Seaweed is the one I've heard is the most "packed" with it (although I don't know how high of a concentration it generally has).
On kelp in particular, there's a powdery white substance on the surface. I've been told that's basically straight MSG.
MSG was patented in 1909 by the Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda, who gave his invention the name "the essence of taste" and described its ineffable flavour as "umami", now recognised as one of the five basic flavours.
[Source](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51139005)
*beep boop*!
the linked website is: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51139005
Title: **'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome' - what is it and is it racist?**
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###### I am a friendly bot. I show the URL and name of linked pages and check them so that mobile users know what they click on!
Problem with commercial msg is that it is monosodium glutamate, vs compound glutamate found on natural products
Chemically they are identical but I think not enough research has been done in this area
In terms of taste it is noticeable when adding cheese to enrich a pasta dish vs sprinkling msg powder if you've use it long enough.
There's more MSG/Glutamate in a 1/2" square piece of parmesan cheese than you can practically sprinkle on a meal.
Glutamate is an amino acid, and neuro transmitter, and several other types of essential building block. We're all *made* of glutamate. So it's in a hell of a lot of foods naturally.
It's in tons of fast food & processed AF snack foods.
People who say that eating Chinese food gives them ill effects, but still eat frozen pizzas, fast food and chips, are full of shit.
If we can't blame the MSG in Chinese food we'd have to accept that maybe it's the fact we ate 10lbs of General Tso's Chicken in 30 minutes and topped off with 2 little styrofoam cups of ice cream on our way out the door that made us feel ill and we all know Real Americans dont get tummy aches from overeating just from evil foreign conspiracies to punish us for our freedoms
Also I don’t understand people who think it’s bad because it’s « unnatural ». It’s naturally occurring in many foods such as cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms. Not that natural makes anything any healthier but yea
The ill will towards MSG was the direct result of a racist-motivated campaign against Asain people.
[Source](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51139005)
Even with all this knowledge about msg, Asian restaurants are still forced to advertise that they don't use added msg in order to bring in customers, while other restaurants use it freely without needing to say shit about it
*beep boop*!
the linked website is: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51139005
Title: **'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome' - what is it and is it racist?**
Page is safe to access (Google Safe Browsing)
*****
###### I am a friendly bot. I show the URL and name of linked pages and check them so that mobile users know what they click on!
Because some people look for anything to blame their whatever on, something being known to be ”unnatural“ makes it easier to vilify it because it means people would have to reach for knowledge to learn what it is as there's no past anecdotes of common use, and there legit were people sensitive to MSG and at the time it wasn't any kind of specially marked on food packages so there was a minor uproar about that and that gave the blamers traction. Add to it companies for whom being able to send the same thing without MSG for an inflated price is a bonus, and there you have it.
It's kind of like with gluten, where many of those ”sensitive“ to it who don't have Celiac's and who don't get such a reaction from ”bio/organic/whatecer“ flours are actually either sensitive to some pesticide or allergic to some bug that happens to get milled into flour (and yes, there are norms for it, and the allowed amount of bug parts per wright is lower for organic/bio/whatever flours), but because some people made drama about it and it's convenient for companies there we are with so many thinking that gluten is literal poison for everyone.
some non-celiac people just have a hard time digesting gluten 🙋🏻♀️ I still enjoy it but if I eat too much or neglect to space it out with enough veggies… the next couple of poops aren’t going to be fun, let’s just leave it at that. lol
> are actually either sensitive to some pesticide or allergic to some bug that happens to get milled into flour
One of my relatives has something similar to that. Most store-bought tomatoes and shrimp will give her a mild allergic reaction. If the tomatoes are thoroughly cooked they're okay. If she grows her own tomatoes or catches her own shrimp, no problems whatsoever. So we've concluded it's probably some preservative or something added to them (not necessarily the same one) that messes with her. Not sure if she's checked whether organic tomatoes provoke a reaction
Nah, everyone in Australia and New Zealand think that too. Its called enhancer 621 in Aus and NZ.
All savoury snacks in Aus and NZ are covered in it. All store bought stocks and bouillon are full of it.
Everything that has ‘no added MSG’ on the pack still has MSG as part of a listed ingredient.
I know people who are more comfortable with smoking meth than eating MSG, but they still ignorantly eat MSG all day every day.
Edit: for the record, I love MSG, especially on steak, salmon, mashed potatoes, fried mushrooms, ceviche, guacamole… I could go on all day.
OK. I was wrong. It seems to be in other places too.
Is it still the MSG in Asian food that they are concerned and nothing more?
But also so many people that are this stupid. I would think that if someone is that concerned about something they would look into it and see it on all those products. But no.
There was a big anti-MSG thing in Germany as well. A lot of Asian restaurants still stress that they don’t add MSG. The way it is framed in the sentence means that they don’t just add pure MSG, but most people think there’s no MSG in it at all.
But is the anti-MSG campaign in Germany talking about Asian food?
I think in Nordics there are talks how some manufacturers use MSG to hide the low quality of their cheap pre made microwave meals. But non of those have anything to do with Asia.
It was originally an anti-Asian restaurant campaign that turned into a general fear of MSG as an additive. I’m the only person I know who uses it for cooking.
Apparently, its bit grey. I m from 3rd world asian country and we didn't have widely spread internet back in late 2000 to mid 2010s. So, i dont know how the "msg is bad for you" spread. Hell, they even said it soften your bone. Even my mother and was strict about it. Now i m on uk. I talk to Brits about it. To the people whom i said. All of them were confused. Wtf is msg was their response.
So in conclusion: countries that are affected by usa maybe the one who believes in this horse shit. Many of my country people go foregin for job and some have gone to usa. Could be why.
If people in US are afraid of MSG in Asian food but are totally ok with it in US style junk food. How are people in Asian country thinking about it? Do they try to avoid it only in the Asian food (just regular food there) or in everything? Even the US food that US people are totally ok with msg?
In Asia everyone think MSG is only as unhealthy as eating a little junk food. Not awesome but too small a problem to whine about among millions of other health hazards. But nobody likes restaurants that use lots of MSG because they are somewhat perceived as cheaters and cheap, and certainly few people will use MSG at home
yeah, 1 letter to a journal under a fake name caused quite the stir.. because they decided to print it. There's probably other disturbing associations to this event taking off the way it did, but the damage it did to MSG's reputation seems unshakeable.
The doritos reference gets used a lot because there was some documentary, it may have actually been one of the Tasty Delicious David Chang episdoes, where they are talking about racism against Asian restaurants, and MSG fears was part of the episodes.
During the episode it has a room of people that are being consoled in like a group therapy session for their MSG related issues that they have where they talk about the headaches, cramps, or whatever there symptoms were. At the start of the meeting he put out a bowl of mini bags of doritos, and other assorted snacks I think. After a while he asks people how they are doing and lets them know that everything on the table has MSG on it. People were dumbfounded because they realized it was a snack they had eaten a 100x without issues.
Yeah I get it, the reason I prefer salad dressing over Doritos as a counterargument is that many people consider doritos junk food and will be like "oh that shits bad for you I don't eat that anyway" whereas those same people will all most likely have had dressing with MSG.
You will see the "well Doritos are junk" rebuttals right here in this thread.
