# Monosodium Glutamate - I hate it !!!!!!



## thewaltons (Aug 21, 2006)

This may seem a bit of an odd posting on this forum but here goes -

So, I developed an intollerance to MSG (a food additive used to enhance the flavour) about 9 years ago and I am pretty good at avoiding it but it is in so many things now that I made a dreadful mistake and had probably the biggest reaction I have ever had on Saturday after eating 'fresh piri piri sauce' (I don't think so) at a spit roast chicken restaurant.

The point of this email is - I don't know how to speed up flushing the damn stuff out of my system. I have been drinking plenty of water and avoid any salty foods, but today I still feel just as bad as shortly after eating the sauce. Any advice would be really, really helpful. My eyes are so sore and sensative and I just want to go to sleep.  

Sorry if this posting seems odd.

Thanks Anita


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## mangothemadmonk (Aug 6, 2006)

That's the only trouble. MSG or E621 is in loads of food. I would just keep pushing the fluids to flush it out.

Have a look at this link.....

MSG Intolerance

and down the page for recommendations and treatments for MSG Intolerance.

Always consult your doctor before taking medications and supplements.

Hope you get sorted.

Johnny F


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## Bamboozled (Jan 23, 2008)

Ate a packet of 'Beanfeast' the dried soya mince product about a year ago.
After I had the worst bout of heart arrythmia ever .. thought I could die ! It lasted the evening and through the night but eased the following morning. I went to the doc who basically advised that if this happens again I should go to hospital ER. The beanfeast had MSG as an ingredient.
I have had similar but less serious reactions after eating at Pizzaland and Burger King, they cleared after a couple of hours. Havn't been back.
I do what I can to avoid it but sometimes take risks because I like chinese food so much. My local chinese restaurant said that they do not add MSG but it is included in marinaded meats e.g. sweet and sour chicken etc.


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## thewaltons (Aug 21, 2006)

My main symptoms are awful dehydration, very sensitive eyes, hearing and sinuses, extreme tiredness, no energy and I get a big puffy face. My concentration seems to be affected aswell.

Beanfeast????? I thought that was all supposed to be healthy stuff :lol: I do get arrythmia after eating sometimes - though not as often as I used to, I wonder if its the MSG?

I have always known MSG was in most meat products and chinese food, but it is also in many low-fat dairy products, stock cubes, malt extract - so may be in some bread, crisps, many frozen, dried and tinned foods. Where the ingredients list states it includes 'natural flavour enhancer', this may also be MSG because it is a natural product which has been extracted from certain plants through fermentation I avoid any processed food when ever possible but its not always easy.

Interesting the MSG is not classed as dangerous, yet is banned from all foods made for under 3 year olds! :? 

Thanks for the link Johnny - will check it out later at home

Anita


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

I had a massive problem with MSG a few years ago and ended up admitted to hospital, it caused me to have tunnel vision, incredible headache and detachmnet, lasted 24 hours and was awful, lots of fluid eventually removed it. 

Moral; don't eat 2 bowls of chicken and sweetcorn soup in restaurant!

Used to be called "Chinese Takeaway Syndrome" apparently!


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## 1302 (Apr 4, 2006)

It,s not just me then! got very wary of chinese food but have found a take-away that doesnt seem to use much msg (as I dont get side affects after eating from there) but last week went to our new local Indian restaurant and spent most of the night awake with heart arrythmia, its not very nice at all


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## 102731 (Jan 30, 2007)

May I ask who diagnosed your allergy, intolerance? Research I have done points to there being no health risks from MSG if taken in the normal diet (obviously excessively large doses may pose problems.


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## thewaltons (Aug 21, 2006)

I had some intolerance tests done about 6 years ago and I had never realised that I had a problem with MSG - I never made the link to it until that day. It is important to understand that food intolerances can come and go over time. I had to avoid dairy for a long while but the MSG intolerance has worsened, probably because I avoid it like the plague so when I do get a right old dosing my reaction is much worse than the previous time. 

Also, my MSG intolerance is just one of the changes I have had to adapt to since developing M.E. about 9 years ago. I suspect that your average healthy human can cope with all the junk in our food but others who may have inbalances in their body of one kind or another cannot.

MSG is added to food as a flavour 'enhancer' instead of using salt or sugar (with all their health implications). Why would we need to add anything to good quality healthy flavoursome food? The general population has developed a liking for this enhanced food over many years and the large food producing corporations (allegedly) continue to add MSG for fear the consumer will buy the competitors food products if they stop adding it. Which one is brave enough to stop using it first????? Some evidence also points to MSG actually increasing the amount of food eaten because of its feel good 'wasn't that a fantastic chinese takeaway' factor, and extreme views suspect MSG has a real role in the obesity problem in the developed world because of this. Controversial eh? 8O 

What research have you been able to do then bear 1? I would be very interested in any further information which may help.

Thanks Anita


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## sirhandel (Mar 5, 2008)

J99Dub said:


> It,s not just me then! got very wary of chinese food but have found a take-away that doesnt seem to use much msg (as I dont get side affects after eating from there) but last week went to our new local Indian restaurant and spent most of the night awake with heart arrythmia, its not very nice at all


Do Indian restaurants use MSG? Or was your discomfort from the spices used in the Indian food preparartion?


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## mauramac (May 24, 2005)

Not sure if this helps or not but back in September 2008 I got a really bad fright early hours of the morning. Heart began racing and my pulse was pounding in my head and neck. I got cold sweats and was so scared I woke my hubby who rang the NHS direct for advice. They sent an ambulance straight away and they put me on oxygen and took me into A & E. 

All my tests came back fine - including ECG's but they were amazed at the very high heart beat rate and kept me in until 7am the following morning. All they could suggest was beta blockers which I tried but they upset my stomach so I gave up.

Since then I have given up all caffeine and alcohol and the only time my pulse became rapid again was after a cup of normal tea (not decaf tea) at my friends house. I stupidly thought 1 cup would be OK.

Now I know we are all different and maybe caffeine isn't the problem here but thought it worth mentioning in case (like me) you are unaware of the effects it can have on some people.

I can't eat or drink chocolate now either  you would think the weight should be dropping off - but it isn't.


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