Monosodium glutamate, commonly known as MSG, is a flavor enhancer used in various foods. While it’s generally recognized as safe by health authorities, some individuals may experience side effects such as headaches, sweating, or nausea. Understanding MSG and its potential effects can help you make informed dietary choices.
In Japanese food, broth, or sauce, “dashi” is made by extracting umami flavor from bonito flakes, kelp seaweed, vegetables, and many other ingredients that contain naturally occurring MSG. Instead of using those natural ingredients, not only Japanese foods but also many Asian food dishes use artificial MSG, which has some side effects for some people. My husband is one of them.
My husband has been suffering from headaches since he was a child, and he and his family had no idea why. He found out the cause of his headache was MSG in his 20s. He was so happy because he finally found out the cause of the unknown headache he had been suffering for about 20 years, and now he knows what to avoid. At this point, my boys do not show any signs of having the same side effects as my husband, but I always try to avoid using MSG when cooking for my family. Here is some advice from me if you want to avoid taking MSG.
Avoiding condiments with High MSG Content
One of the most effective ways to avoid side effects from MSG is to limit your intake of foods that contain high levels of this additive. Processed foods, canned soups, and snack foods often contain MSG. Reading ingredient labels carefully can help you identify and avoid these products. For us, since my husband cannot take any artificial MSG, we try MSG-free cooking and foods as much as possible.
Whenever I get any condiments, such as soy sauce, miso, ponzu, and so on, at a store, I make sure the ingredient list does not contain “monosodium glutamate (MSG)”. Nowadays, I have noticed there are more items stating “no MSG” in packages. If you want to avoid it but are not as sensitive as we are, you still want to avoid an item with an ingredient list listing monosodium glutamate as the first or second item. Remember that the first ingredient in the list is the item in the largest amount, and the last ingredient in the list is the item in the smallest amount.
We all love Japanese curry especially my boys! There are many Japanese curry roux you can buy at a store for which you can cook Japanese curry very easily. However, a lot of them contain artificial MSG. I now order “MSG-free” or “no MSG” curry roux online. I purchased them from Nijiya Market (https://shop.nijiya.com/) online.
I always order Japanese curry roux and this Chinese seasoning from Nijiya Market. They are so tasty, and we can eat them without any worries about MSG, especially for my husband.
Side note: Their customer service is excellent! They wrap every item (especially glass containers) very nicely. One time, a plastic bag of seaweed was open when delivered, and I requested a replacement. They immediately sent me the new one with extra care. I highly recommend Nijiya Market if you are interested in getting some Japanese products! (They carry lots of organic products too!)
Order the simplest foods at a restaurant
We enjoy going out to eat at the restaurant once in a while. When we go to any Asian food restaurant, my husband has to pay extra attention to what he orders to minimize his headache.
Choosing fresh and simple dishes can reduce the likelihood of consuming MSG. Foods that are less processed are less likely to contain added MSG. Opt for grilled, steamed, or roasted dishes with minimal sauces and seasonings. Fresh salads, steamed vegetables, and plain meats are generally safer choices.
For example, if we go to a Japanese restaurant, he orders sushi, sashimi, and any items that do not contain much sauce or soup. Then he makes sure to put sauce or dressing on the sides as much as possible. If you are ordering tempura, the sauce for tempura could have MSG, so you may be able to eat it with salt or soy sauce. Tempura with salt might sound funny to some of you, but I personally think it is worth trying! I love to add only salt to my food in general. My husband usually does not order any soup because it tends to have MSG.
Don’t be afraid to communicate your dietary needs to the restaurant staff. Inform them that you are trying to avoid MSG and ask if they can accommodate your request. However, based on our experiences, we do not always get an accurate answer if we ask the restaurant about MSG.
A headache hits my husband within 5 minutes after consuming MSG. It lasts pretty much until all the MSG gets out of his system. That means his headache lasts longer if he consumes a larger amount of MSG. One time, he had a headache for two full days after consuming this rice cracker, which was one of the worst headaches he had. I believe he is very sensitive to MSG (I sometimes call him “MSG detector” because he is that good at detecting MSG by consuming it), but I also think there must be other people who have the same or similar experiences or symptoms with MSG. I felt sorry for my husband because he did not know what caused his headache and suffered from it for such a long time. I am now so happy that he knows what to avoid because we can definitely avoid it. (Hard sometimes, but possible!) I hope this blog is helpful for some individuals who are going through the same things as my husband or anybody who is interested in minimizing their MSG consumption.
It is sometimes hard to avoid all MSG these days. And its side effects are still debatable. I try to cook or pick foods without MSG as much as possible, not only to avoid side effects for my husband but also to enjoy the true flavor of great foods.
