Your Thoughts On The Use Of MSG

[Jade]

I don't cook with MSG myself, as I don't really know when it is a good time to utilize it and also the recipes I use are usually good enough with just the use of salt. However, I do still like to eat food that has MSG in it, especially Chinese food and potato chips. I still try to limit it, as I heard that it's bad for the health, but I admittedly have never looked it up so I'm not sure how legitimate that statement really is. What do you guys think of MSG and do you use it in your cooking?

 

[Lostvalleyguy]

While MSG gets a big thumbs down in the press, it is only an issue for those who are allergic to it (sensitive to it). I don't cook with it myself and wouldn't buy MSG to add to my cooking. I have no problem, however, eating something that contains MSG. As far as health concerns, the S is sodium and you need to keep the quantities in check. Unless you have an allergy or hypertension, just use it sparingly and it shouldn't cause your body any great stress. Fortunately MSG is on the ingredients list of things we buy and we can control our intake simply be reading the label for either MSG or monosodium glutamate.

 

[firelily99]

I don't use it at all - its not something that is even allowed on my spice rack. I limit the amount of salt that I cook with and when I do use salt I use sea salt. I don't need the iodine due to not having a thyroid so I have eliminated iodized salt.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

In our family we value our health so much that is why we try to live and eat the healthy way. And so due to health reasons we do not use MSG for our cooking at home. We know that it is not properly eliminated in our bodies that is why we are not using it. And so it is not a part in the list of our groceries items when we do shopping for our food needs.

 

[firelily99]

So many herbs and spices are available so that something so toxic shouldn't even be sold. A lot of it is people have become lazy with the availability of processed foods. Cooking and eating should be a good thing and not a way to ingest a toxic waste into our bodies.

 

[OhioTom76]

What's funny is that for as much as some health gurus complain about MSG and how awful it is, did you ever notice you never hear them clashing with Vegans who frequently use Nutritional Yeast in their recipes? Nutritional Yeast is basically loaded with glutamic acid as well, and acts as a flavor enhancer in recipes just like MSG. MSG is technically natural, I think it comes from some type of seaweed or something like that.

I don't have allergic reactions to it, but I try to avoid foods high in it simply because I don't like the taste it imparts. A wee bit in some foods is fine, but too much of it and it makes the meal taste like processed food to me. I don't see the point of taking fresh ingredients and making them taste like old processed canned food.

 

[firelily99]

I agree, the taste can be noticeable and the amount of it doesn't have to be high to be able to taste it. Food can be cooked and taste great without adding a lot of flavoring to it Nutritional yeast gets a pass right now but sooner or later people will catch on to it.

 

[yossup]

So I've done a lot of research on msg since I love asian foods and asian foods (esp. those from china) tend to have a lot of msg. At first, I was worried about the health effects of msg. Let met just say that you really don't need to worry about that as the health effects are minimal. You could eat msg everyday for the rest of your life and nothing will happen. So don't worry and keep eating that chinese take out.