After some experimentation, I’ve discovered that an intolerance to MSG is part of the reason I often feel like crap here (head aches, fatigue, bloating, painful chest, difficulties breathing…).
So, now I have to try and avoid it, but the question is how? If I am eating out, and eating Taiwanese food, what’s the best way to food that’s MSG-free?
I usually say ‘Qing ni bu fang wei jing’, but am not convinced that the MSG is always left out.
Any ideas? :help:
Avoid soup in general, except for miso soup (weizeng tang). Have dry noodles or dumplings instead of the soup variety. You can make much more wholesome MSG-free soup for yourself at home.
Try to do more cooking yourself using fresh produce, and avoid canned/pre-prepared foods…I find a lot of canned products have MSG…even my beloved Hsinchu gong4 wan2 (those little round balls you put in soup) have MSG added to them!!! MSG is very hard to avoid, especially in Taiwan/Asia where it is pretty much stuck in everything…
what do MSG stands for 
and what is it?
I’m really clueless about this one 
Monosodium glutamate. It is “flavour enhancer” i.e. it makes bland food seem to taste of something. I think it does so by dilating your taste buds or something. Personally I would rather eat food that has its own real taste without adding chemical “enhancers”. MSG makes my face sweat and gives me a sore throat…I hate it.
They even have MSG in the black pepper!!! I was surprised that at every fast-food place… KFC, McD’s, etc… when you ask for black pepper, it’s actually a concoction of black pepper, salt and MSG. Some friends didn’t even know that, until I pointed it out.
The New York Times has an op-ed piece on the subject of MSG. Here’s a quote:
[quote]While around a third of Americans say they believe that MSG makes them ill, reputable medical studies have shown that only a tiny proportion of people truly react to it, and then only when it is administered in large oral doses on an empty stomach. All this was explained, and the restaurant syndrome fully debunked, in great detail by the food writer Jeffrey Steingarten in a 1999 essay for Vogue magazine titled “Why Doesn’t Everybody in China Have a Headache?”
In the absence of medical evidence of any harmful physiological effects of MSG, the fact that the Chinese use it while Americans not of Chinese descent generally don’t creates a serious cultural barrier to the mainstream appreciation of Chinese food. Isn’t it time, perhaps, to cast off our prejudices and take a cool, steady look at MSG?
MSG is not, of course, a traditional Chinese seasoning. It was discovered in 1908 by a Japanese scientist…[/quote]
Here’s the whole piece: China’s True Dash of Flavor.
Me, I plan to keep telling the chefs “Wo bu yao weijing” anyway.
MSG is added to most processed foods, snacks etc as a ‘taste’ enhancer … it’s very difficult to avoid unless you cook yourself from scratch, buy organic …
[quote=“belgian pie”]MSG is added to most processed foods, snacks etc as a ‘taste’ enhancer … it’s very difficult to avoid unless you cook yourself from scratch, buy organic …[/quote]Right. And this goes for food everywhere, not just Chinese food.
Yes, worldwide players in the processed food sector use it to ‘attract’ more consumers by enhancing flavours ranging from potato chips to sauces and thereby endangering some peoples lives … only a small percentage is allergic to MSG but for some it can be fatal … I have had one case many years ago of a person that had to be submited to the ER for anaphylaxis treatment after eating MSG in a restaurant without knowing … it turned out well but was a lesson …
A Japanese company invented it and started production of a synthezised version. MSG is a naturally occuring amino acid in humans, animals and plants or something but still it can trigger an allergic shock … and according to some studies can make you smarter …
[quote]Whether humans are susceptible to the neurotoxicity from glutamic acid seen in some animal experiments. It is known that the glutamate ion is important in memory retrieval in humans.
[/quote]
Now this is interesting … know how to read your labels …
[quote=“wikipedia”]While technically MSG is only one of several forms of free glutamate used in foods, consumers frequently use the term MSG to mean all free glutamate. The free glutamic acid component of MSG may also be present in a wide variety of other additives, including hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, hydrolyzed yeast, soy extracts, and “natural flavorings”.
For this reason, FDA considers labels such as “No MSG” or “No Added MSG” to be misleading if the food contains ingredients that are sources of free glutamates, such as hydrolyzed protein.
