Healthy Food Choices: MSG

MSG is a flavor enhancer that is added to Chinese and Asian foods, canned foods, frozen foods and some soups. Learn how to avoid excess MSG's in this nutrition video.

Take Action

Read food labels carefully
Avoid Chinese & Asian food restaurants
Identify alternative names for MSG

About this Author

Mary Hondros graduated from University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics. She currently works as a nutritionist for New Hanover County Schools in North Carolina. Her main focus is to teach children to improve nutritional habits.

MARY HONDROS: MSG or monosodium glutamate is a flavor enhancer that is added to some foods like Chinese and Asian foods, canned foods, frozen foods and some soups as well. Basically it is an additive that causes an allergy reaction in some people, not other people. Typically, the symptoms would include something similar to what a food allergy reaction would be, like a headache, nausea, tightness in the throat, any kind of rash, things like that. Some people are highly sensitive to MSG, so it is important that you read your food labels if you have an allergy or sensitivity to it, because it can obviously be in several different foods. So, some recommendations if you have an MSG allergy is to, number one, avoid Chinese restaurants and Asian foods unless they can guarantee their food is MSG free. Otherwise, there is a pretty good chance you are going to ingest some if you are there. Secondly, learn to read food labels and identify foods that are under alternatives names. MSG is not always listed as MSG. It can be listed as glutamate, glutamic acid, hydrolysis protein, autolysis protein or just yeast extract in general. So, those are some alternative names for gluten. In addition, remember that some condiments can include gluten in them like mustard and especially condiments that come with Asian food also might have MSG in them, so make sure that you know what is in your condiments. And those are some tips on avoiding monosodium glutamic acid in your food, MSG.

Healthy Food Choices: MSG Video

Take Action

About this Author

Member Comments