Maggi contains citric acid, which increases antioxidant activity in the body when consumed in excess. However, Maggi itself is not an antioxidant, so eating too much Maggi can cause liver damage. There are two products marketed with MSG: Ajinomoto and Magic Sarap.
MSG is generally considered safe in moderation, and most foods containing it have a very small amount. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises consumers not to purchase or eat Everest Garam Masala, Everest Sambhar Masala, and Maggi Masala ae Magic spices with lot numbers. There is no substantial scientific evidence that MSG is inherently bad.
Magici Magic Sarap is not associated with any health issues and complies with all food safety, quality, and regulatory standards of the Philippine Food and Drug Administration and Nestlé. While racial biases and older research implied that MSG was a toxic additive, current evidence and health authorities recognize it as safe.
Magici Magic Sarap is banned in the USA, so no US company can import it. If you have high blood pressure, any history of heart conditions, or migraines, you should avoid this product.
Research has debunked the myth that MSG is a villainous ingredient, and research shows that in small amounts, it doesn’t cause any significant or lasting harm. It is important to note that the dose makes the poison, and MSG is not bad for your health.
📹 What is MSG, and is it actually bad for you? – Sarah E. Tracy
Dig into the seasoning known as MSG, and find out how this flavoring was developed and if it’s actually bad for your health.
Is MSG bad for health?
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer commonly used in restaurant foods, canned vegetables, soups, and deli meats, as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA, according to Katherine Zeratsky, R. D., L. D.
What are the benefits of Magic Sarap?
This product has the capacity to enhance flavor in a multitude of culinary applications, including stir-fried dishes, meat and fish rubs, soups and stews, dressings, sauces, and gravies. It is recommended that the product be stored in a cool, dry place.
Is Magic Sarap healthy or unhealthy in the Philippines?
MAGGI MAGIC SARAP is safe and in compliance with Philippine Food and Drug Administration regulations and Nestlé’s standards for food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.
Why is Magic Sarap not allowed in the US?
Nestlé Philippines has asserted that the United States exercises regulatory control over food products, particularly those containing meat, that have not undergone the requisite import registration process, a circumstance that is especially prevalent in the Philippines. MAGGI MAGIC SARAP, a chicken meat product, is not registered for sale in the United States and is subject to standard customs regulations, regardless of whether it is being carried by hand or intended for commercial resale.
Does Magic Sarap contain MSG?
The recipe comprises iodized salt, flavor enhancers, sugar, garlic, chicken fat, onion, spices, nature-identical flavoring, chicken meat, and egg yolk. The percentage RENI values are based on the FNRI reference adult requirement for males aged 19-29.
How much salt is in Magic Sarap?
MAGGI Magic Sarap is an all-in-one seasoning made with fresh onion, garlic, real meat, brown sugar, pepper, and other spices. It provides a delicious and aromatic taste, making it a perfect partner for preparing all kinds of dishes. The ingredients include iodized salt, flavor enhancers, sugar, garlic, chicken fat, onion, spices, and nature-identical flavor. The percentage RENI values are based on the FNRI reference adult requirement.
Does Magic Sarap contain iodine?
Magic Sarap All in One Seasoning Granules 8 g by Maggi is a versatile seasoning mix that enhances the flavor of various dishes. It contains a blend of iodized salt, flavor enhancers, sugar, garlic, chicken fat, onion, spicy spices, natural identical flavor (egg), iron, and chicken meat. This seasoning is ideal for adding depth and umami to soups, stir-fries, marinades, and more. It enhances the taste and aroma of meat, vegetables, and seafood, making meals more enjoyable. The ingredients include iodized salt, flavor enhancers, sugar, garlic, chicken fat, onion, spicy spices, and natural identical flavor (egg).
Why is MSG banned in the UK?
The Co-operative Group has become the inaugural supermarket to prohibit a selection of commonly utilized colors and monosodium glutamate in its entirety of proprietary foodstuffs, due to purported correlations with food intolerance and concerns pertaining to children’s dietary habits. The results of independent research conducted on behalf of the Co-op among parents indicate that these ingredients may contribute to the development of food intolerance and have an adverse impact on children’s diets.
