TVP, HVP, Yeast Extract = MSG?
Posted by propinecone on Mar 10, 2010 · Member since May 2007 · 2842 posts
check out this article - this totally sucks if you like your neurons and avoid msg..
http://www.naturalnews.com/028323_Hydrolyzed_Vegetable_Protein_HVP.html
oh damn. that's messed up. and now I know why so many of the vegetable bullions at the natural food stores advertise being yeast extract-free. europeans are so on top of things.
Glutamic acid ≠ MSG. HVP may be a source of MSG, but I'm pretty sure TVP isn't - neither are yeast extracts. If you're going to vilify yeast extracts as sources of MSG, then you're also going to have to rail against nooch, miso, soy sauce, Braggs... heck, even seaweed, mushrooms and tomatoes.
I'm pretty skeptical of Natural News, though, so feel free to be skeptical of me.
well, i mean, glutamate is only the base form of glutamic acid (lost a hydrogen), and monosodium just means it's a sodium salt.
Yeah, so anything with glutamate could be considered MSG, technically. Which would implicate protein-rich foods as well...
Yes, how is the idea that MSG is unhealthy still kicking around? Is there any truth? As a chemist, I can't see any way in which it is different from eating an amino acid. Yet people claim to be allergic to it (someone bite my head off, please? I need a new brain anyway, to be smarter). Is it like eating glucose vs. eating a complex carbohydrate?
I react to MSG. I don't to Braggs or TVP, but if MSG is in the food in significant amounts, it is very unpleasant.
Yes, how is the idea that MSG is unhealthy still kicking around? Is there any truth? As a chemist, I can't see any way in which it is different from eating an amino acid. Yet people claim to be allergic to it (someone bite my head off, please? I need a new brain anyway, to be smarter). Is it like eating glucose vs. eating a complex carbohydrate?
Same here. I thought maybe it was about quantity... like maybe if there's a tsp of MSG in food, the amount of glutamate is significantly more than you'd encounter than eating a regular amount of high-protein food. But maybe you're right - maybe it's availability, since it might get absorbed faster in its free form, and without any other amino acids.
I don't understand how an MSG-sensitive person can avoid MSG and be ok but not other things high in (free) glutamate.
What reaction do you get, rswhitaker?
Chinese-restaurant syndrome? (Sorry if I'm putting words in your mouth, RSW - just curious as it's the only recorded set of symptoms I know)
I have varying symptoms depending on the amount of MSG I ingest. The most prominent one is. . .
My salivary glands right beneath my ears hurt real bad.
Have you ever tried real hard to blow up a balloon and had your cheeks hurt real bad afterwards? That is how it feels but worse.
Other more severe symptoms might include tachycardia and shakiness.
Once I even passed out at a Chinese restaurant and went to the hospital via ambulance.
It's not like an allergy where small dosage might cause a major reaction. The severity of the symptoms is directly related to the amount on MSG ingested.
You know those crunchy Japanese rice crackers that com in a lot of different shapes? I can't eat those!
But you don't react to, say, really salty soy jerky or something? Interesting.
But you don't react to, say, really salty soy jerky or something? Interesting.
No, I never have.
I go to a local co-op for lunch sometimes and get a salad at the salad bar. One of the dressings is a sesame-teryaki vinaigrette. I react to that with the painful cheeks thing. But I eat a lot of things that are high in glutamates with no reactions. I eat a lot of soy products and I make seitan quite frequently. I use Bragg's Liquid Aminos. I eat a LOT of mushrooms and tomatoes. I love Vegemite and have no problem with it.
I will react to 'Accent' flavor enhancer.
Perhaps it's just things with added MSG beyond a certain threshhold.