MSG overview

[nancylebov]

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,9950,1522368,00.html

A history of the discovery and use of MSG and a strong suggestion that if people are getting sick from something in Asian food, it isn't the MSG--it's also significantly present in tomatoes and aged cheeses, but people don't show the syndrome from Italian food. On the other hand, I haven't heard of anyone checking on whether milk products have a protective effect. It can't be the garlic--that's used in both cuisines.

I'm amused that even though the writer has found MSG to be harmless and tasty, he still won't use it as a seasoning, apparently for reasons of self-image.

http://wired-vig.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,761,00.html

Dr. Weil (who's got a background in both conventional and alternative medicine) says that he's seen a lot of cases of MSG sensivity, even though there's no scientific explanation.

First link snagged from perigee, second link hunted down because I used to read Dr. Weil back when he was weirder and more interesting.

Comments

[twistedchick]

It may be present in tomatoes and aged cheeses, but it's not *added* to those foods by the teaspoonful, as it is in bad Chinese restaurants.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Are people more likely to get MSG symptoms from cheap Chinese food than from the better stuff?

[twistedchick]

Absolutely, in my experience -- the bad restaurants throw the stuff into the sauces wholesale, whereas the better restaurants add it by very small amounts to individual dishes, so the diner can say "no MSG" and not be stuck with it.

Hum

[wolfdancer.livejournal.com]

I have been having a proble with blue chease, and some hard chease geting migraind after large amounts of it. was atrubint it to the moled in it. Could it be the MSG? Hum, have not had much in the was of fresh tomatos of late How much MSG is in momatos? How mcuh would hyou have to eat to get the + to that in chinies food?
Have suspecte that there was some thing about my long time fave age hard chease that was doing me, thanks for the head up.

Re: Hum

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

There's a list of foods with how much MSG they have at the bottom of the first link.

If you're having problems with aged/hard cheeses and you're taking any MAO inhibitors, it might be the tyramine in the cheese.

http://nepenthes.lycaeum.org/Misc/maoi.foods.html has info about which foods have tyramine.

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

I thought that MSG sensitivity was because of excessive sodium?

[madfilkentist]

I haven't heard of people getting a similar reaction to salt, which they should if it's simply the sodium.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Might the hypothesis be that MSG plus salty food adds up to too much sodium, or that salt somehow amplifies the effect of MSG? That could explain why people get sick from Chinese food, but not from Italian.

[nellorat.livejournal.com]

That article was fascinating. Clearly, I'm very fond of umami. I personally in my head translate that as "richness," which seems more specific and more descriptive of the taste in itself, as opposed to what glutimate does to one's experience of other tastes--but "savory" is good, too. I've never had a problem from MSG, and I'm thinking about adding glutimate to foods as a regular condiment--maybe from the seaweed instead of MSG, to avoid the sodium.

The umami/glutimate connection also explains something that's been a mystery to me for a while. I read that portabello mushrooms can be a substitute for meat, especially in grilling. I thought, that's bizarre, since they have neither texture nor nutritional composition in common--yet I can see it. And it does work. Well, mushrooms are high in glutimate, so what is similar is the umami taste to each.