Is using magic sarap healthy?
MAGGI MAGIC SARAP is safe and in compliance with Philippine Food and Drug Administration regulations and Nestlé’s standards for food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.
Is it OK to eat MSG everyday?
Recent studies suggest that MSG is safe in moderate amounts in a normal diet, with an average daily intake of less than 1 gram. The Food and Drug Administration and most experts agree that MSG is safe when consumed as part of a normal diet, with potential side effects including headache, flushing, weakness, numbness, heart palpitations, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and nausea. Fewer than 1% of people may be sensitive to MSG.
Is it OK to eat Magic Sarap?
MAGGI MAGIC SARAP, a chicken meat product, is not banned in the US for cardiovascular health reasons. It complies with food safety, quality, and regulatory standards of the Philippine Food and Drug Administration and Nestlé. The US regulates food products without proper import registration, especially those containing meat. MAGGI MAGIC SARAP, which contains chicken meat, is not registered for sale in the US and is subject to standard US customs regulations. However, a US FDA-approved meat-free version of MAGGI MAGIC SARAP is now available in the US, distributed by Nestlé USA.
📹 MAGIC SARAP – Under The Microscope
Kamusta Everyone! Welcome to MicroscopiX! Salt Under The Microscope Pepper Under The Microscope Magic Sarap Under The …
As a Vietnamese, I confirm MSG is a staple, but we only add like a teaspoon in a large pan/pot of broth then divide into serving portions, not like a whole jar. It enhances flavor but consuming too much at once indeed causes headache and jawlock. Anyhow, almost everything is good if we consume it in moderation.
My dad has this unwavering hate for monosodium glutamate (MSG). I’ve shown him countless, COUNTLESS, peer reviewed articles on the issue. The only negative I could find is that – as mentioned – directly injecting MSG into mice caused damage to various systems. I had to explain to him that, if anything, this showed that we are able to healthily digest MSG. Years later, he still tells me, after reading the ingredients for some crackers I’m enjoying, contain MSG. I can’t win Then again, this is the same guy who thinks wifi signals give him headaches. I don’t have the heart to tell him that he is in a wifi signal 80% of the time
When I saw the title of the article i thought it was a chemical I hadn’t heard of before. But then I realised MSG was the chemical name of the substance called ‘Ajinomoto’ here. I searched it up and turns out Ajinomoto was the brand name of a company that made MSG. All these years I had the same misconception that it was bad for you since everyone around me believed the same false stories for decades. Thanks for clearing it up Ted Ed !
I’m a personal Chef and back in college I actually did a research paper on the Stigma of MSG which turns out to be ALL about RACISM! Back in the late ’60s and early ’70s, NYC Asian restaurants were starting to get more and more popular and sales started getting hirer and hirer. Some or I should say Most of course didn’t like it. So secretly Non-Asian restaurant owners took Asian food to laboratories to find out what was in it. It was discovered that a form of salt MSG Monosodium L Glutamate enhanced the flavor of salt and made the food taste more savory. So we know what happens next?? Those Non-Asian restaurants started screaming MSG is bad for you just to make real Asian restaurants suffer. Unfortunately, the bad word of mouth, and also public bashing made sales drop, and made people scared to consume MSG. So Asian restaurants were forced to remove it from their cooking. That’s why when you go to some Asian restaurants on the menu in bold lettering NO MSG. This is a shame because now after many years of research they have determined MSG is not harmful, or life-threatening. The scare campaign was actually a HATE campaign! There are many products out on the market that most consumers eat that have always contained MSG but they didn’t mention those because they were trying to put Asian restaurants out of business. Today you can find MSG at/in KFC, Chick-fil-A, Campbell’s soups, Doritos, Pringles, and a whole lot more!!! I use it in 90% of my cooking especially baking when salt is one of the ingredients.
