Ajinomoto (MSG: Mono-Sodium Glutamte): To Use Or Not To Use

Hi dear u r right few years back it was huge issue on it and its was was reduced in Pakistan. however its not use at our home but i dont insstruct cheft not to use it in my dish when i go out even in chinese resturant a at that time its hardly in my mind Take care

I think MSG in general is not very healthy, although just a small pinch in your cooking has not been shown to have any serious health effects. Things can get out of control when peopl start adding lots of MSG into their food, and a good way to know that there is too much MS is when the food tastes sweet. Also, we should ask for no MSG rather than simply no Ajinomoto, because I realise that a lot of restaurants have switched from suing Ajinomoto to other generic flavourings that are similarly laden with MSG.

Hi friend,I use ajinomoto only when I cook noodles and chinese fried rice that is once in 2 months.so it doesn't affect us .It should be avoided everyday.thanks for your useful information.Happy mylotting,

Yes we are using ajinomoto in our cooking,It's been a habit for a family using ajinomoto it enhance the flavor of our dish.

I no longer use MSG in my cooking right after I heard that it wasn't good for the body. I replace MSG with sugar, and it does enhance the flavor like monosodium glutamate does.

i heared aginomoto is a banned product that its not good for health. so im not using this product.

i really did not know of the side-effects of aginomoto.thanks for the informative post.i like its flavour so i use it frequently.

well we are used to using msg in our cooking. i know asians use them more often than other countries but i think it is safe cause my grandfather have been using it too but i guess we are all safe anyway. :)

Well, honestly, even if you yourself don't use MSG, it is still in everything we eat anyways, regardless how they say that there isn't MSG in them. Noodles, broth cubes, instant sauces, junk foods, restaurant food, etc. So unless you grow your own food, cook your own vegetation, raise your own animals. And grow all natural, then there's no escape. I think it would be fine to have a little bit of MSG in our system. Just so as not to overuse. I know how it feels because I get reactions from too much MSG and I could really feel those symptoms most especially if the chef or the cook used too much. Plus, I don't cook with MSG myself. But, I don't cook that much at all. So no complaints here. =)

There have been reports on studies that say that excessive use of MSG causes cancer. I do not use MSG at home at all. When ordering for food in a restaurant very often the cook will not tell you that he has added MSG in the food. You can ensure they do not add it only by standing next to him while he is cooking.

I think that it is safe. Besides, it can give the taste "umami" - a new taste at par with salty, sweet, sour, etcetera.

In my country, almost all food are cooking with MSg added. It will hard to find food that not contain MSG. Some study wrote that consumes MSG too much is not good for healty. But here It is very hard to avoid that :D

Yea, they say there's a new finding that it is safe, but better be sure than sorry. Here in the Philippines, Majority of the restaurants use it in severe amounts and it causes me to be sleepy after the meal. It is okay to consume it once in a while, as this seems impossible to dodge.

maybe i not use

My sister gets major headaches from MSG. It has no effect on me at all. I do not use it in my cooking, but it is in a lot of food that I eat. I normally go to a Chinese place that does not use any MSG. I do not see a problem with MSG being used since it is clearly listed on the label/ Anyone who has a reaction to MSG can choose to not eat it.

MSG (monosodium glutamate) is used in processed foods, fast-foods and Chinese food. It is found in most commercial soups, and soya sauce. MSG has become a staple of the modern food industry. Headache and flushing of the skin, are relatively mild side effects. However, later studies have documented more serious and sustained physical problems such as asthma, acute headaches, and life-threatening heart irregularities. Deaths have been reported too. Other symptoms that might seem to be psychological in origin have also been traced to MSG consumption: extreme mood swings, irritability, depression, and even paranoia. People who react severely to MSG experience almost continual distressing and health-endangering physical and psychological symptoms. Long term consumption may also be a partial cause for developing hypertension.Trans fatty acids from hydrogenated vegetable or fish oils, when consumed in large amounts, increase serum LDL-cholesterol and decrease HDL-cholesterol concentrations. One would expect an increased risk of coronary heart disease from this, so the results are not surprising. Transfatty acids, which are found in hard margarine, deep fried, processed snacks and food, including fast food and commercially baked products. They are similar in structure to saturated fats, and are known to raise levels of bad cholesterol and decrease good cholesterol level. Regular consumption of the same needs to be stopped. Hydrogenated fats are also called hydrogenated oils or trans fatty acids.

I try to avoid products that contain it even though I have never had a bad reaction. I just do not trust additives like this. I always check a label to see if it has artificial colours, flavours, preservatives etc. I try to avoid anything artificial if I can. Of course you cannot do that in a restaurant.

I'm not sensitive to it so I don't mind it being used. It certainly makes food taste good!! I don't use it in my cooking, but I enjoy it when I get to eat in a restaurant. However, food can taste just as good by adding more spices and flavorings, the MSG is just quicker and that's important for a busy restaurant.

I know I pay the price when I have a dish with MSG in it. It always brings on a bad migrain for me. I normally have them but MSG brings them on. I try to avoid it but some places here do not list ingreidents.

Thank you for a very informative post! No I don't use ajinomoto we been aware of these for a long time. The problem is that MSG is in so many products that were not even aware of. Soy sauce, stock cubes, flavot packets in noodles..... And in many cases they don't even say that MSG is in it. Instead, in some countries they use number codes. As far as I know, the numbers 621 and 627 also mean MSG.