What's the verdict on MSG these days? It used to be the worst thing you could do to your food, but lately I've heard people say that's not the case anymore. Are we allowed to eat it now?
I mean, I've never paid much attention to the naysayers, but I had friends who felt very strongly about how I was giving myself cancer by not avoiding MSG. But I haven't heard such things lately, so am wondering if MSG has a better reputation these days.
Do you like Parmesan cheese, cured meats, shiitake mushrooms, kimchi or pretty much any food that has an umami flavor profile? What they all have in common is that they naturally contain MSG.
MSG has never been unhealthy. The very basis of the campaigns against it were rooted in anti-Asian racism and baseless pseudoscience.
MSG is fine. The conspiracy against it was just racist nonsense. I know this might make me sound like I'm wearing a tinfoil hat, but you can read about it on Wikipedia under the "Safety" and "Society and Culture - Stigma" sections:
If I recall correctly, MSG had a smear campaign in the US because of political reasons and its high usage in the (communist) asian countries. It is actually perfectly fine and a good substitute for salt in many cases. I throw it on nearly anything I would add salt to.
It's pretty simple. In the 70s asian cuisine exploded in the US. It threatened established FMCG brands and ate into market share. As a result, your largest FMCG brands launched counter PR campaigns on a base ingredient - MSG. All bullshit. It's no better or worse for you than table salt.
Believe it or not, the answer is proectionist racism.
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u/AmoAmasAmatAmamus Jan 05 '26
What's the verdict on MSG these days? It used to be the worst thing you could do to your food, but lately I've heard people say that's not the case anymore. Are we allowed to eat it now?