A friend of mine always said that my dad cooked the best steaks he had ever eaten, and that no matter what he did, he couldn’t get his to taste the same. My dad died several years ago, and my friend is still trying to figure out what dad’s secret was. One of these days I’ll tell him that it was a little MSG sprinkled on the steaks 30 minutes before grilling them.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m highly positive that the side effects is caused by the sodium, rather than the glutamate effect. I heard that the glutamate is easily excreted & doesn’t stay long in the body. In conclusion, moderate your salt intake. Add a pinch of MSG into healthy food to make it tastier ^-^
Back in around 2000 – 2003 or so, I had problems when I would consume large amounts of free glutamic acid, either through monosodium glutamate, autolyzed yeast extracts, or hydrolyzed proteins in foods. I have Crohn’s Disease and as a result, my levels of vitamins and minerals can often be lower than that of a normal person due to inflammation throughout the intestines. I would basically ask people to please not cook for me, because it was simply too complicated to realistically expect them to avoid the ingredients that were high in free glutamic acid, which would result in me having several hours of dizziness, headache, feelings of dissociation, and extreme thirst. People would still insist on it, saying that they would be thoroughly diligent, but far too many times I was ill and out of commission for hours after a meal only to look at the sauces and flavourings they used to see that one of the offending ingredients was in it. As it turns out, Vitamin B6 is involved in the breakdown of free glutamic acid, and I had a general deficiency of B vitamins along with many others. Since this has been corrected via supplementation, I now no longer have any issues eating MSG or free glutamic acid and consume them regularly since my diet is predominantly east and southeast Asian food. I suggest if you think you have a problem with MSG, take a small supplement of Vitamin B6 and see how this affects you.
The funny thing is that Kwok actually had a conversation with a few friends about how 3 separate times he got ill after eating dishes from different Chinese restaurants in separate weeks. Kwok speculated it could be MSG, which he never had in large quantities until he went to the restaurants because it isn’t commonly added to typical American foods, or the fact that he choose a lot of very greasy dishes at once, far more than he had before. His friends said something along the lines of “it’s got to be the MSG, defiantly” and that was what led Kwok to write about his most recent bad experience to the journal. Now this doesn’t happen to everyone, but for a lot of people eating a ton of grease in one sitting will make your stomach uncomfortable and the body might try to expel some of the offending material the other end. It’s kind of strange that between these two explanations, he thought it the MSG was more likely the culprit than the grease.
My mom always lectures me about eating msg. My whole family buys into it. What they don’t think of IS THAT THEY HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION THAT REACTS TO MSG. Just like it reacts to anything spicy and acidic. This whole msg panic gets old one day she gonna look in my spice cabinet and find msg and give me such a lecture…
All my life is it normal to eat every day with msg foods.Cause I’m Asian and it’s a part of our culture but now I’m suffering from kidney stones.And everytime I eat a food with msg my joint swelling.Then I change my diet.I switch to Mediterranean foods with herbs in the dish.And my problem in my joints ant rheumatoid stop
Finally, a clear, simple and decisive explanation to this arguably long-standing question. In my younger days, I was told that eating too much MSG was bad for health. I didn’t question then, since I didn’t really know anything. Now I know better. Thanks a bunch to the Ted-Ed team! Btw, it’s best to just avoid food which contain high amounts of MSG. Glutamate may be safe, but that doesn’t mean we can eat too much of it
When I went to Japan and stayed in a Japanese family for a short time, we talked about Ajinomoto and she said that it’s only her grandma that uses it, in recent Japan people arent using Ajinomoto anymore and that came as a shock to me since, it is the most common ingredient in the Philippines. I think because it’s cheap, and is easy to prepare that made it to the top 1.
I use msg in all of my cooking that lacks that little extra punch. I could use more salt sometimes, but I prefer everything in moderation. Things like potato dishes, rice, or eggs. Sometimes i’ve told/shown people exactly how I cooked the dish, and they would suddenly develop symptoms after I showed them the sole ingredient on the back of my Accent ‘flavor enhancer’, weird how that works. Fine, I’l just load you up with sodium next time!
“Others are investigating whether regular consumption of msg could be linked to obesity”. Then why is it that America, where msg has been badly connotated for half a century has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, while many Asian countries that use msg more regularly have on average a healthier population?
