Msg?

treehugger057 · #1 09-20-2009, 09:36 AM

So I recently made an effort to remove MSG from my food! Now I never added msg to anything! I have been reading labels a lot more and to may shock it is in everything! Their are so many names out there for this stuff! I picked up a product clearly marked w/ a sticker saying " No msg in our product" turned over to the check myself and their it is hyrdolyzed veg protien. Their are about 20 different names for this stuff!

Has anyone really had to take this out for health reasons? I would like any thoughts you may have to help point me in a good direction.

Thanks tyler

ED BUCHANAN · #2 09-20-2009, 11:56 AM

Most people do not know what MSG is or where it comes from an how it is made. The MSG of today and the original Agimoto powder are quite different. I did a thesis on MSG when I graduated college and it is interesting. It's properties affect everyone differently.
It won't kill you, and there are much worse things in our food supply.

Trifoilum · #3 09-20-2009, 03:30 PM

A wild guess, but is Agimoto powder you just mentioned above is the origin of MSG? It sounds Japanese and I seem to recall Japanese as the one which had the word for the taste of this...uh...controversial substance.

Also, may you give some insight on your research? That seems very interesting and it's exactly the opposite of what's been popular now.

bughut · #4 09-20-2009, 03:37 PM

I dont have a problem with MSG. The Chinese have been using it it for centuries. It may not be good for you, but neither is salt. I saw it recently on sale as Chinese taste powder. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but its a far eastern taste enhancer. And has been since the year dot

Trifoilum · #5 09-20-2009, 04:15 PM

Indeed so. Here in Indonesia it's almost as common as salt and pepper.

I find it rather cheating, though. Almost everything with MSG will taste good / pleasant to the tastebuds, regardless of actual taste or techniques. I've been to so many place where the food is all...depending on MSG, much to my annoyance. And it's PACKED.

And I've heard people saying some food "not delicious" or "not flavorful enough" just because it didn't have much MSG. D:

PeteMcCracken · #6 09-20-2009, 04:51 PM

I'd search Google beore I did anything about MSG!

The FDA cites it as GRAS, Generally Recognized As Safe.

DuckFat · #7 09-20-2009, 06:23 PM

Some one pass the Accent!

leeniek · #8 09-20-2009, 08:00 PM

I am allergic to msg so I have to be extremely careful when I buy groceries and also when we eat out. In my home cooking I sub Mrs Dash for Accent and I make sure when we go out to eat if the establisment has anything containing msg and I stay away from those items if I have to.

ED BUCHANAN · #9 09-21-2009, 08:06 AM

Experiments were done with MSG in the 60s. The use of MSG was attributed to an ailment called chinese syndrome. Which in some people was diagnosed as a pending stroke or heart attack, It started affecting the left arm and gave it pain and a feeling of numbness. Feeding groups of people MSG and other groups with a placebo did not produce any firm results. Some people showed a reaction some did not as did some on the placebo. Agimotto started out being made from fermented seeweed,which some may have been alergic to. Today it is in most cases made from fermented beets. In one respect it could be refered to as a natural food, because it is naturaly in the foods. In my own experiments with it , I did find that foods with added MSG went bad faster. And it tended to make people extremely thirstyThe Chines restaurants stopped cooking with it because of public opinion, but most of all because they saved money as it was not cheap. When it came here in the 50s as agimotto it was about $5.00 a pound..

chefhow · #10 09-21-2009, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by treehugger057

So I recently made an effort to remove MSG from my food! Now I never added msg to anything! I have been reading labels a lot more and to may shock it is in everything! Their are so many names out there for this stuff! I picked up a product clearly marked w/ a sticker saying " No msg in our product" turned over to the check myself and their it is hyrdolyzed veg protien. Their are about 20 different names for this stuff!

Has anyone really had to take this out for health reasons? I would like any thoughts you may have to help point me in a good direction.

Thanks tyler

Hi treehugger,
Hopefully I can help you to understand MSG and why its in so many things and what the real replacers that are used in foods today are...

1. Hydrolyzed vegetable protien is NOT MSG!! HVP is NOT used to replace MSG it is something all together different and has different uses in food(ie to replace meats and meat flavors in vegetarian/vegan foods, as a cost reducer, and as a flavor enhancer for cheeses and mushrooms.) What you are confusing HVP with is AYE or "autolyzed yeast extract". They are not the same, AYE is used as an MSG replacer in many food products, particularly snack seasonings. It is based on the chemical stripping of the Yeast to autolyze it to act as an MSG flavored product. Several different types of yeasts are used, Brewers, Torula and Sacchramoyses are the 3 most commonly used types of yeast used to replace MSG, but they are not intended to "fool" people into thinking that they are MSG. AYE is a whole different subject that is currently being debated within the FDA as whether is can be labeled as natural or not.

2. MSG has many benefits and is actually healthier for you than salt. It is used in MUCH lower doses than salt, has lower sodium, and is a better flavor enhancer than salt, thats why the Chinese and Japanese have been using it for centuries in Soy Sauce and on its own instead of salt.

3. It is ILLEGAL and against FDA and USDA regulations to falsely label ANY food items for exactly what they are. If MSG is in a food product IT MUST be labeled as such or the manufacturer would face ENORMOUS fines and possible shut down as well as a system wide recall of all foods that were falsely labeled.

4. Salt is insanely bad for you unless it is used in low levels and if you read labels than you know that it isnt. MSG is actually healthier for you from a sodium stand point and its a natural product but because ppl didnt know about it in the 70's and 80's it got a bad rap and ppl began to develop and "allergy" to it. All MSG contains is sodium and glutamic acid in its most basic form.

If you would like I could breakdown MSG for you so you can understand what it is in comparison to salt or you could just look it up.

chefhow · #11 09-21-2009, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeniek

I am allergic to msg so I have to be extremely careful when I buy groceries and also when we eat out. In my home cooking I sub Mrs Dash for Accent and I make sure when we go out to eat if the establisment has anything containing msg and I stay away from those items if I have to.

Are you allergic to salt or glutamic acid?

iconoclast · #12 09-21-2009, 03:27 PM

never used it, never will.

chefhow · #13 09-21-2009, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iconoclast

never used it, never will.

what if I told u I could reduce your sodium intake by 40%, do it naturally and at no added cost would u do it?

iconoclast · #14 09-21-2009, 07:22 PM

i would ask how...

chefhow · #15 09-22-2009, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iconoclast

i would ask how...

By replacing salt with MSG. Lower usage levels and naturally lower sodium levels without the use of potassium chloride or magnesium which is what is used in reduced sodium foods.