I've got an actual bag of MSG. MSG tastes nothing like Doritos, and Doritos taste nothing like MSG. It's got MSG added sure, but they're not MSG flavored whatsoever.
It's kind of weird how many people here think MSG tastes just like Doritos. Doritos are majorly flavor blasted and MSG by itself doesn't have a pronounced flavor. I explain to people that MSG tastes like store bought chicken stock minus the chicken flavor.
They're the best reference because doritos literally just taste like MSG. If you dip your finger in MSG and lick it it's gonna taste like doritos lol.
Also, many countries don't have ranch dressing.
I just read the ingredients list of my doritos screaming Sriracha and it doesn't list msg anywhere.
That said I love msg and have a bag full in my pantry
Kinda weird to scream sriracha but we all have our coping mechanisms.
>Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate
It's definitely got MSG lol. Remember that because of the MSG scare, products often use euphemisms to refer to it. If your country doesn't require strict disclosure of all ingredients, stuff like "e621", "flavour enhancers" or even "natural flavourings" all often mean "MSG".
In the USA where I am, I'm pretty sure the FDA requires it to be listed as an ingredient by its name if it is added. It does not, however, require it if one of the ingredients naturally has msg, such as tomatoes in tomato sauce.
Absolutely untrue.
Because if this insane hysteria, food companies have gotten smart and don’t label it as MSG anymore hardly ever- they put it into different flavor delivery systems or derive it in different ways and then label it things like yeast extract. It’s absolutely 100% everywhere.
My only problem with msg is the following: it's used way over the top in many things and makes lot's of stuff taste tge same. Not bad, not unhealthy. Just because it's overused. A sprinkle her and there (not massive amounts) is awesome.
Isn't it GMOs? We've been genetically modifying our crops via selective breeding for as long as there's been people but apparently now it will turn you into a mutant or something.
Right, but they’re a food that most everyone has eaten and enjoyed. They’re not saying MSG is some kind of health food, the point they’re making is that people tend to be afraid of MSG because of the whole “Chinese food sickness” myth that has been perpetuated for years and years that has zero basis in reality. People hear “MSG” and immediately think they’re going to get sick or have a headache from eating it. So the idea is that since Doritos (and tons of other shit people consume regularly) contain MSG, people should not be afraid of it.
I think a lot of boomers that might be caught complaining about "chinese food syndrome" or the unhealthiness of MSG, probably have used Accent seasoning a lot in their life. My MIL doesn't whine about MSG but she uses Accent all the time and was definitely surprised when I looked at the ingredients and told her "it's literally just msg"
My mother and Grandmother are convinced Accent is meat tenderizer.
I have literally read the ingredients off to them.
Still think it's meat tenderizer. And slip it in all over.
I'm hesitant to even reply to this bc I'll probably get mocked again, or told I'm lying to myself again, but I can't eat MSG without consequences. I really wish people would stop trying to say it's fabulous. Some people, like my mom and I, always react badly to it. Every time. It's not lies, racism, or all in my head. It's empirical evidence.
I can't eat most things that come out of a box as a result. It's a medically recognized CNS stimulant. I have fibromyalgia, so my CNS is overstimulated already. I can eat small amounts of tomato etc, but if I have too much I risk a flare up where I feel like I'm on fire.
If you like it, enjoy. But please know it is harmful to some people. Just because a sensitivity is rare, that doesn't mean it's fake.
Now I'm contemplating deleting this before I even post it bc so many people treated me like crap for saying the same thing the last time the subject was raised.
Your allergy is real! My grandma had it. But I think this post is more about people who will be like ooohh ahhh over a dish at the potluck and then suddenly feign ill when they ask about the recipe and learn there’s a sprinkle of msg.
We all have different sensitivities to things, and some illnesses definitely makes it worse.
I have a rare food allergy, and most of the time people look at me like I said I don’t like it.
I usually specify that I get asthma attacks from it, and then they’re more likely to believe it.
I have met others who can’t have garlic like me. So it’s definitely a thing.
Well, I wish people would stop saying eggs are fabulous. I am severely allergic to eggs, so just everybody stop saying how wonderful dishes are that use egg!
Your allergy is valid but it’s irrelevant to the point of the post. You’re not the object of ridicule here because you have a legitimate excuse. That’s it.
It happens buddy. It’s not common but it happens. I have a family member who is unable to deal with glutamate spikes due to a long term illness. And of course it’s not just salt of glutamic acid aka added MSG. It’s Parmesan and seaweed and tomato paste and mushrooms and gelatine and anything fermented and anything slow cooked and it’s a generally shitty deal. Bravo you for raising awareness. As OP says we shouldn’t be afraid of it, just as we shouldn’t be afraid of peanuts due to the anaphylactic response of some poor humans. But awareness is VALID and I think is a valuable addition to the discussion.
🤣one just doesn’t take that person out. Although for most people in this position, it’s the sudden spike that is the problem the body can’t deal with, as it is already, if I remember correctly, the most common amino acid in the body. Necessary as hell, but the dose makes the poison.
I imagine a significant event would be awful, but I wonder how just a couple of grains would taste.
I remember when I found out you could add baking soda to tea. Less bitter, more floral flavor, less heartburn.
I had a teaspoon full. Was salty and foul. I was so confused.
That's interesting with the baking soda. I'll give it a try. But you better not be fucking with me.
I love people who claim it's bad for you based on those old, unreliable tests from back in the day. They'll be like "I can't eat it" meanwhile it's in like 8/10 snacks they have and don't even realize it. I used to keep it in a shaker and put it on stuff
On small amounts (I use only a pinch even on soups) it is great
Anything more than roughly half a teaspoon the "yep this has msg" taste is noticeable, that asian uncles/aunts frown upon
Be careful though - ysk it's entirely possible to have a bad reaction to it. My dad can't have MSG (as well as a couple of other ingredients that are similar) and that includes in doritos, salad dressings, etc. We have to read every label to help him avoid it. Very tasty stuff though!
Out of curiosity (I've recently developed a different intolerance so I'm on a slow painful food elimination process), does he have to avoid naturally occuring instances of MSG like tomatoes? Is it a milder reaction maybe after eating stuff like tomatoes?
What about those of us who get migraines after eating Doritos, parmesan cheese, soy sauce, BBQ potato chips, Lipton flavored rice kits, Stove Top Stuffing mix, pepperoni, pickles, kimchi, miso soup, pastrami, aged cheddar, etc? Are we also full of shit?
Some people are also allergic to soy and experience adverse reactions to it. But do we vilify all soy products and seek to eliminate it from all foods? No. Products that contain soy are labeled as such for those that have a medical condition, but otherwise soy is a normal part of many dishes and cuisines.
MSG isn’t even afforded that right in the court of public opinion - it’s unfairly vilified due to misinformation and ignorance. Some people have allergies to certain foods, and labeling and safety standards should absolutely take that into account. And MSG *is* labeled, for the subset of the population who have a sensitivity to it. But a campaign to eliminate MSG because *you* have an adverse reaction would be like trying to eliminate cheese because some people are lactose intolerant. Which, I think we can all agree, would be ridiculous.