My personal experience with MSG results in Migraine! No racism here, I love Chinese food and was constantly getting headache when had at restaurant who use MSG to hide their bad quality food. I became concious about the MSG impact on my migraine after constantly observing what I did to get this bad headache. From then on I eat in goo Chinese restaurant where I know MSG is not used. I eat Chinese at workplace as I know there’s no usage of MSG! It depends on people body composition probably. So some might not be experiencing issues with MSG, while some might. Observe your body reaction to MSG and then decide if you wish to continue. As of long term impact, nobody really knows. I’ve stopped MSG, so I don’t care!
Im asian and I think eating too much of food with excessive amount of MSG can cause headache, thats why Im controlling my junk food consumptions since in asia it is packed of those. I tend to have this severe headache after eating lots of MSG but we are using it in our meals, and it is safe to say that a little MSG wont do anything.
I had a server at work lose her mind over MSG and I assumed she was American, because the stuff is formed when you make a stew with regular ingredients (salt, beef, bone broth etc.) She was completely umwilling to listen to reason and had no idea what the stuff actually is. I tried explaining it was an amino acid but you know how Americans are.
For those concerned about MSG being chemically extracted, MSG is found naturally in soy sauce (it is a biproduct of the fermentation process). If you want an alternative, get a quality mix of dried mushrooms including shitake. Add the mushrooms to water, bring to a boil and let the soup reduce by half. The liquid is a super umami enhancer! I have added equal parts of this with veggie stock and could not tell the difference between that mix and beef stock. And I’m not even vegetarian!
I regularly eat food naturaly rich in glutamate (Marmite, soy sauce, tomatoes, etc) and I feel perfectly fine. However, when I go to some asian restaurants, here in France, and they put too much msg, it makes me feel extremely bad for a few hours. I have no idea if this only happens with artificial msg (the white powder) or if it’s a matter of quantity and can happen with any food containing too much glutamate. I’m only talking about my experience, everyone’s different. Some people can digest milk, some can’t. Some people feel sick after eating too much msg, some don’t. You’re welcome to eat what you wan’t. I know I don’t want to feel sick so… I’ll stick to food such as soy sauce or marmite for the umami taste. 😉
MSG is a pure form of glutamate. A protein in its free state. In its natural form it is bound to other other compounds. Some people are in fact sensitive to MSG for that reason. I like Marie Calendar pot pies but can’t eat them at night it will keep me up most of the night. Same with any other product containing glutamates which are hidden within many other names.
I can’t say whether msg is healthy or not, but I can say unequivocally that if I consume more than just a little of it, I get a day-long killer of a headache. By “a little”, I mean a small bag of snacks/chips. It took me years to make the connection between msg and my headaches, but when I did I became virtually headache free. Nobody else in my family has this problem and can enjoy the many types of foods that are laden with this substance.
I’ve felt really bad effects from msg, but I got some and used it in my home cooking. It doesn’t make me feel bad. It clearly is the over use of msg that makes me feel bad. Over use of anything would do the same. I can tell when foods have been doused in msg and therefore I know when it’ll make me feel bad. Just the same as in if a food had too much salt. I’ve learned what it tastes like to avoid over consumption in future.
You know what’s weird about the discrimination about msg, it’s used in a lot of chips and most American processed foods. Just look for montisodium glutamate (msg), and is on there. Also this didn’t really mention that seeweed is where some msg is from. Japanese will use dashi as bases for cooking. No one also says anything about Japanese cooking.
“Thus, no escape: it seems that everything people do to earn a livelihood comma to subsist, or to enjoy life turns out to be illegal, immoral, or flattening, or – most disturbing – possibly carcinogenic!” (Kumar, et. al 2018) I literally saved this one from reading my academic textbook. I’ll just leave it here
While it does seem that most people are tolerant of MSG, I myself do react to it. I do like Chinese cuisine in general, but have to request that it be prepared without MSG. It causes me to have trouble sleeping and gives me a physical agitation. There is something to the doctor’s reaction and concern. The bigoted response of some is deportable, but those of us with a sensitivity do need to be careful, if we want a good nights sleep.
