PrintMSG Is In More Food Than You'd Think
I bet you didn't know that MSG (monosodium glutamate) is in foods like "canned tuna..., canned soup, low-fat yogurts and ice creams, chips and virtually everything ranch-flavored or cheese-flavored." In fact, MSG is prevalent in many different foods and dishes around the world. In today's New York Times article "Yes, MSG, the Secret Behind the Savor", Julia Moskin explores how MSG is used and how its effects are still disputed.
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11 Comments:
Link troubles? Try here.
LunaPierCook at 4:29PM on 03/05/08
Link fixed, thanks.
Gordon Mark at 4:36PM on 03/05/08
oh man do i ever know that. one friend was rushed to an emergency room because she thought she was having a heart attack, turned out it was an MSG reaction from instant soup. also, mom and i have both had bad msg reactions from overdoing it on certain brands of cheesies.
lexophile at 5:19PM on 03/05/08
I think the stories about the myths of problems with MSG is a myth. I have reactions myself, and no one, not even the NYT, will ever convince me otherwise, I don't care who they are. I know the reaction I have, I've looked into it ... that's it, I know the cause. Anyone telling me otherwise can take a flying leap.
(LPC steps off the soapbox, and heads for the nearest non-MSG Asian restaurant.)
LunaPierCook at 5:57PM on 03/05/08
According to my mother and grandpernts, Ajinomoto even used to advertise that their msg even helped to make you smarter. (Mmm, brain food!)
mikaque at 9:32PM on 03/05/08
I'm not saying there aren't people who canhave severe reactions to msg, or peanuts, or second-hand smoke, or any other number of things.
There's probably even somebody, somewhere, who breaks out in a rash after handling large denomination notes.
Thankfully, I'm not any of those people.
SB (loves it)
srhcb at 10:04PM on 03/05/08
I've got fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, and for the last few years my symptoms have been so bad that I was unable to work or even take care of myself on a regular basis.
On the off-handed advice of a doctor, I cut out MSG and other ingredients with large amounts of free glutamates (hydrolyzed this, autolyzed that, etc, etc) and found that my symptoms were dramatically reduced within a month. A joyous thing for me, but it makes the day-to-day process of shopping and eating stupidly difficult because MSG is in nearly everything and rarely ever clearly labeled.
I don't care whether the everyday populace believes that MSG sensitivity is real or not, but I do wish the FDA would get their acts together and require a "contains glutamates" label, same as they do for wheat or soy.
jenilowrance at 10:36PM on 03/05/08
Glutamic acid, one form of which is glutamate (of which the sodium salt is MSG) is an essential nutrient in the human diet. It's necessary for cellular metabolism, is a prime source of intestinal energy, a GABA precursor and a neurotransmitter. It also occurs naturally in an awful lot of foods. I'm not saying it's impossible for some people to be sensitive to it, but labeling for it could get highly problematic for multiple reasons.
thepictsie at 12:13AM on 03/06/08
Parmigiano Reggiano has one of the highest concentrations of free glutamate of any food out there. Perhaps that's what makes it the "undisputed king of cheeses".
sfchin at 11:27AM on 03/06/08
I hallucinate on MSG... the first time it happened, it completely freaked me out, I thought I had gone insane. I have noticed a dose effect (i.e. the more is present, the more pronounced the reaction), and that the reaction is much more pronounced if I have something MSG-laden on an empty stomach.
I doubt everyone has a significant reaction to MSG, and who knows? for some people it may even be a healthy substance. But I do think it would be a good idea to note its presence on food labels.
mongoose at 12:21PM on 03/06/08
I read this article this morning with dropped jaw! Now I know why I can never find any Chinese restaurant that can duplicate the wonton soup that loved from a restaurant at a strip mall where I used to live in Connecticut! It had to have been their wontons and broth which must have contained MSG! I'd read last year about the "new" flavor concept of umami, but never realized that it was plain old MSG enhanced flavor. Personally, I love the debunking of food myths. I know that I'm not allergic to MSG and have no cause for inordinate concern. I've even seen MSG for sale at Penzeys! I won't be cooking with it any time soon as I know my partner would freak! But it's so good to put it all into context!
Otabenga at 12:28PM on 03/06/08