Msg

[ursusarctos]

Why is it bad? (Is it really that bad?)

[straighthaircurly]

People will disagree with me, that I know... IMO it depends on the person. I do not seem to have any sensitivity to MSG. I even ate it straight out of a bottle as a child. My DH, however, is extremely sensitive to MSG. He gets digestive issues, severe panic attacks, and general anxiety. As a rule we avoid MSG as a family. However, I still eat some foods known to contain MSG, but I keep them out of the house.

[Mama~Love]

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/

[ursusarctos]

Mama~Love - what a fascinating website, thank you!

[Purple*Lotus]

I can't have it, it caused my one and only migraine and I never want to go through that again.

[ursusarctos]

Yes, interesting thing with the migraines. I used to have horrific headaches as a teenager (not migraines, but bad anyway) and I specifically remember one particularly horrible one which was made dramatically worse after eating at a shady Chinese restaurant - I'm sure the msg had something to do with it. Though it doesn't seem to affect me dramatically unless there's already something wrong.

[PaulaJoAnne]

MSG is an excitotoxin, and causes brain lesions.
One may think that they are not reacting to it, but if one were to be msg free for a number of weeks, and then have a meal with it, it may well be very telling.
Before I knew about msg, I thought chinese foods had to much salt and sugar in them, and they were the reason I always felt a little funny after eating.
I know better now.

[ursusarctos]

Originally Posted by PaulaJoAnne

MSG is an excitotoxin, and causes brain lesions.
One may think that they are not reacting to it, but if one were to be msg free for a number of weeks, and then have a meal with it, it may well be very telling.
Before I knew about msg, I thought chinese foods had to much salt and sugar in them, and they were the reason I always felt a little funny after eating.
I know better now.

Ah yes, those experiences when things finally make sense! They happen a lot on the journey to natural eating and health!
The reason that I am reasonably sure that I am not terribly sensitive to MSG is that the bulk of my food does not contain it. I always read lables, and in Finland they are actually required to put MSG on the lable. I also eat mainly whole foods, with one ingredient only, and organic. So I basically only get it when I eat junk food, which is not often. I DO feel like crap after that, but there are so many other harmful additives in most junk food that I have trouble pinning it on the MSG alone.
Not at all denying that some people are more sensitive to it though!