MSG is banned in some countries like Turkey and Pakistan for its adverse effects on people’s health. Few days ago, I was in a Chinese Sea-food buffet restaurant and after eating fish I felt severe nausea, almost utter blurring of vision, racing heart palpitation, sweating, difficulty of breathing, dizziness, and lost my consciousness for three short times that people around me and my family members thought I was having a brain stroke, and called for an ambulance. I am a healthy person in my mid 50’s. After tests and blood analysis the doctor said that the results of the test revealed that there is no problem with me and I have the health of a young boy. The only problem is that I had a low blood pressure which the ambulance personel restored it to its normal state. Years ago, I had symptoms of less severe type described above when I used to eat canned fava beans that contained MSG. However, after stopping eating them all the symptoms vanished and I felt better. The incident above at the restaurant taught me never to eat in a restaurant that serves food mixed with MSG. MSG is toxic and detrimental for health. It should be banned in the United States as well.
I can’t handle much salt at all, so same goes with MSG. But I’ve found if I just add a small amount of either at the END of cooking or after I plate, I get great flavor without using larger amounts that can soak into the food and be less effective. The key is get it to the tongue as soon as possible .
This article doesn’t tell the whole story. For many people (myself included), even a small amount of MSG in my food will trigger a massive migraine headache. “Yeast Extract” is a MSG substitute used by food manufacturers to get around the “NO MSG” policies of many supermarket chains. However, Yeast Extract also triggers migraines for me. I suspect many migraine sufferers who know to avoid MSG may not be aware that Yeast Extract may also be a migraine trigger.
I have been using MSG in cooking ever since Panda Express stopped using it when I was a teen and I noticed how bad their food tasted without it. Glad it is being cleared up as being safe to use again. It really makes food taste a lot better, and if you wonder why your home cooking doesn’t taste as good as a restaurant, it is because the restaurant uses MSG.
The only perceived side-effect of MSG that I have ever experienced is an increased appetite. I always still feel hungry after eating food with significant levels of the stuff, though perhaps that’s just a byproduct of the delicious, savory aftertaste tricking my body into thinking it wants more, even though I’ve eaten plenty.
in the early 2000’s i was ill almost weekly with severe headaches. what we found was i was eating 2 packs of ramen (pre packaged) every day all week long some days twice a day. so when i cut down the ramen to once or twice a MONTH and one pack only it was way less often and less severe. so my doctor told me i may have a mild msg sensitivity where i need to have it sparingly and not just go ham. worked out. so i think there may just be more people with a sensitivity who are eating too much. not msg’s fault~
Please could you do more “Why you should read” articles?! Really want to see you talk about books like The Hate U Give; Normal People; Good Omens; Orlando; Song of Archilles and Ella Enchanted, along with playwrights like the works of Tennessee Williams; Arthur Miller; Samuel Beckett; Harold Pinter; Bertolt Brecht; Alan Ayckbourne; Anton Chekov; Caryl Churchill; Lorraine Hansberry; and Sarah Cane. Want to see these articles about literature and authors/writers again!!!
The refectory at the college I attended in the early 1980s laid down the MSG quite heavily on every dish, except dessert. One symptom we all felt was, as teenagers we kids binged heavily (the boys, I mean) and always left the table very full. However, we all experienced being really “hungry” again after two or three hours, and we suspected it was the MSG “kicking in again” after we partially digested the food. I was wondering if this was really the case. But it did happen to all of us.
I was kind of hoping you’d mention one of the few cases where a problem with MSG is legit: my mother is allergic to sulfites. Apparently some MSG, but not all of it, is made in a way that involves sulfites. Unfortunately, it’s impossible for a consumer to really know if a certain product contains MSG that was made with sulfites or not, so since she prefers to avoid hives and rashes, it’s just easier to avoid any food listing MSG.
A few days ago, I was sharing with a friend that I had an even more favourite basic flavour than salt. Their answer was surprisingly accurate. MSG. I’ve recognized and enjoyed it for the past five years while also being aware of the prejudice against it. And I was pleased my friend had similar feeling towards this “swalt”.
