Woud you like some food with your MSG?

[Cetacea]

"...MSG (monosodium glutamate) is hard to avoid because it’s in practically everything, but also because its pseudonyms allow its proclivity to go largely unnoticed. MSG only has to be labeled as such if it’s 100 percent MSG. Soy lethicin, hydrolyzed soy, whey, or vegetable proteins, carageenan, furikake, and autolyzed yeast are all up to 50 percent MSG. Add a few of those tough-to-read names up and you’re at 100 percent, easily.

I confessed to Dr. Guillory I probably eat a diet rich in MSG, but he didn’t blame me. “They need to take the damn stuff off the market,” he said, with more conviction than you usually hear in a doctor’s office. “It’s ruining people’s lives.”

Mass manufacturers (shamefully silent in the new film, “Food, Inc.”) would say MSG is a superhero of tastemakers: savory, delicious, invisible.

People like me and worse — those who suffer racing heart rates, states of confusion, and migraines from their food — would call MSG an arch-nemesis.

The laundry list of MSG literature and studies is long, but quiet: Scientists at the University of Madrid found a 40 percent increase in appetite in mice given MSG. A New York Times neuroscience article from February 2008 explains how imbalanced glutamate in the brain can lead to brain damage and schizophrenia..."






http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/good-luck-avoiding-msg-now-that-its-been-approved-for-spraying-on-crops/

[napi21]

1. I understand your objections if it bothers you, but I really like

the flavor enhancing quality it has. I cook everything from scratch, and add MSG to almost everything.

[Cetacea]

2. I appreciate it's flavour-enhancing quality

My only problem with it is not being able to it is the super natural thirst that follows. I do think it should be controlled better as the companies have been skirting the labeling laws.

[Better Today]

11. I also cook from scratch, but I only use it in some soups and some sauces.

Certainly not in everything. I would hate to see it go away entirely. Of course you and I, and our families, benefit greatly from our willingness to cook from scratch and provide known ingredients on their plates.

I insisted both my kids (one girl one boy) learn to cook from scratch so they wouldn't fall into the fast food trap later in life. My son is a chef at a restaurant now, not head or anything, and my daughter still cooks 6 out of 7 meals a week from scratch. They apologize profusely now for all their complaining and fighting when I was forcing them to learn. Both now see how much $$ they save compared to their friends (they are both in their 20s) and they both are healthier than their friends.

[Zoeisright]

12. MSG is not good for you. For one thing, it's got a lot of sodium.

Which most Americans do NOT need. Many Americans consume 2 to 10 times the amount of sodium they need every single day.

Learn to appreciate the real flavor of foods. It's not that difficult.

[napi21]

20. I just had ablood test last week and one of the things they checked was my sodium levels.

It was normal. This was an actual retest becuse the week before they said my sodium levels were too loow, so I guess I dont have to worry about too much salt. Remember I said I cook everything from scratch and I don't add much salt. My husband doesn't like salt.

[lysosome]

3. I suggest you take biology and/or chemistry at your local community college.

What you are writing makes no sense. The proteins you list would be partially composed of glutamate because they are proteins and glutamate is an amino acid. Mono sodium glutamate is something else and wouldn't be found in a protein.
Add a few of those tough-to-read names up and you’re at 100 percent, easily.
I appreciate you giving 110% to this, but maybe a math class wouldn't be a bad idea either.

[Cetacea]

4. I didn't write it. That's why it's in quotes.

It's just one of many related articles. I do wonder why, if MSG aka Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein aka Natural Flavours etc is so benign, theen why do companies insist upon hiding it's presence in our food?

[Cetacea]

5. ***crickets****

[Igel]

10. Because they're different things.

Glutamate is in protein. If you hydrolyze the protein--i.e., at least partially break it up into its constituent amino acids--you're going to get some glutamate.

But that's not MSG. That's glutamate. MSG is a kind of glutamate.