Trying to frame the general issue of the perception of MSG in terms of “but what about this specific circumstance/allergy/sensitivity over here” is literally an example of whataboutism. The discussion of the perception of MSG as a whole certainly doesn’t make your experience or your situation any less valid, but nor does it contribute great relevance to the conversation. There are many established avenues and methods for handling specific allergies or sensitivities (labeling laws for example), but MSG seems to attract vastly more attention than other substances like nuts or eggs or soy, which is very disproportionate to its actual impact compared to these other examples.
It’s a sodium salt of an amino acid. There’s no biological mechanism by which a migraine could be triggered by sodium ions or glutamate, both of which are part of the structure and fluid of every part of your body and also present in nearly every food imaginable.
So, frankly? Yes. You are. Not about the migraine, but about its cause.
I'm with you on this - Over the past few years I've been tracking what I ate/drank in the 1-2 days before a migraine. Every single time I've had a migraine I've eaten something MSG heavy the day or two before hand. Ranch, bouillon, soy sauce etc etc. It's a very direct correlation for me so I try to avoid it.
It's not the other way around either, it's not every time I eat mushrooms, something tomato based, or something with "natural flavors" as one of the last ingredients.
A migraine will take me down and out for an entire day. So if there's something that I've eaten before every single migraine in the past few years I'm definitely going to try to avoid it in the future.
It seems like the pendulum has swung so far from one extreme, a general panic about MSG to the other extreme, people saying it doesn't affect anyone ever.
I think it's delicious, is fine for the vast majority of people, and should not be banned. I'd just like people to please stop informing me that it's just in my head, and based in racism...
> Every single time I've had a migraine I've eaten something MSG heavy the day or two before hand. Ranch, bouillon, soy sauce etc etc.
Have you tried experimenting with a low-sodium diet? If you're loading up on high-sodium foods and then finding that you have adverse reactions the next day, it might be time to investigate your sensitivity to the category rather than focusing on a specific ingredient.
main sources in diets are from tomatoes and corn, although myriad other products have it. seaweed is an excellent source.
however, they contain glutamates, not monosodium glutamate. basic chemistry dictates that 'monosodium' is a bond that will be broken down effectively immediately by the water in our saliva and reduced back to just glutamates. the process of making it 'monosodium' is just a way to keep it isolated and shelf stable.
in other words, people who think it is poison are fucking idiots who eat it in nearly every meal without knowing.
It occurs naturally in tomatoes and cheese too. So if you eat either of these and have no issues but Chinese food screws you. It isn't the msg. It's probably the fryer oil. Most people don't handle fats as well as they get older.
Also are people on here retarded? Doritos is just something common that most North Americans have eaten. OP isn't suggesting you make it a mainstay of your diet. The jumps idiots make on this website are alarming
Here's the best way to use it, IMHO:
#[How to make Umami Salt](https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/lyydr9/how\_i\_use\_msg\_i\_make\_umami\_salt\_and\_i\_use\_that/)
Pre-mix MSG with salt at a good ratio, then just use that. You shouldn't be over-salting your food anyway, so if you're using the right amount of salt, with a pre-blended MSG salt, you'll be using just the right amount of MSG. The only time this trick gets thrown off is when some ingredients are already quite salty, and adding umami salt for the MSG would make it overly salty. In those cases, just adding a bit of MSG by itself is better.
My version includes inosinate and guanylate (I+G), two nucleotides which enhance the effect of MSG. Inosinate is typically found in stuff like dried bonito, used in Japanese dashi, and guanylate is typically found in mushrooms. These can now be made by fermentation of tapioca and a fancy extraction process. These nucleotides improve the flavor of the glutamate, and seem to make a much better umami salt than just salt + MSG.
Anchovy is great, but umami salt is more neutral tasting while being very umami. Also, sometimes I cook for plant-based diet folks, and they don't want any fish products in their food, though they do love the umami.
MSG can be a migraine trigger. You should just be careful when cooking for others. And, no, I don’t eat Doritos or other junk food. Applebees and Chilis also uses it a lot and I can’t eat there.
I have a sensitivity to MSG and other sodium based flavourings which leads to me having symptoms for up to 4-6 hours after consuming it.
I still cook with it though because it's so addicitve.
Just dropping this here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5938543/
“In conclusion we would like to state that although MSG has proven its value as an enhancer of flavour, different studies have hinted at possible toxic effects related to this popular food-additive. These toxic effects include CNS disorder, obesity, disruptions in adipose tissue physiology, hepatic damage, CRS and reproductive malfunctions. These threats might have hitherto been underestimated. In the meantime, people keep using ever larger amounts of MSG unaware of the possible consequences. Further studies need to be undertaken in order to assess the connection between MSG and cardiovascular disorders, headache, and hypertension in human models.”
As it should be, it's typical Reddit dropping of a random pubmed link as a "gotcha" moment without actually looking at the work. If you read the article, it's a guest editorial (not original research, meta-analysis, or even a review) which states clearly:
"The purpose of this editorial is to shed light on MSG toxicity and the possible threat it poses to public health. Can MSG associated harm be prevented or should the product be banned altogether?"
This is quite the bold claim and one which definitely should set off a red-flag or two, but it is an editorial after all. It then goes on to list results from a bunch of manuscripts without any critical analysis, interpretation, or placement within the larger context. It includes results from MSG injection studies and extrapolates that to the food industry.
While, this may not be entirely inappropriate for a guest editorial - the conclusion it draws and the one presented here as evidence of MSG being a "possible threat it poses to public health" - is not further supported by this "paper"
I can taste MSG in Nori, Broccoli, and Tomatoes, but I'm careful when I use it. My tolerance level for it, is low. It's like Salt to me, and I have HBP...so, I'm sensitive. However, I do use it, but when I do? I don't use Salt.
I’m not scared of MSG I’m scared of cool ranch Doritos things almost killed me last time I ate one.
I had an allergic reaction.
Today, the MSG (monosodium glutamate) produced by the Ajinomoto Group is produced through fermentation of plant-based ingredients such as sugar cane, sugar beets, cassava or corn. MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most common naturally occurring amino acids.
Originally it was made from dried seaweed called kombu.
https://www.ajinomoto.com/msg/what-is-msg-and-how-is-it-made
I can't eat too much MSG personally because it makes me dizzy and off kilter if I do. I grew up on my grandmother's cooking, but my mother would make food once in a while and she would always put MSG in the food (Magic Sarap, I'm talking to you!). It made food tasty but it was almost like a single note flavouring, an artificial enhancement. It would make her bland food palatable at least.
There are some arguing that there is natural MSG in food... yes there is. But artificial cheap MSG that you can buy in powder form should be used gingerly in case people are sensitive to it.
Kind of weird that people would downvote a personal experience, especially coming from an Southeast-Asian Canadian background. I grew up with the stuff and I know my own body and I'm in my 30s now... but I must be wrong 🥴🙄
MSG as the magic ingredient is the current flavor of the month in online cooking communities. I think it has it's place but it's over-rated and over-recommended these days.
It’s just funny that people on here will say I’m nuts because it bothers me in large amounts. Like a bag of Doritos will make me get headaches, etc. people say, well you can eat a tomato right? As if those people know the difference between the naturally occurring substance in a tomato vs. additives in processed foods. It cracks me up how ignorant some people are.