For some reason as I grew up, my stomach started reacting poorly to even a small amount of added MSG. My symptoms are a lot like an allergic reaction and Just a bite of something with added msg will do me in. So I avoid it or take a peppermint supplement and an allergy pill to ease the nausea and pain if I eat it by mistake. But MSG is just fine for others and is a great way to make food more flavorful. It’s such a bummer not to be able to eat MSG. 😭 (if anyone else has dealt with these kind of symptoms and has gotten them to go away please let me know how!)
I’ve eaten MSG since childhood because my mom used to cook with Accent. I’m in my fifties now, look great for my age, still run, lift, etc. My mom is in her 80s and I wouldn’t be surprised if she outlives me. Yet my sister, who grew up in the SAME household, eating the same meals insists that MSG is going to kill us all.
My wife gets heavy migraines within 10-15 minutes of eating MSG. Biscuits from Red Lobster, pretty much anything fried, and unfortunately most cooked east asian food. One of our best friends is Chinese and cooked meals with and without it to see and sure enough every time MSG was used…migraine. It has nothing to do with racism with my wife and everything to do with a sensitivity to a food.
My mom & uncle swear up & down that MSG gives them everything from migraines to nausea to hives, & will not eat any frozen meals or processed foods using the ingredient. Restaurants are actually banned from using it here, so they’re perfectly fine eating Chinese takeout. I’m curious about Fragrance Sensitivity allergies & whether or not using saccharine in my coffee every day is really giving me brain damage. Would live articles on these.
My friend Rudy would offer (he’s so wonderful) to take me out for dinner. We lived in a small place, so the options were limited. Molly’s was like a fine 60’s diner. The food was superb. We never thought much about it, but on rare occasions we’d hit the Chinese restaurant. And later, through time, we’d find that we both had very bad side affects. One night, I had to race Rudy to the hospital (he rang me) as he had bad chest pains. After checking him out, they found he had a bad reaction to the MSG.. I remember I would avoid it growing up. So for those who say MSG is fine, talk to those who MSG DOESN’T like….. ;-))
I become incredibly ill if I eat anything with msg in it…Same thing happens with “natural flavors.” The being ill effects last 3-4 days, and is accompanied by unsightly swollen eyes.It’s really awful — especially since its loaded into almost everything. This also makes eating out in restaurants impossible.
I’ve spent years keeping tabs on reactions to different foods, and I seem to have a sensitivity to certain salts- MSG, included. If I eat foods with MSG, and several of the disodiums, I will end up itchy all over my face, and with swollen lips and sometimes tongue. Not sure what, exactly, I’m reacting to, but I’ve learned that I’m one of those unfortunately sensitive to the spice.
I’m Burmese (from Myanmar) and grew up eating MSG but for some reason, I started noticing its effects when I turned about 25. I started feeling all the symptoms mentioned in the article right after consuming a bowl of soup that’s heavily seasoned with MSG or other flavored seasoning (like from Knorr). It may has to do with hormonal changes with age? I also notice the increased hair loss from consuming MSG.
The problem I have with this statement is that my own family says that when they use MSG in their Ramen they have headaches but when they use just salt they don’t. And this effect is the same when the food changes to something else. MSG does have an effect on certain people and shouldn’t be swept under the rug as hearsay Now. It’s possible that everything that had MSG had other things other than salt and MSG but I’m not completely sure but if there was it should be easily documented as the potential source of issues.
i remember travelling through china in early 90s and being advised to avoid msg, to the point that i quickly found the mandarin translation, so when eating out i just had to show the waiter/waitress my translation. It was only later i found out how to check if your food contained msg, if it had a shiney appearance it had msg!!
MSG doesn’t do anything to your food so much as it does something to your tongue. MSG is a glutamate. The human tongue, along with other animal species, has special receptors that detect the carboxylate anion present in glutamates. Our brains perceive this as the ‘umami’ flavor; a pleasant savory taste that rounds out and enhances other flavors. Since we have special receptors for it on our tongues this is considered a distinct taste, along with bitter, sour, sweet and salty.