That chicken I have sitting in the frying pan downstairs has glutamate in it. So does the dough I have rising not far from it for tomorrow's bread, or the dough that I have waiting to be fried for making tortillas. None has MSG in it. And while I'm sure the yeast has partially metabolized some of the protein, and there's salt in the dough so that there probably is MSG in that dough now, I didn't put any MSG into it.

As for the rest, it's like the business with portion sizes: It's regulated, and the labelling, however stupid it may be, is required.

[Cetacea]

19. It's not "stupid" labelling if there are known sensitivities to it.

It's no different than peanut warnings.

[truedelphi]

18. It is responsible for much of the depression that

people are suffering from. Get rid of MSG and in many cases, you can rid yourself of depression overnight.

MSG also is responsible for totally dismantling the body's inner mechanism that controls the appetite.

Get rid of MSG, and you are not hungry all the time.

But on the other hand, then what would we then do about all those Pharmaceutical companies that want to get back the profits on their patented medicines?

[Cetacea]

21. I wonder how many "panic attacks" are MSG induced

Given that one of the symptoms of many actual people is rapid/elevated heart beat that comes well after the meal is eaten (less likely to establish connection)

[Ms. Toad]

24. Darn - I skimmed the posts too quickly.

looking to see if anyone had already caught the major arithmetic blunder. You beat me to it, but it probably bears repeating (as I did, inadvertently, below).

[Q3JR4]

6. Hmmm, okay....

According to scientific research most people get (from everyday food like tomatoes, cheese, and other natural sources) about 0.3 to 1.0 grams of MSG a day--that's an average, it can vary depending on your diet. Two studies were conducted in which participates were given either encapsulated MSG or a placebo (and didn't know which was which) before a meal. At the end the participates showed no statistically significant differences in symptoms. When they conducted a study with individuals who claimed to be sensitive to MSG, they found that only 2 out of 110 of the individuals experienced typical symptoms related to MSG consumption. The results of this survey have yet to be replicated.

Secondly, there have been studies in rats that show that MSG can be neurotoxic, but that requires a dosage of 5 grams to reach the brain, and most of it is destroyed in the stomach making such a high dosage in humans virtually impossible.

The information I read (http://escholarship.org/uc/item/5cz3361m">*) ends by saying that certain MSG sensitive individuals COULD still exist in the world, but blanket statements that MSG effects everyone negatively the same way are disingenuous at best.

[bbinacan]

7. Horseshit. n/t

[Cetacea]

8. Not sure. They do spray it on fruits and vegetables, though.

They don't trust your own taste buds.

[bbinacan]

9. I've never heard that.

From listverse.com

Common Misconception: Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is evil and must be avoided at all costs

First off, MSG is a naturally occuring substance found in things like tomatoes, mushrooms, and seaweed. It was first isolated and presented in pure powder form in 1907 and 1909 respectively. MSG is a flavor enhancer that excites the fifth taste sense umami (the others being salt, sweet, sour, bitter). MSG is to umami, as sugar is to sweet. Another term for umami (and a relatively good description of it) is “savory”. When you add MSG to a bland soup or stock, it can greatly increase the flavor and add a roundness that can not be obtained elsewhere. Most fine chefs will use natural MSG when possible – through the inclusion of tomatoes or mushrooms, but many will also use the powder directly. It is a myth that MSG makes you ill – thanks to media scares around the world, people have an great horror of MSG, but those self-same people have no problems scoffing chips and other fast-food and pre-packaged foods, almost all of which contain it. The English “ready-made” gravy granules “Bisto” contains a large amount of MSG, as do many seasonings and sauces that are available at the supermarkets of the world. MSG is E number E621 and is labelled as “flavour enhancer 621″ in Australia and New Zealand. Australian study on “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” – showing no link to MSG: “igorous and realistic scientific evidence linking the syndrome to MSG could not be found.” Enjoy MSG!