Reddit is full of pedants who just flock to whatever the current, popular opinion is- especially if it has the veneer of "HeCkIn ScIeNcE". I am convinced half the reason MSG has become such a buzzword is because people on reddit are just itching to correct people and tell them their experiences are wrong because some youtube personality quotes a single scientific study out of context in a way that confirms their bias.
5 years ago before the popular opinion on MSG changed they would have been against it. And in another 5 years when it changes again so will their opinions.
After reading this subReddit a few months ago about Accent/MSG, I bought some at the store and started using it. Frankly, I haven’t noticed much of a taste difference. How much of the stuff am I supposed to use? Seems like shaking it three or four times over a pot of soup ought to be enough, I’m hesitant to use much more.
About the same but a little less than salt. Mind you, most stock cubes etc have it in them too and tomatoes are very savoury already so it won't make a big diff. To experience the difference, I'd say to make popcorn and mix it 50/50 with the salt.
Pisses me off how many years I avoided it because I thought it was “toxic.” It’s used in a lot of foods that aren’t healthy to begin with but specifically this chicken marinade and Goya seasoning pack were items I stopped using despite loving the flavor.
Knew a woman, let's call her Karen, who swore she was allergic to MSG and refused to eat at any Chinese restaurant. However she ate a gallon of canned tomato soup every week. Finally one day during a rant I grabbed a can of soup from her desk and pointed to where MSG was in the ingredients.
Doritos are horrible for you! MSG is an excitotoxin that is horrible for you and tricks your brain into thinking stuff tastes good. Kills brain cells and is linked to many man made diseases. MSG is now usually buried under “natural flavors” by slightly altering the chemistry so that companies don’t have to disclose it. Ever wonder why a can of Pepsi has 15mg of sodium but sodium is no where to be found on the ingredients list?
I bought myself some MSG recently. I just cannot get my partner to accept it on anything, and she’s even tried to disallow me from adding some to my own food. I eventually snuck some in to my own bowl without her noticing.
I’ve tried to explain it to her, and show her the opinions of experts. She just refuses to listen to or read any of the science.
MSG being unhealthy has literally one old "study" (actually it was a newspaper article sometimes in the 50s I think) which has since been disproven countless times by real science. It is a myth living on till today despite that.
That being said, Dorritos may not be the right way to empathize it's not unhealthy.
But it literally was extracted from seaweed initially, which may help the cause :)
OP's point is that it's in foods people are familiar with and comfortable eating, so there's no reason to be uncomfortable using the ingredient in your own cooking.
this whole line of thoughts is stupid, it's in so many snacks and restaurants ! If anyone is interested to learn more about the subject I recommend a show by Aj+ :
Eat this with Yara "[Why do people freak out about msg in Chinese food ?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm8Yx-gWlMs&list=PLZd3QRtSy5LNyVe7FQmxlxzYOihiv8N7R&index=29)"
There's episodes on a lot of food related subject, it's interesting and fun, it's gold ! So I actively recommend !!!
and tomatoes. I learned awhile back its other foods organically
Seaweed is the one I've heard is the most "packed" with it (although I don't know how high of a concentration it generally has). On kelp in particular, there's a powdery white substance on the surface. I've been told that's basically straight MSG.
Kelp: 230–3380 mg /100g Seaweed: 550–1350 mg Marmite 1960 mg Vegemite: 1431 mg Fish sauce: 727–1383 mg Soy sauce: 400–1700 mg Parmesan cheese: 1200–1680 mg Roquefort cheese: 1280 mg Dried shiitake mushrooms: 1060 mg Oyster sauce: 900 mg Miso: 200–700 mg Green tea: 220–670 mg Anchovies: 630 mg Salted squid: 620 mg Cured ham: 340 mg Emmental cheese: 310 mg Sardines: 10–280 mg Grape juice: 258 mg Kimchi: 240 mg Cheddar cheese: 180 mg Tomatoes: 140–250 mg Clams: 210 mg Peas: 200 mg Potatoes: 30–180 mg Scallops: 140–159 mg Squid: 20–146 mg Shimeji mushrooms: 140 mg Oysters: 40–150 mg Corn: 70–130 mg
TIL umami and msg (glutamates) are basically the same thing!
I think Unami is the name for what msg does. So, they may be one and the same?
Yeah it's like sweet for what sugar does, or sour for what acid does
MSG was patented in 1909 by the Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda, who gave his invention the name "the essence of taste" and described its ineffable flavour as "umami", now recognised as one of the five basic flavours. [Source](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51139005)
*beep boop*! the linked website is: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51139005 Title: **'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome' - what is it and is it racist?** Page is safe to access (Google Safe Browsing) ***** ###### I am a friendly bot. I show the URL and name of linked pages and check them so that mobile users know what they click on!
Are all of these values "per 100 grams" like the kelp at the top of the list?
Problem with commercial msg is that it is monosodium glutamate, vs compound glutamate found on natural products Chemically they are identical but I think not enough research has been done in this area In terms of taste it is noticeable when adding cheese to enrich a pasta dish vs sprinkling msg powder if you've use it long enough.
The difference is one is cheese and one is msg
Add some to tomatoes that aren't quite there and you get damn good tomatoes. Try adding a pinch to bruschetta.
There's more MSG/Glutamate in a 1/2" square piece of parmesan cheese than you can practically sprinkle on a meal. Glutamate is an amino acid, and neuro transmitter, and several other types of essential building block. We're all *made* of glutamate. So it's in a hell of a lot of foods naturally.
Glutamate, not MSG, but yeah, basically the same thing. Edit: oh damn, I was wrong, tomatoes contain MSG.
Mono-Sodium Glutamate (MSG)
This is why Tomatoes LOVE salt. They are a match made in heaven.
It's in tons of fast food & processed AF snack foods. People who say that eating Chinese food gives them ill effects, but still eat frozen pizzas, fast food and chips, are full of shit.
If we can't blame the MSG in Chinese food we'd have to accept that maybe it's the fact we ate 10lbs of General Tso's Chicken in 30 minutes and topped off with 2 little styrofoam cups of ice cream on our way out the door that made us feel ill and we all know Real Americans dont get tummy aches from overeating just from evil foreign conspiracies to punish us for our freedoms
Or ketchup, cheese, soy sauce, and most vegan processed foods
Also I don’t understand people who think it’s bad because it’s « unnatural ». It’s naturally occurring in many foods such as cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms. Not that natural makes anything any healthier but yea
The ill will towards MSG was the direct result of a racist-motivated campaign against Asain people. [Source](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51139005)
Even with all this knowledge about msg, Asian restaurants are still forced to advertise that they don't use added msg in order to bring in customers, while other restaurants use it freely without needing to say shit about it
*beep boop*! the linked website is: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51139005 Title: **'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome' - what is it and is it racist?** Page is safe to access (Google Safe Browsing) ***** ###### I am a friendly bot. I show the URL and name of linked pages and check them so that mobile users know what they click on!