In 1993, FDA proposed adding the phrase “(contains glutamate)” to the common or usual names of certain protein hydrolysates that contain substantial amounts of glutamate. For example, if the proposal were adopted, hydrolyzed soy protein would have to be declared on food labels as “hydrolyzed soy protein (contains glutamate).” However, if FDA issues a new proposal, it would probably supersede this 1993 one.
In 1994, FDA received a citizen’s petition requesting changes in labeling requirements for foods that contain MSG or related substances. The petition asks for mandatory listing of MSG as an ingredient on labels of manufactured and processed foods that contain manufactured free glutamic acid. It further asks that the amount of free glutamic acid or MSG in such products be stated on the label, along with a warning that MSG may be harmful to certain groups of people. FDA has not yet taken action on the petition.
Under current FDA regulations, significant amounts of free glutamate can be included in food under the following ingredient labels: MSG, monosodium glutamate, glutamic acid, hydrolyzed protein, autolyzed protein, textured protein, yeast extract, autolyzed yeast extract, protein isolate, soy sauce, modified food starch, modified corn starch, calcium caseinate, and sodium caseinate. In some cases, significant amounts of free glutamate are also added as broth, maltodextrin, seasonings, or natural flavor.
[/quote]
[quote]Standard 1.2.4 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code requires the presence of MSG as a food additive to be labelled. The label must bear the food additive class name (eg. flavour enhancer), followed by either the name of the food additive (eg MSG) or its International Numbering System (INS) number (eg 621).
[/quote]
By some measures this year is the 100th anniversary of the discovery of MSG, so expect a spate of articles. Here’s one in today’s New York Times: Yes, MSG, the Secret Behind the Savor.
the Japanese did not invent it, it is a natural component of foods including basically anything with protein in it. tomatoes in particular are rich in glutamate.
the japanese may have been the first country to make it commercially available and to use it specifically in cooking. it corresponds to the ‘fifth’ flavour in japanese cooking, umami, a flavour that was not recognised by Europeans until just recently.
I wouldn’t trust the FDA to tell me the time in a room full of clocks.
They allowed aspartame in.
I try and avoid msg and always ask at a restaurant that I don’t want the slop.
If anyone is interested in GM food here is a great link.
seedsofdeception.com/Public/Home/index.cfm
I was listening to this guy in a radio interview and he was saying pigs won’t eat GM food.
I steer clear of most North American food much more now.
But it’s difficult.
I know that this has been covered but I need more information.
I will be studying in Tai bei for ten weeks this Summer. I am very allergic to MSG. I get headaches, nausea, and just feel horrible with even the slightest amount added to my food or in the sauce.
Can anyone suggest any place where I can eat in Tai bei where I can just relax and enjoy my meal? I have had many experiences here in the States where I asked for it to be left out and still got sick ( though, not all the time).
I love Asian food. Any suggestions for what I can do while in Tai bei if I want to eat out?
I thought that maybe I would go to Western restaurants if I can’t find any Chinese ones. How about Thai? I am literally open to anything.
I will also cook on my own, eat veggies, fruits, eggs, and whatever else I can find. It would be so wonderful to eat the local food. Hence, this post.
Please, help!
Thanks a lot.
^I suggest you tell them you can’t eat it and please leave it out.
When I eat out, I eat mainly Thai food here anyway (I can’t stand Taiwanese food) and they don’t put it in where I go (real Thais cooking the food).
Cooking on your own should be no problem.
Most of my food is done this way.
I always look at the ingredients.
Any possible ingredients that could contain GM food (if no organic is available) I pass, especially if it’s from the GM capital of the world - the US then it won’t be purchased.
Stay away from shitty instant noodles too.
May as well be eating cardboard.
Microwave foods too contain junk, plus whatever little nutrients are found in the food - they’ll be destroyed when heated up in those contraptions.
Cake
Thanks!
Any ideas for real Thai food places?
I, too, have found that Thai places leave it out. I rarely have to ask.
I shall be spending a lot of time in Da-an at TaiDa. Does anyone have any suggestions where I can eat around there?
I really appreciate this forum.
msg doesnt seem to affect most chinese.
Its a master plan to wipe out everyone except the Chinese , who are immune to MSG 
See