I love msg but it does make me sick if I have too much. But I’m also really sensitive to caffeine and I shouldn’t have more than a sparing amount of salt. I looked at research into msg a while back and the way the glutamate is deposited in the brain can cause what is termed a ‘brain storm’. Cells within the brain can get over excited and die if too much glutamate is present. Fibromyalgia, Hunter’s disease, autism, and other conditions could be affected by msg consumption
MSG is an chemical additive. TED should produce many more talks on how chemical additives to food are just super for us all. Chemical additives to foods are wonderful, and lots more money and research should be conducted to prove this. Thank you Sarah for your helpful and worthy contribution to this effort.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a compound that occurs naturally in many foods and is also produced industrially as a flavor enhancer. Natural sources of MSG include: 1. **Tomatoes**: Tomatoes, particularly when ripe, are rich in naturally occurring MSG, which contributes to their savory flavor. 2. **Cheese**: Certain aged cheeses like Parmesan are high in natural MSG, giving them a rich, umami taste. 3. **Seaweed**: Seaweed, particularly kelp, is a traditional source of natural MSG. It’s often used in Asian cuisines to enhance flavor, especially in the form of dashi, a Japanese stock. 4. **Mushrooms**: Many mushrooms, especially dried shiitake, are rich in natural MSG, adding depth to the flavors of dishes in which they are used. 5. **Meat**: Meat, especially when cooked, contains natural MSG. The umami flavor in meat is attributed to the natural breakdown of proteins into amino acids, including glutamate. 6. **Fish**: Anchovies and other fish often contain natural MSG, contributing to their distinctive savory flavor. 7. **Soy products**: Soy sauce, fermented bean paste, and other soy products are high in natural MSG, a byproduct of the fermentation process. These foods contain glutamate, which, when bound to sodium, forms MSG, enhancing the umami taste in dishes.
I want to speak out for all the fellow sufferers of migraine triggered by MSG. Whenever I see a article like this where the unhealthiness of MSG is “debunked”, they never mention about the effect regarding migraine. Even though they keep emphasizing that there is no scientific evidence, the migraine boards and comments columns (including the comments here) are in fact full of ppl who complain about MSG as one of their migraine triggers like me. So I want to correct you: Yes, MSG can be bad for your health, when you have issues with migraine.
Monosodium glutamate is the big culprit in causing water retention, and it can be hidden under a variety of names: modified food starch, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, carrageenan, glutamic acid and yeast extract. MSG is also present in most protein isolates (soy isolates, whey isolates, etc.). Many Chinese restaurants will tell you they don’t add MSG, yet it’s in their sauces under other names. I can taste if food has MSG—it tastes just a bit too good and I can keep eating more than usual; but the next day my finger joints ache and feel puffy. Many boxed foods, canned foods, gravies, sauces, mixes, TV dinners, lunch foods, hot dogs and condiments have either MSG or lots of chemicals or preservatives that cause water retention. Eating at restaurants gives you a good dose of MSG. It’s a difficult substance to avoid.
Is the natural MSG in tomatoes and mushrooms different from factory made MSG in the jar? I see a new problem in the sugar world. Items have less calories by using less sugar and adding other ” factory made sweeteners” My current problem is Stevia and Sucralose are added with natural or as a low sugar product which you need to search past the Sugar on the label to find it is boosting the sweetness.
Many people with autoimmune arthritis claim a connection between MSG and increased joint pain or stiffness. I tend to notice that I’m inflamed the day after eating bao, which I love. I’ve tried the AIP and have discovered that red meats and nightshade vegetables, many of which derive their flavor from natural glutamate, trigger a similar response. If glutamate is the molecule responsible for umami, maybe there’s some stock to the theory?
You guys didn’t explain the effect of MSG on the body. You just explained sodium and glutamate separately and this is not as intuitive as it seems; just like water (hydrogen and oxygen) puts out fire while the constituents rather promote it. Properties of substances change when they combine chemically!