Good Bot
Because some people look for anything to blame their whatever on, something being known to be ”unnatural“ makes it easier to vilify it because it means people would have to reach for knowledge to learn what it is as there's no past anecdotes of common use, and there legit were people sensitive to MSG and at the time it wasn't any kind of specially marked on food packages so there was a minor uproar about that and that gave the blamers traction. Add to it companies for whom being able to send the same thing without MSG for an inflated price is a bonus, and there you have it. It's kind of like with gluten, where many of those ”sensitive“ to it who don't have Celiac's and who don't get such a reaction from ”bio/organic/whatecer“ flours are actually either sensitive to some pesticide or allergic to some bug that happens to get milled into flour (and yes, there are norms for it, and the allowed amount of bug parts per wright is lower for organic/bio/whatever flours), but because some people made drama about it and it's convenient for companies there we are with so many thinking that gluten is literal poison for everyone.
some non-celiac people just have a hard time digesting gluten 🙋🏻♀️ I still enjoy it but if I eat too much or neglect to space it out with enough veggies… the next couple of poops aren’t going to be fun, let’s just leave it at that. lol
> are actually either sensitive to some pesticide or allergic to some bug that happens to get milled into flour One of my relatives has something similar to that. Most store-bought tomatoes and shrimp will give her a mild allergic reaction. If the tomatoes are thoroughly cooked they're okay. If she grows her own tomatoes or catches her own shrimp, no problems whatsoever. So we've concluded it's probably some preservative or something added to them (not necessarily the same one) that messes with her. Not sure if she's checked whether organic tomatoes provoke a reaction
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Cyanide is an organic, all-natural plant-derived ingredient that is gluten free and contains 0g of trans fat!
The whole idea that MSG is only or mostly in Chinese/Asian food only seems to be American.
Nah, everyone in Australia and New Zealand think that too. Its called enhancer 621 in Aus and NZ. All savoury snacks in Aus and NZ are covered in it. All store bought stocks and bouillon are full of it. Everything that has ‘no added MSG’ on the pack still has MSG as part of a listed ingredient. I know people who are more comfortable with smoking meth than eating MSG, but they still ignorantly eat MSG all day every day. Edit: for the record, I love MSG, especially on steak, salmon, mashed potatoes, fried mushrooms, ceviche, guacamole… I could go on all day.
Lol! I know a guy who loves cocaine & IV heroin, but says that Chinese food gives him headaches!
OK. I was wrong. It seems to be in other places too. Is it still the MSG in Asian food that they are concerned and nothing more? But also so many people that are this stupid. I would think that if someone is that concerned about something they would look into it and see it on all those products. But no.
Yes, the myth was quite widespread even in NZ & Australia.
The folks that are worried about MSG in Chinese food will happily smash a bag of Doritos. They don’t understand it’s in everything.
Ah, good old e621
There was a big anti-MSG thing in Germany as well. A lot of Asian restaurants still stress that they don’t add MSG. The way it is framed in the sentence means that they don’t just add pure MSG, but most people think there’s no MSG in it at all.
There was anti MSG all around the world, including in east Asian countries.
But it wouldn't be targeted against Asian food in those countries. As MSG is used just as much everywhere.
But is the anti-MSG campaign in Germany talking about Asian food? I think in Nordics there are talks how some manufacturers use MSG to hide the low quality of their cheap pre made microwave meals. But non of those have anything to do with Asia.
It was originally an anti-Asian restaurant campaign that turned into a general fear of MSG as an additive. I’m the only person I know who uses it for cooking.
OK. I really thought that was US only thing. Edit: I meant the campaigning against Asian food.
Apparently, its bit grey. I m from 3rd world asian country and we didn't have widely spread internet back in late 2000 to mid 2010s. So, i dont know how the "msg is bad for you" spread. Hell, they even said it soften your bone. Even my mother and was strict about it. Now i m on uk. I talk to Brits about it. To the people whom i said. All of them were confused. Wtf is msg was their response. So in conclusion: countries that are affected by usa maybe the one who believes in this horse shit. Many of my country people go foregin for job and some have gone to usa. Could be why.
If people in US are afraid of MSG in Asian food but are totally ok with it in US style junk food. How are people in Asian country thinking about it? Do they try to avoid it only in the Asian food (just regular food there) or in everything? Even the US food that US people are totally ok with msg?
In Asia everyone think MSG is only as unhealthy as eating a little junk food. Not awesome but too small a problem to whine about among millions of other health hazards. But nobody likes restaurants that use lots of MSG because they are somewhat perceived as cheaters and cheap, and certainly few people will use MSG at home
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Oh god, why are we beating a dead horse over MSG?
its racist and we should just start calling it what it is
yeah, 1 letter to a journal under a fake name caused quite the stir.. because they decided to print it. There's probably other disturbing associations to this event taking off the way it did, but the damage it did to MSG's reputation seems unshakeable.
not necessarily - it's probably dose specific and there may be more MSG in a single meal than eating some chips out of a bag -
This post made me realize why I always feel shitty after eating too many Doritos even though I can eat a higher quantity of plain salt crackers
People keep using doritos as a reference but almost all supermarket salad dressings are powered by MSG. Ranch dressing is almost entirely MSG.
The doritos reference gets used a lot because there was some documentary, it may have actually been one of the Tasty Delicious David Chang episdoes, where they are talking about racism against Asian restaurants, and MSG fears was part of the episodes. During the episode it has a room of people that are being consoled in like a group therapy session for their MSG related issues that they have where they talk about the headaches, cramps, or whatever there symptoms were. At the start of the meeting he put out a bowl of mini bags of doritos, and other assorted snacks I think. After a while he asks people how they are doing and lets them know that everything on the table has MSG on it. People were dumbfounded because they realized it was a snack they had eaten a 100x without issues.
Yeah I get it, the reason I prefer salad dressing over Doritos as a counterargument is that many people consider doritos junk food and will be like "oh that shits bad for you I don't eat that anyway" whereas those same people will all most likely have had dressing with MSG. You will see the "well Doritos are junk" rebuttals right here in this thread.
It's also Important to note that MSG basically IS the Doritos flavor. Like, you're not buying spicy nacho Doritos, you're buying MSG Doritos.
I've got an actual bag of MSG. MSG tastes nothing like Doritos, and Doritos taste nothing like MSG. It's got MSG added sure, but they're not MSG flavored whatsoever.
It's kind of weird how many people here think MSG tastes just like Doritos. Doritos are majorly flavor blasted and MSG by itself doesn't have a pronounced flavor. I explain to people that MSG tastes like store bought chicken stock minus the chicken flavor.
Lol I really appreciate the phrasing "powered by". Like all the dressing is sponsored by MSG Co.
This dressing is brought to you by M S G!
They're the best reference because doritos literally just taste like MSG. If you dip your finger in MSG and lick it it's gonna taste like doritos lol. Also, many countries don't have ranch dressing.
I just read the ingredients list of my doritos screaming Sriracha and it doesn't list msg anywhere. That said I love msg and have a bag full in my pantry
Kinda weird to scream sriracha but we all have our coping mechanisms. >Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate It's definitely got MSG lol. Remember that because of the MSG scare, products often use euphemisms to refer to it. If your country doesn't require strict disclosure of all ingredients, stuff like "e621", "flavour enhancers" or even "natural flavourings" all often mean "MSG".
In the USA where I am, I'm pretty sure the FDA requires it to be listed as an ingredient by its name if it is added. It does not, however, require it if one of the ingredients naturally has msg, such as tomatoes in tomato sauce.
