I have asthma, and MSG clearly aggravates my symptoms.

When I was in high school, I had a friend who also had asthma. About two years after we graduated, she died of an asthma attack, before the ambulance could get to her house. Just a few hours earlier, she had eaten her last meal, and it was at a Chinese Restaurant. Personally, I don't think it was a coincidence.

I don't care what the FDA says...In my opinion...If you have asthma...STAY AWAY FROM MSG. But, I can't really speak for anyone else.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and Informed Voters

Hi Catherine,
That is very sad about your friend. In my reading I did see some references to a connection with increased asthma symptoms, so if I had asthma, I would try to avoid it. However, I don't know if it's really possible to completely avoid it. There are so many foods that have it added.

What about all the food with the natural glutamates like tomatoes, chocolate, cheese, and nearly all meat. Do those cause problems with asthma too?

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

I went through a terrible period when a number of foods produced a migraine headache in me. MSG was one of them. I couldn't eat chocolate, pinto beans, processed cheese, sesame seeds, or fruit dried with sulfer. I couldn't drink any kind of wine or beer.

I've gotten through that, and now I can eat most anything, although I still have to careful about cream cheese and can't drink anything with alcohol in it.

Chinese food doesn't have to be questioned before eating now. But, I can testify to the fact that MSG used to give me a three day headache of major proportions.

http://www.webteacher.ws/
http://first50.wordpress.com/

Well, I have asthma but I have never had a problem with MSG in any form. However, I did have a friend once upon a time who would have a severe allergic reaction to MSG so when we ate together I was always extremely careful to avoid MSG, and ever since then I've opted to not use it if possible.

More recently though, the DH and I had Chinese takeout, and later that day he didn't feel the best. We ate identical food, so food poisoning wasn't a concern for me. The next day we had leftovers for lunch, and again a short while later he felt ill. I do wonder now if it was a milk MSG reaction. We eat mostly homemade fare anyways, so MSG seldom makes an appearance.

I don't go out of my way to avoid MSG and good god, I loves me some Chinese food. But I don't buy that you need it for the "savory taste." If you use quality ingredients to start with, your food should be plenty yummy without some weird "enhancer." I don't get bad mojo when I eat food with MSG in it, but we have several local favorite chow spots that make a point of saying NO MSG on their menus, and their food is yummy, yummy, yummy.

There's no MSG in my home kitchen. And our home cookin' is just fine, I tellya. Just fine.

P.

Nerd's Eye View

In my lifetime, I have-god help me-added a little Aji-no-moto to a packaged miso soup or two. On principle I don't use it in the kitchen for fear of making someone ill. It does add that zip of umami, which translates best to western palates as "savory'; it's a rich, deep flavor that hits a nice baritone note in food. The idea of adding "just a dash" of that kind of flavor is so intriguing! What I do when I'm looking for that kind of taste is add in other foods that are also very rich in glutamic acid. Fish sauce, or Nuac Nam, is first on my list. Anchovies do the trick, too. Just a tad. Sun-dried tomato paste and concentrated mushroom paste are also great choices, as is parmigiano-reggiano cheese... all of these things do the same thing MSG does. A couple other secret ingredients I often use are dried seaweed, crumpled into dishes like a dried herb, and brewer's yeast. Great for satisfying the "meat tooth" for vegetarians.

"Life is what happens to you when you're making others' dinner."

I think the experience of cooking for my mother through her chemotherapy made an indelible impact on how I approach cooking. The FDA doesnt exactly have a pristine record for never approving something that was later found to be harmful. For me then it is always a balance. if there were even the slightest chance that something had long term negative effects, I would prefer to avoid it in favor of more natural substitutes. Whole foods makes a concentrated mushroom paste that is a very good way of getting your umami naturally.

MSG is banned in my kitchen. Just by tasting, I can tell if a food has MSG in it. There are times that we have to eat prepared food and we try to choose those that doesn't have it.

My grandmother uses MSG in her dishes and she is still alive and kicking at 95 years old. Go Figure.

Warning: Graphic description
When I was a child, dog-eating monsters stole 3-5 of our guard dogs and they did it by poisoning them with high doses of MSG mixed with food. The dogs died while my parents try to revive those who were lucky enough not to be taken by the thieves.

Dare to be different.
MyGoodFinds

As someone has pointed out, the FDA hasn't exactly shown itself to be 100% trustworthy.  Look at all the medication that was approved and later found to be harmful, for example.

MSG may very well be responsible, in part, for the obesity epidemic.  

 @MyGoodFinds--Chocolate is really bad for dogs too...

I'm wondering why it's "necessary" to add MSG in the first place.  I don't buy those boxed dinners anymore.