimes such people twist the truth just a little.

On the website it states "MSG is a natural product"

Sorry but I think that is BS, Glutamate is a naturally occuring product, I agree, but when you take that in a lab or a factory and boil it and melt salt into it I think that is a little un-natural.

MSG, Aspartame, Saturated Fats, etc, etc. are all big money makers for US industry which are slowly poisoning us all, but they don't care they are getting richer.

[lomatopo]

An interesting background article...

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly...1522368,00.html

[sbk]

An interesting background article...

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly...1522368,00.html

Interesting article but total malarkey. I have lived in Thailand for 16 years and have attended countless weddings, funerals, house openings, ordination ceremonies and local temple festivals. In fact, just this week I have attended two funerals and a wedding.

In all those times, the food is cooked in great big pots, with lots of MSG spooned in. And, because I mention that I cannot eat food with MSG in it I have met numerous Thai people who have complained to me about the MSG in the food because they CANNOT EAT IT. They have a bad reaction to it. Why is this not more widely known? Because Thai people do not like to cause a bother and don't want the host to feel bad that their food is inedible. At the funeral the other day a local lady (whose mother was Muslim, altho the kids don't practice, they still don't eat pork) was served fried chili pork on rice with a fried egg. Rather than say, "Sorry, I dont' eat pork" she just spooned the pork onto my husband's plate , ate a bit of the egg and then left the rest.

[chuchok]

Probably the one and only argument that I ever won hands down with the wife was over MSG. After a mild disagreement about adding the &lt;deleted&gt; to food,I asked her that if she could point out where the MSG tree was in Thailand, then I would be happy to eat it in my food.

[cathyy]

Lucky me, I suffer no ill effects from consuming food with MSG. Still I don't ever use it when I cook. It does add a nice flavor, but it seems to make all the food have the same flavor, too. Not worth using. I can make food taste better without it.

[dannishgung]

Thai food is really unhealthy. The amount of MSG and salt they use really give me sore throat, constant thirst, headache, stomchache ect.

My girlfriend taught me a few phrases when I go eat in Thai restaurant.

(1) Mai sai pon chu rot(do not put MSG)--but did not really help much, these Thais still put them in anyways by habitual.

(2) mai sai naam paa(do not put fish sauce)--another high source of MSG, again did not help much by telling them.

So I avoid Thai food which I think it's way too salty and spicy to be a health foods to be eaten regularly.

[seeker108]

Lucky me, I suffer no ill effects from consuming food with MSG. Still I don't ever use it when I cook. It does add a nice flavor, but it seems to make all the food have the same flavor, too. Not worth using. I can make food taste better without it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually Cathyy you are amongst the unlucky majority in that you do not have an immediate reaction. Even if you do not get the headache or nausia, everyone is having short and long term damage from this - destruction of brain and other nerve cells leading to things like brain lesions and alzheimers; eating disorders leading to obesity and diabetes juust to name some of the problems.

[bkkmei]

Lucky me, I suffer no ill effects from consuming food with MSG. Still I don't ever use it when I cook. It does add a nice flavor, but it seems to make all the food have the same flavor, too. Not worth using. I can make food taste better without it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually Cathyy you are amongst the unlucky majority in that you do not have an immediate reaction. Even if you do not get the headache or nausia, everyone is having short and long term damage from this - destruction of brain and other nerve cells leading to things like brain lesions and alzheimers; eating disorders leading to obesity and diabetes juust to name some of the problems.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When you say everyone, do you mean Asians as well? Or just Caucasians who may not have grown up eating MSG?