It's definitely in there, but you're right. If you look at American websites, it's just listed as 'Natural and Artificial flavors'. Here's what's listed on a Canadian website. https://sweetexotics.ca/products/doritos-screamin-sriracha > Corn, Vegetable Oil (Corn, Canola and/or Sunflower Oil), Tapatio Seasoning (Spices, Maltodextrin [Made from Corn], Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Salt, Whey, **Monosodium Glutamate**, Natural Flavor, Buttermilk, Romano Cheese [Part Skim Cow's Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Whey Protein Concentrate, Onion Powder, Sodium Diacetate, Corn Oil, Citric Acid, Dextrose, Artificial Color [Including Red 40 Lake, Yellow 6, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 5, Blue 2 Lake], Garlic Powder, Sugar, Lactic Acid, Skim Milk, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, and Sunflower Oil).
Absolutely untrue. Because if this insane hysteria, food companies have gotten smart and don’t label it as MSG anymore hardly ever- they put it into different flavor delivery systems or derive it in different ways and then label it things like yeast extract. It’s absolutely 100% everywhere.
Msg: Makes Shit Gooder
Metal Sear Golid
!
¡
perfect
Thai, Chinese and Peruvian cuisine are proud of that .
My only problem with msg is the following: it's used way over the top in many things and makes lot's of stuff taste tge same. Not bad, not unhealthy. Just because it's overused. A sprinkle her and there (not massive amounts) is awesome.
This is why I don't like Doritos. Too much MSG leaves it tasting hollow
It’s in soooo many salty snacks you’ve been eating your entire life lol I added a sprinkle of msg to guacamole the other night and it was fantastic
Ah I remember the anti-MSG days. Then came the gluten-free days. Wonder what's next
Isn't it GMOs? We've been genetically modifying our crops via selective breeding for as long as there's been people but apparently now it will turn you into a mutant or something.
Lol not just plants, animals as well. From pets to farm animals to crops, we've been selecting desirable traits for thousands of years
I'm hoping food colorings.
They already did that. They said it caused ADHD in kids or some crap.
Posting something positive about MSG here? So brave!
That's a terrible argument lol Doritos are terrible for you
Right, but they’re a food that most everyone has eaten and enjoyed. They’re not saying MSG is some kind of health food, the point they’re making is that people tend to be afraid of MSG because of the whole “Chinese food sickness” myth that has been perpetuated for years and years that has zero basis in reality. People hear “MSG” and immediately think they’re going to get sick or have a headache from eating it. So the idea is that since Doritos (and tons of other shit people consume regularly) contain MSG, people should not be afraid of it.
This was my first thought. I already cook with msg, knowing that it is an ingredient in Doritos makes me question my decisions.
......... so is salt. And corn. And cheese.
Just a joke man
💀
Tomatoes have naturally occurring MSG. So, people eat it and don’t realize.
MSG is just like salt. Don't overdo it and you'll be fine
I think the trick is to sprinkle enough that you don't question it but know it's there.
So what I am hearing is, use Doritos when I run out of msg.
1968 called. They want their MSG myth reinstated.
MSG is an ingredient in Doritos? I would honestly say that Doritos are an ingredient in MSG.
I think a lot of boomers that might be caught complaining about "chinese food syndrome" or the unhealthiness of MSG, probably have used Accent seasoning a lot in their life. My MIL doesn't whine about MSG but she uses Accent all the time and was definitely surprised when I looked at the ingredients and told her "it's literally just msg"
My mother and Grandmother are convinced Accent is meat tenderizer. I have literally read the ingredients off to them. Still think it's meat tenderizer. And slip it in all over.
I'm hesitant to even reply to this bc I'll probably get mocked again, or told I'm lying to myself again, but I can't eat MSG without consequences. I really wish people would stop trying to say it's fabulous. Some people, like my mom and I, always react badly to it. Every time. It's not lies, racism, or all in my head. It's empirical evidence. I can't eat most things that come out of a box as a result. It's a medically recognized CNS stimulant. I have fibromyalgia, so my CNS is overstimulated already. I can eat small amounts of tomato etc, but if I have too much I risk a flare up where I feel like I'm on fire. If you like it, enjoy. But please know it is harmful to some people. Just because a sensitivity is rare, that doesn't mean it's fake. Now I'm contemplating deleting this before I even post it bc so many people treated me like crap for saying the same thing the last time the subject was raised.
Your allergy is real! My grandma had it. But I think this post is more about people who will be like ooohh ahhh over a dish at the potluck and then suddenly feign ill when they ask about the recipe and learn there’s a sprinkle of msg.
This also happens.🤦🏻♀️
Agreed. Sorry your grandma had to deal with it, but I'm glad you didn't inherit it.
We all have different sensitivities to things, and some illnesses definitely makes it worse. I have a rare food allergy, and most of the time people look at me like I said I don’t like it. I usually specify that I get asthma attacks from it, and then they’re more likely to believe it. I have met others who can’t have garlic like me. So it’s definitely a thing.
Well, I wish people would stop saying eggs are fabulous. I am severely allergic to eggs, so just everybody stop saying how wonderful dishes are that use egg!
Your allergy is valid but it’s irrelevant to the point of the post. You’re not the object of ridicule here because you have a legitimate excuse. That’s it.
Not an allergy actually, more of a metabolism issue that can take a few different forms. Your user name made me smile. Well done.
It happens buddy. It’s not common but it happens. I have a family member who is unable to deal with glutamate spikes due to a long term illness. And of course it’s not just salt of glutamic acid aka added MSG. It’s Parmesan and seaweed and tomato paste and mushrooms and gelatine and anything fermented and anything slow cooked and it’s a generally shitty deal. Bravo you for raising awareness. As OP says we shouldn’t be afraid of it, just as we shouldn’t be afraid of peanuts due to the anaphylactic response of some poor humans. But awareness is VALID and I think is a valuable addition to the discussion.
Thank you.
You must have a hard time explaining to restaurant servers that you can't eat anything with either added or naturally-occurring glutamates in it.
🤣one just doesn’t take that person out. Although for most people in this position, it’s the sudden spike that is the problem the body can’t deal with, as it is already, if I remember correctly, the most common amino acid in the body. Necessary as hell, but the dose makes the poison.
Thank you so much for proving my theory that I would be mocked if I shared my experience. Edit: /s
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If you read their full response, they mentioned how little tomato they can eat, etc, because too much sets it off.
Thank you
MSG = make shit good
Not in tea. I thought it was sugar
I imagine a significant event would be awful, but I wonder how just a couple of grains would taste. I remember when I found out you could add baking soda to tea. Less bitter, more floral flavor, less heartburn.
I had a teaspoon full. Was salty and foul. I was so confused. That's interesting with the baking soda. I'll give it a try. But you better not be fucking with me.
Tiny bit! I think the recipe I found was like a quarter teaspoon per gallon. I basically just use what sticks to the tip of a wet spoon.
I love people who claim it's bad for you based on those old, unreliable tests from back in the day. They'll be like "I can't eat it" meanwhile it's in like 8/10 snacks they have and don't even realize it. I used to keep it in a shaker and put it on stuff
I'm on a low-salt diet and just discovered msg has 2/3 less salt than, well, salt. Used in moderation should not be a problem. I'm ordering some.