[Zoeisright]

14. Try reading a few labels and you'll find the OP is correct.

Here's some of the ingredients that mean MSG is in the food:

MSG
Monosodium glutamate
Monopotassium glutamate
Magnedium glutamate
Calcium caseinate
Anything with the word "hydrolyzed"
Glutamate
Glutamic Acid
Vegetable Protein Extract
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)
Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP)
Autolyzed Plant Protein
Autolyzed Yeast
Sodium Caseinate
Senomyx
Calcium Caseinate
Gelatin
Textured protein
Calcium glutamate
Natrium glutamate
Textured Protein
Yeast Extract
Yeast food
Yeast Nutrient
Vetsin
Disodium 'anything'
Carageenan
Guar gum
Locust bean gum
Natural pork flavoring
Bouillon and broth
Stock
Whey protein concentrate
Natural beef flavoring
Whey protein
Soy protein
Anything fermented
Soy sauce
Soy protein isolate
Malt extract
Malt flavoring
Natural chicken flavoring
Seasonings
Protease
Barley malt
Soy sauce extract
Natural flavors

[bbinacan]

15. Try reading this

From listverse.com

Common Misconception: Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is evil and must be avoided at all costs

First off, MSG is a naturally occuring substance found in things like tomatoes, mushrooms, and seaweed. It was first isolated and presented in pure powder form in 1907 and 1909 respectively. MSG is a flavor enhancer that excites the fifth taste sense umami (the others being salt, sweet, sour, bitter). MSG is to umami, as sugar is to sweet. Another term for umami (and a relatively good description of it) is “savory”. When you add MSG to a bland soup or stock, it can greatly increase the flavor and add a roundness that can not be obtained elsewhere. Most fine chefs will use natural MSG when possible – through the inclusion of tomatoes or mushrooms, but many will also use the powder directly. It is a myth that MSG makes you ill – thanks to media scares around the world, people have an great horror of MSG, but those self-same people have no problems scoffing chips and other fast-food and pre-packaged foods, almost all of which contain it. The English “ready-made” gravy granules “Bisto” contains a large amount of MSG, as do many seasonings and sauces that are available at the supermarkets of the world. MSG is E number E621 and is labelled as “flavour enhancer 621″ in Australia and New Zealand. Australian study on “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” – showing no link to MSG: “igorous and realistic scientific evidence linking the syndrome to MSG could not be found.” Enjoy MSG!

[Cetacea]

16. Or this: MSG Sensitivity Syndrome

Recognized by the FDA. And me.


http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-MSG-Sensitivity-Syndrome?&id=1823037

[Cetacea]

17. And asthmatics can be sensitive to it.

http://www.asthma.co.za/articles/ref13.htm

I wouldn't make any blanket statements that it is safe for everyone.

[bbinacan]

22. So don't ingest it

But don't deprive the vast majority.

[Odin2005]

13. I don't mind it (it often comes from natural sources like seaweed), but I know some...

...are sensitive to it.

[Ms. Toad]

23. Hmm...someone is sorely deficient in math skills -

why on earth would I trust someone who does not understand 5th grade math (or thereabouts) to provide accurante science information?

>>Soy lethicin, hydrolyzed soy, whey, or vegetable proteins, carageenan, furikake, and autolyzed yeast are all up to 50 percent MSG. Add a few of those tough-to-read names up and you’re at 100 percent, easily<<

[Cetacea]

25. ****crickets****

Froggy, you're nothing if not irreverent.

[Ms. Toad]

26. You can say "crickets" all you want

but when someone purporting to provide scientifically accurate information makes math mistakes they are either too mathematically ignorant to catch (or they think their readers are too ignorant to understand) they have lost any credibility they might have had.

When someone tells me the sky is a lovely shade of green, and I can look up and see that isn't correct, then they they proceed to tell me additional "facts" that would require research to verify, I find it is generally not worth my time to try to sort fact from fiction.

[Cetacea]

27. I suppose it's a matter of research styles

If I note a mistake I go on to the next study/writer/article until I am satisfied that I am not missing out on good data on account of one person's mistake.

edit: I certainly picked a poor article for this topic as it was handy and I was pressed for time.