What does MSG mean and what is it?!

Mono
Sodium
Glutamate


It is an extract of vegetable origin.
It IS vegetarian, BUT, you should definitely look at the possible health effects- when used in collaboration with other ingredients, as it is a processed food, using chemical processes to change the molecular structure of it- it can have very bad affects on some people.
I personally cannot eat it- sometimes it is OK to eat, but when eating it with flour or other substances, it causes a major reaction.

It is used as a flavour enhancer- it lets the food taste MORE salty, and sweetsour- so they can bulk up whatever food item it is= soup, bread, cakes, broth, frozen foods, pizza, with cheap flour and fillers, and make the products bigger in volume= making it more cost effective.

I wouldn't eat that stuff ever. There are many fake names for it too=
Watch out for it, and decide yourself.
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/

Here's a site which desribes what CAn happen. Chinese and Asian people eat a lot of msg- they also eat a TON of bitter green veg, and tend to not use HFCS at all- I've lived there for two years and see how much they use, but DON'T use other ingredients and they eat fresh food 98X more than the average American diet.
http://www.msgmyth.com/

Monosodium Glutamate. It is a common additive in Chinese food, and a whole lot of other foods, in order to give a "satisfied" feeling at the end of it.

There isn't any evidence that it is bad for you, at least in reasonable quantities, people are still terrified that it will cause cancer or autism or what-have-you.

I don't think they substitute anything else for it, it's just one extra thing they add to make their food delicious.

Monosodium Glutamate is a sodium salt of glutamic acid, a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid. It is used as a food additive and is commonly marketed as a flavor enhancer. Many people report having digestive problems (nausea and upset stomach mostly) when eating foods containing it, so a lot of places choose to not include it in a dish, since it doesn't add anything. No "replacement" exists.

As far as I know, it is vegetarian (I have never heard otherwise and it is included in some dishes labeled as vegetarian at my local Chinese Restaurant).

I agree with friendofchip. Personally, anytime I have eaten food with MSG in it, I have developed really intense headaches. I always look or ask in restaurants if the food has MSG, and if it does, I avoid it.

It is a type of salt.
It has less sodium than salt.
So in a way it's better for you.
Some people can't use it b/c of food allergies.
vegetarian? (it's salt.. not meat)
I use it on meat and on some vegetables.
I love it.

Monosodium Glutamate. It is a common food additive for flavor. It's basically pure salt. It's linked to many health problems.

MSG is Mono-sodium Glutamate. It triggers off a kind of savory taste sensation known as Umami. People think it has negative health effects but if it's used in moderation it should be fine.

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)- A salt of the amino acid-Glutamic Acid

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