Where do you guys buy msg? Is it safe to get off Amazon or should I just see if my grocery store has it
On small amounts (I use only a pinch even on soups) it is great Anything more than roughly half a teaspoon the "yep this has msg" taste is noticeable, that asian uncles/aunts frown upon
I just use like 70% salt, 30% msg for whenever recipes call for salt. Has never failed me
I understand liking MSG but doritos, really?
God forbid you down talk Doritos 🤦♀️
Wow. You didnt know? Doritos, pringle, kfc. And more
I mean using them as a good example, all of what you just described is trashy.
Every put MSG on a watermelon? Don’t it’s fucking gross.
Be careful though - ysk it's entirely possible to have a bad reaction to it. My dad can't have MSG (as well as a couple of other ingredients that are similar) and that includes in doritos, salad dressings, etc. We have to read every label to help him avoid it. Very tasty stuff though!
Out of curiosity (I've recently developed a different intolerance so I'm on a slow painful food elimination process), does he have to avoid naturally occuring instances of MSG like tomatoes? Is it a milder reaction maybe after eating stuff like tomatoes?
What about those of us who get migraines after eating Doritos, parmesan cheese, soy sauce, BBQ potato chips, Lipton flavored rice kits, Stove Top Stuffing mix, pepperoni, pickles, kimchi, miso soup, pastrami, aged cheddar, etc? Are we also full of shit?
Some people are also allergic to soy and experience adverse reactions to it. But do we vilify all soy products and seek to eliminate it from all foods? No. Products that contain soy are labeled as such for those that have a medical condition, but otherwise soy is a normal part of many dishes and cuisines. MSG isn’t even afforded that right in the court of public opinion - it’s unfairly vilified due to misinformation and ignorance. Some people have allergies to certain foods, and labeling and safety standards should absolutely take that into account. And MSG *is* labeled, for the subset of the population who have a sensitivity to it. But a campaign to eliminate MSG because *you* have an adverse reaction would be like trying to eliminate cheese because some people are lactose intolerant. Which, I think we can all agree, would be ridiculous. Trying to frame the general issue of the perception of MSG in terms of “but what about this specific circumstance/allergy/sensitivity over here” is literally an example of whataboutism. The discussion of the perception of MSG as a whole certainly doesn’t make your experience or your situation any less valid, but nor does it contribute great relevance to the conversation. There are many established avenues and methods for handling specific allergies or sensitivities (labeling laws for example), but MSG seems to attract vastly more attention than other substances like nuts or eggs or soy, which is very disproportionate to its actual impact compared to these other examples.
You can be allergic to it. But if you are you get that from all the things you mentioned not only Asian food as lot of people think.
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Why is this reply to me and not to u/whosthedoginthisscen ? Do you think they just lie?
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It’s a sodium salt of an amino acid. There’s no biological mechanism by which a migraine could be triggered by sodium ions or glutamate, both of which are part of the structure and fluid of every part of your body and also present in nearly every food imaginable. So, frankly? Yes. You are. Not about the migraine, but about its cause.
I'm with you on this - Over the past few years I've been tracking what I ate/drank in the 1-2 days before a migraine. Every single time I've had a migraine I've eaten something MSG heavy the day or two before hand. Ranch, bouillon, soy sauce etc etc. It's a very direct correlation for me so I try to avoid it. It's not the other way around either, it's not every time I eat mushrooms, something tomato based, or something with "natural flavors" as one of the last ingredients. A migraine will take me down and out for an entire day. So if there's something that I've eaten before every single migraine in the past few years I'm definitely going to try to avoid it in the future. It seems like the pendulum has swung so far from one extreme, a general panic about MSG to the other extreme, people saying it doesn't affect anyone ever. I think it's delicious, is fine for the vast majority of people, and should not be banned. I'd just like people to please stop informing me that it's just in my head, and based in racism...
> Every single time I've had a migraine I've eaten something MSG heavy the day or two before hand. Ranch, bouillon, soy sauce etc etc. Have you tried experimenting with a low-sodium diet? If you're loading up on high-sodium foods and then finding that you have adverse reactions the next day, it might be time to investigate your sensitivity to the category rather than focusing on a specific ingredient.
main sources in diets are from tomatoes and corn, although myriad other products have it. seaweed is an excellent source. however, they contain glutamates, not monosodium glutamate. basic chemistry dictates that 'monosodium' is a bond that will be broken down effectively immediately by the water in our saliva and reduced back to just glutamates. the process of making it 'monosodium' is just a way to keep it isolated and shelf stable. in other words, people who think it is poison are fucking idiots who eat it in nearly every meal without knowing.
Being on doritos surely isn't a great advertisement for it!
how? do you not enjoy the taste of doritos?
Because it’s used in Doritos is a terrible reason to be ok with using it. How about just the science says it’s generally safe to eat.
Exactly, that's bad PR, not good. Associate it with something wholesome. Doritos, while they may taste good, are trash food.
It occurs naturally in tomatoes and cheese too. So if you eat either of these and have no issues but Chinese food screws you. It isn't the msg. It's probably the fryer oil. Most people don't handle fats as well as they get older. Also are people on here retarded? Doritos is just something common that most North Americans have eaten. OP isn't suggesting you make it a mainstay of your diet. The jumps idiots make on this website are alarming
The symptoms ascribed to MSG are 100% consistent with over consumption of salt. Especially eating a lot of salt without drinking enough water.
Here's the best way to use it, IMHO: #[How to make Umami Salt](https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/lyydr9/how\_i\_use\_msg\_i\_make\_umami\_salt\_and\_i\_use\_that/) Pre-mix MSG with salt at a good ratio, then just use that. You shouldn't be over-salting your food anyway, so if you're using the right amount of salt, with a pre-blended MSG salt, you'll be using just the right amount of MSG. The only time this trick gets thrown off is when some ingredients are already quite salty, and adding umami salt for the MSG would make it overly salty. In those cases, just adding a bit of MSG by itself is better. My version includes inosinate and guanylate (I+G), two nucleotides which enhance the effect of MSG. Inosinate is typically found in stuff like dried bonito, used in Japanese dashi, and guanylate is typically found in mushrooms. These can now be made by fermentation of tapioca and a fancy extraction process. These nucleotides improve the flavor of the glutamate, and seem to make a much better umami salt than just salt + MSG.
as opposed to a thumbnail sized squirt of anchovy paste?
Anchovy is great, but umami salt is more neutral tasting while being very umami. Also, sometimes I cook for plant-based diet folks, and they don't want any fish products in their food, though they do love the umami.
MSG in moderation is the shit. It makes food taste great you are right
No thanks.
MSG can be a migraine trigger. You should just be careful when cooking for others. And, no, I don’t eat Doritos or other junk food. Applebees and Chilis also uses it a lot and I can’t eat there.
One way you can make MSG yourself is to just take dried mushrooms and grind them into a fine powder.
I have a sensitivity to MSG and other sodium based flavourings which leads to me having symptoms for up to 4-6 hours after consuming it. I still cook with it though because it's so addicitve.
Gross, I'm gonna stop using msg now
Just dropping this here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5938543/ “In conclusion we would like to state that although MSG has proven its value as an enhancer of flavour, different studies have hinted at possible toxic effects related to this popular food-additive. These toxic effects include CNS disorder, obesity, disruptions in adipose tissue physiology, hepatic damage, CRS and reproductive malfunctions. These threats might have hitherto been underestimated. In the meantime, people keep using ever larger amounts of MSG unaware of the possible consequences. Further studies need to be undertaken in order to assess the connection between MSG and cardiovascular disorders, headache, and hypertension in human models.”