NOTE: Prior to perusal the article. It is my understanding that a large part of movement against MSG was spearheaded by American restaurant owners worried about the rising popularity of Chinese restaurants. Needless to say this bias is SO prolific that my Cantonese-American girlfriend SWEARS it is terrible for you, because her family, who moved here directly from Hong Kong, were all under the impression it was terrible for you. My favorite quote related to this came from an American researcher who got curious and he said, “I asked myself: If MSG is so bad, how is it that the cultures that have used it for decades were doing just fine before it came to the US?”
I’ve never knoticed headaches after eating Chinese food (and I love Chinese food) but after I eat ramen noodles (which I also love). I usually eat it as an ingredient in something else like subbing it for spaghetti noodles or ill add other ingredients to it. It’s not until the next day that I get a headache so it’s been difficult to pin down the cause but I’m pretty sure that something in ramen is the culprit. If not msg then idk. To test the theory I ate a dinner of 3 cup O soups and sure enough the next day I was hurtin Fer certain
I don’t like MSG in my food because it makes all my restaurant chinese food all taste about the same… i have never bought MSG in my home. The problem i think, is that chinese restaurants like to use MSG but not in moderate form, but in great amounts trying to stay competitive with the restaurant next door…
I’ve been a cook forty year and in 1982 I read in an American medical magazine an article called the myth of MSG I kept a copy of it in my wallet ever since about the misconception of msg to show people about it who question it is bad for you it’s not the oil you cook with is more harmful than the msg that’s my tuppence worth
Chefs and expensive restaurants, and its proponents hate msg because they spent years perfecting their dishes, bringing out the taste and flavour of their dishes but here come something that can do that with a pinch into every dish imaginable. Of course they hate it. You can see it on how they, chefs talk about msg today.
Asian restaurants uses a lot of MSG, on pretty much every single dish. MSG’s nickname in Chinese restaurant is Sifu. Sifu means chef in a Chinese kitchen. MSG makes you extra thirsty and very sleepy. Cooking at home you know how much you add, but eating out…. You’d be foolish if you think they just add a little or a pinch.
This does not sound like a ted talk to me, it sounds more like a pro MSG thing to me. All I know is, if I have salt i’m find. Blood pressure is fine etc. If I have MSG, my tongue swells, my pressure is high, I space out, fog out, and have a headache. I know people that went to the hospital after having it. So it doesn’t matter if it has salt and glutamate, doesn’t matter if the body produces either. Whatever it is, where ever it comes from, there are side effects. And it wouldn’t shock me at all if half the country who are all on blood pressure medicines, are really simply sensitive to this stuff. Also this stuff goes by a great number of names. If this stuff was so great and so honest they wouldn’t have to give it a number of other names to sneak it in there: Autolyzed yeast • Autolyzed yeast protein • Calcium glutamate • Carrageenan • Glutamate • Glutamic acid • Hydrolyzed corn • Ingredients listed as hydrolyzed, protein fortified, ultra-pasteurized, fermented, or enzyme modified • Magnesium glutamate • Monoammonium glutamate • Monopotassium glutamate • Natural flavors (ask manufacturers their sources, to be safe) • Pectin • Sodium caseinate • Soy isolate • Soy sauce • Textured protein • Vegetable extract • Yeast extract • Yeast food
I had to go to a doctor after eating at a Chinese restaurant many years ago. One dish the cook had added way too much MSG. I remebr eating it more thsn the others as it tasted so good. I woke up in the night with horrific stomach cramps that were so painful I was in tears. I got severe cramping over my chest. This continued on and off all night so I had to go to the doctor. It was my only symptom of severe stomach and chest cramps.. My partner was worried I was having a heart attack. Doc asked me if I recently ate Chinese food and that was the reason. He said they must have accidentally spilt too much MSG into that dish for such a severe reaction. I recovered later that day.
I have zero concern about it being unhealthy personally as I eat other unhealthy things all the time, some of which I know are toxic essentially but I’m addicted to them regardless – I also love the taste of MSG…. but it triggers migraines for me and that makes me sad, I have to actually avoid it despite wishing I could eat it. if I eat a pack of ramen for example that has MSG, it seems from past experience I have about a 50 to 75% chance of having a migraine the next morning 🙁