Does eating food with a lot of MSG make you feel weird?

Question

When I eat food that has a lot of MSG in it - I almost feel if I have taken a pain killer or an antihistamine - really light headed. I tend to avoid foods with MSG because of this. Does this happen to you?

Answer 1

MSG is a Salt - Mono Sodium Glutimate - and it really is a natural product. However, it's high sodium content affects people in many different ways.

So far as I am aware, no one is "allergic" to msg, however many of us display hypertensive responses when we eat it - rapid heart rate being the main symptom. The rapid heart rate affects blood flow to your heart, lungs, brain. Blood flow problems affect all feelings - pain, sympathy, and even euphoria.

The sodium in msg creates an electrical response with our brain. Some people (like me) feel light headed and high, while some others feel momentarily depressed.

MSG is really a natural sodium that many people can't metabolize.

Answer 2

I read an article a few years ago which explained that Chinese kitchens use MSG for two reasons/results:
It causes that "light-headed" feeling you described - like a relaxant for the eating atmosphere, and it causes you to feel hungry.
Vinnie just read that MSG is a flavor-enhancer, but it can cause vascular headaches in some people, and it can also trigger asthema.
I always just feel sleepy after eating Chinese food.

Answer 3

MSG is so bad for you. Alot of take-aways use this especially chinese and alike. The MSG is that gluey, sticky substance you get in fod - that on flavoured ribs, and sauces in food. MSG affects people in different ways, some people it can make them feel asif they have a bad hang-over, other people it makes them just feel like c**p. The suffering when eaten at these places are a almost 100% guarantee that your meals have contained alot of MSG. If you go to the country of origin of that paticular food, the food will taste totally different, and you won't have the side effects as they don't have the horrible additive that the restaurants use here.
MSG is a flavor enhancer that accentuates "meatiness." It's a component of the proteins found in many foods, but critics say in its purified form it can be a potent neurotoxin, causing nerve cells literally to excite themselves to death. An alleged example of this is "Chinese restaurant syndrome." A half hour after eating MSG-laden soup, once a staple of budget Chinese cuisine, some people say they experience headaches, tightness of the chest, and a burning sensation. Researchers have had difficulty reproducing this in the lab, but the feds got so many complaints from the field they've issued tougher label requirements for MSG in meat and poultry and are thinking of doing the same for other foods.

MSG may also be harmful to babies, which is why it was yanked out of baby food 20 years ago. But MSG makers and some scientists hotly deny that MSG poses a threat to the average adult. If you want to avoid it, watch out for the term "natural flavoring" on ingredients labels. Until the rules are changed, that could be a camouflage for MSG.


Just so you know, chinese take-aways bug MSG by the sack full, usually 25Kg at a time, and will probably go through a few of these

Answer 4

Sometimes I get a really bad headache if I eat foods with a lot of MSG.

I also try to avoid them.

Answer 5

MSG is an additive used to preserve food and is used a lot by restaurants with salad bars and buffet lines to make food good longer. Many people a affected by this chemical. some feel light headache or numb around mouth and throat some people even become sick enough that they regurgitate

Answer 6

Yes, I feel thirsty after eating foods with MSG. I feel stuffed and sleepy too but that could be due to the fact that I eat a lot.

Answer 7

Can Msg Make You Sick

Answer 8

hahaha, well, personal opinions you know, people can all think differently. no one should be against you for disliking chinese food, esp with ur reasons which seem appropriate... maybe that style of food just doesn't suit your taste? oh yeah, there are many many types of chinese food, sweet and salty... hmm, sounds like south of china, maybe try some other chinese food if you don't want to see what u call 'weird'? fyi, to answer the question, no i don't think you are weird for disliking chinese food ;D

Answer 9

No, it does not happen to me. I just know it's bad the bones. My boyfried do feel different when eating MSG. He says he feel a tingling on the back of his neck, maybe similar to how you feel.

Answer 10

Avoid Chinese restaraunts that serve food with MSG!
I, personally didn't feel weird, but in the long run, it could be cancerous. My my phuck, does it taste good.