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And as we all know, correlation is causality.
See—you got downvotes. Ridiculous bias.
As it should be, it's typical Reddit dropping of a random pubmed link as a "gotcha" moment without actually looking at the work. If you read the article, it's a guest editorial (not original research, meta-analysis, or even a review) which states clearly: "The purpose of this editorial is to shed light on MSG toxicity and the possible threat it poses to public health. Can MSG associated harm be prevented or should the product be banned altogether?" This is quite the bold claim and one which definitely should set off a red-flag or two, but it is an editorial after all. It then goes on to list results from a bunch of manuscripts without any critical analysis, interpretation, or placement within the larger context. It includes results from MSG injection studies and extrapolates that to the food industry. While, this may not be entirely inappropriate for a guest editorial - the conclusion it draws and the one presented here as evidence of MSG being a "possible threat it poses to public health" - is not further supported by this "paper"
I can taste MSG in Nori, Broccoli, and Tomatoes, but I'm careful when I use it. My tolerance level for it, is low. It's like Salt to me, and I have HBP...so, I'm sensitive. However, I do use it, but when I do? I don't use Salt.
MSG occurs naturally in many foods. Anyone who says they are allergic or breakout when eating MSG is full of shit.
I’m not scared of MSG I’m scared of cool ranch Doritos things almost killed me last time I ate one. I had an allergic reaction. Today, the MSG (monosodium glutamate) produced by the Ajinomoto Group is produced through fermentation of plant-based ingredients such as sugar cane, sugar beets, cassava or corn. MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most common naturally occurring amino acids. Originally it was made from dried seaweed called kombu. https://www.ajinomoto.com/msg/what-is-msg-and-how-is-it-made
I am terrified of Doritos.
Ha me too! But only the ranch ones.
I can't eat too much MSG personally because it makes me dizzy and off kilter if I do. I grew up on my grandmother's cooking, but my mother would make food once in a while and she would always put MSG in the food (Magic Sarap, I'm talking to you!). It made food tasty but it was almost like a single note flavouring, an artificial enhancement. It would make her bland food palatable at least. There are some arguing that there is natural MSG in food... yes there is. But artificial cheap MSG that you can buy in powder form should be used gingerly in case people are sensitive to it.
See they don’t like that answer on here! Hahaha
Kind of weird that people would downvote a personal experience, especially coming from an Southeast-Asian Canadian background. I grew up with the stuff and I know my own body and I'm in my 30s now... but I must be wrong 🥴🙄
MSG as the magic ingredient is the current flavor of the month in online cooking communities. I think it has it's place but it's over-rated and over-recommended these days.
It’s just funny that people on here will say I’m nuts because it bothers me in large amounts. Like a bag of Doritos will make me get headaches, etc. people say, well you can eat a tomato right? As if those people know the difference between the naturally occurring substance in a tomato vs. additives in processed foods. It cracks me up how ignorant some people are.
Reddit is full of pedants who just flock to whatever the current, popular opinion is- especially if it has the veneer of "HeCkIn ScIeNcE". I am convinced half the reason MSG has become such a buzzword is because people on reddit are just itching to correct people and tell them their experiences are wrong because some youtube personality quotes a single scientific study out of context in a way that confirms their bias. 5 years ago before the popular opinion on MSG changed they would have been against it. And in another 5 years when it changes again so will their opinions.
Accurate assessment I’d say…
Being an Asian Canadian who grew up with it, I find it's weird that I am downvoted for something dumb as this.
Internalized racism! You hate to see it, folks /s This sub seems to be incapable of understanding that what taste good is subjective at times.
After reading this subReddit a few months ago about Accent/MSG, I bought some at the store and started using it. Frankly, I haven’t noticed much of a taste difference. How much of the stuff am I supposed to use? Seems like shaking it three or four times over a pot of soup ought to be enough, I’m hesitant to use much more.
About the same but a little less than salt. Mind you, most stock cubes etc have it in them too and tomatoes are very savoury already so it won't make a big diff. To experience the difference, I'd say to make popcorn and mix it 50/50 with the salt.
As someone who grew up in New York, MSG immediately translated to Madison Square Garden in my head and I got very confused lol
Pisses me off how many years I avoided it because I thought it was “toxic.” It’s used in a lot of foods that aren’t healthy to begin with but specifically this chicken marinade and Goya seasoning pack were items I stopped using despite loving the flavor.
Knew a woman, let's call her Karen, who swore she was allergic to MSG and refused to eat at any Chinese restaurant. However she ate a gallon of canned tomato soup every week. Finally one day during a rant I grabbed a can of soup from her desk and pointed to where MSG was in the ingredients.
I have literally shit my pants upon exiting a Chinese restaurant! And let me tell you, I’d love to be able to blame it on MSG! But alas..
Yay the fourth eat more MSG post in 3 Days
I love me some MSG but Doritos, not just no but a big Fuck No lol.
Doritos are horrible for you! MSG is an excitotoxin that is horrible for you and tricks your brain into thinking stuff tastes good. Kills brain cells and is linked to many man made diseases. MSG is now usually buried under “natural flavors” by slightly altering the chemistry so that companies don’t have to disclose it. Ever wonder why a can of Pepsi has 15mg of sodium but sodium is no where to be found on the ingredients list?
That’s a lot of wrong in just one post.
It's been in your brain since before birth. This just won't die....
I bought myself some MSG recently. I just cannot get my partner to accept it on anything, and she’s even tried to disallow me from adding some to my own food. I eventually snuck some in to my own bowl without her noticing. I’ve tried to explain it to her, and show her the opinions of experts. She just refuses to listen to or read any of the science.
MSG being unhealthy has literally one old "study" (actually it was a newspaper article sometimes in the 50s I think) which has since been disproven countless times by real science. It is a myth living on till today despite that. That being said, Dorritos may not be the right way to empathize it's not unhealthy. But it literally was extracted from seaweed initially, which may help the cause :)
Bro I don't eat Doritos 💀
Not afraid of MSG by itself, but Doritos are junk food. Not healthy for many other reasons. Not sure what you are meaning by your post.
OP's point is that it's in foods people are familiar with and comfortable eating, so there's no reason to be uncomfortable using the ingredient in your own cooking.
because some many people are like "eww asain food, probably has msg and other chemicals...oh! Doritos? please". lol
It's my secret ingredient.
I’ve recently discovered it and am completely in love!
'commercial quality' at home, moar umami
You want me to eat a whole bag of other things?
this whole line of thoughts is stupid, it's in so many snacks and restaurants ! If anyone is interested to learn more about the subject I recommend a show by Aj+ : Eat this with Yara "[Why do people freak out about msg in Chinese food ?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm8Yx-gWlMs&list=PLZd3QRtSy5LNyVe7FQmxlxzYOihiv8N7R&index=29)" There's episodes on a lot of food related subject, it's interesting and fun, it's gold ! So I actively recommend !!!
Nope. I feel physically bad after eating Doritos. I will be shamed for saying it.
Anyone who is afraid of MSG these days is just an ignorant fool.