Tony Ferguson Weightloss Program / Tony Ferguson / Weight Loss Discussion / MSG / Latest Posts

RE: MSG

DolphinDream — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 07:58:11 GMT

I also used to have a reaction to MSG I used to come out in a race on my hands, which was very sore and itchy now I try to avoid those types of meals that cause the reaction.

cheers:P

RE: MSG

DolphinDream — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:11:44 GMT

There may be some truth in to much sodium raises the blood pressure, during winter I sometimes bought those Heinz chunky soup, full of vegetables and meat, but when I would eat them I would get all sweaty and hot. I have high blood pressure, and when I looked at the nutritional panel I found that these soups were very high in salt, so now I have to avoid them.

cheers:P

RE: MSG

*Lilac* — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:54:42 GMT

I haven't tried the soups because I wasn't really interested. I had been thinking about it, but after reading this post, I know I won't. I'm sensitive to MSG and hate it. If we eat Asian food, like Chinese, I make sure its MSG-free, as many places are now. Don't like it, don't like what it does to my system, don't need it.

I think asking for non-msg soups to choose isn't too much, its just like having soy based shakes for the dairy intolerant.

RE: MSG

DolphinDream — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 08:45:29 GMT

thanks sarah

I also found that my blood pressure seemed to go up when I consumed that Heinz chunky soup, and then when I looked at the sodium content I saw why. So now I avoid them, or look at the sodium intake on everything I eat.

cheers

RE: MSG

didri40 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:17:35 GMT

Hello Sarah

I was reading your piece on MSG and wanted to let you know that Free MSG (621) is not naturally found in foods. Low levels of Glutamate in the form of MSG are found naturally in the foods that you listed however within those foods they are bound to protein. This means that the glutamate is digested slowly and enters the blood stream slowly at very, very low concentrations.

Free Glutamate (MSG or 621) is manufactured by extracting it from the food and processing it in such a way that it is no longer bound to the protein. This allows the MSG to enter the blood stream very quickly. Just 0.5mg of MSG is enough to cause symptoms such as headaches, palpitations, sweats, sleeplessnes or nausea in sensitive people.

Darlene

RE: MSG

KelliG — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:19:10 GMT

Great post. I used to get flushes and racing heart when eating MSG in chinese food. From what you have written, it is most likely because they put too much into one meal. I do NOT find any reaction to it in the shakes. Now it makes sense to me why not.

RE: MSG

laura_rose81 — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:28:55 GMT

Hi,

I just joined TF this week and was also disappointed to note there was MSG in the Asian Soup after i started to feel a bit 'spacey' and headachy after soup at lunch.

I think all the soups should be manufactured without MSG, and enjoyed on a less frequent basis of sodium content is a concern for people.

A lot fo peopel have severe intolerances to MSG, even if they are not allergis so it would be great if TF supported us in this.

Thanks

RE: MSG

jan_1 — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:18:54 GMT

I have tried TF before and stopped after getting very sick after having the soup - asthma reaction.

I did not realise at the time that there is msg in the soup. It may not be the msg, but it seems strange that so many people are having reactions to the soup without knowing they have msg in them!

It was my fault, I'm usually much more careful reading labels

Thanks for sharing the explanation though.

RE: MSG

ploy — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:13:45 GMT

i haven't tried the TFs products yet..but I'm sure I will soon..
and I also agree..additional MSG should not be present in any of the food product. Perhaps a small sachet of natural sea salt should be added to the products instead..everyone will feel safer that way

RE: MSG

sandradeee — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:01:35 GMT

Thanks Sarah - I just came across this post even though I know it's a little old I found it really interesting.

Generally I avoid MSG if I can as I tend to get a headache and feel quite sluggish with it.

I have a soup probably about every 2nd day mid-afternoon and have not had any adverse effects. I think perhaps some people just hear the word and get upset without thinking of the quantities involved. Aside from that, if someone is very food intolerant, I imagine it is their responsibility to read the label of all foods they purchase. Same with aspartame, it's had a lot of bad press but it's up to the individual to make their choices.

Adidy - My pharmacy was great in changing all my berry shakes to Espresso as I found them quite vial lol. It's trial and error in the first week

Actually I feel pretty fab so far on TF -

RE: MSG

Adi68 — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 05:34:09 GMT

Yeah I am pretty gutted too - the last thing I need in my body is MSG - AND now I read the jellies have aspartame - so whilst I may lose weight I am putting all kinds of rubbish into my body - really disappointing for a first week user - feel I wasnt properly informed.Hope they will take back my jellies and soups and swap them for the shakes.:(

RE: MSG

shazza 64 — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:34:56 GMT

started tf 12 days ago severe headaches blurred vision and feeling quite ill on days 2to4 first 2 days thought the hjeadaches from caffeine withdrawal but they continued for the whole week and just after had eaten the soup for lunch had a feeling the soup was causing headaches. staff then rang to see how i was going and when i told them it was only then that i was told msg in the soups i knew then i was right because i have had severe reactions to msg before.i think it should be told to new members before somebody has a very severe allergic reaction to it.........also it contains preservatives 627,631, combine them together and you come up with 635 ribonucleotides witch can also cause very bad reaction in some people severe rashes as well ..... so you have way to many food enchancers in there ...well im not having the soup anymore shakes going well no more headaches feeling good everything okay know just think they should let people know what is in these produces before they begin program:

RE: MSG

ele13 — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:50:47 GMT

yes i am in the same boat i do not tollerate msg watsoever had chinese vegeies in sydney just aft New Years and even having them cooked in the same container that msg had been in caused me grief ... so now im stuck with soups ( my daughter will score them ) just wish i had read the ingred list silly me oh well we learn shakes jelly and lotz of salad for me cheers all jules

RE: MSG

missymoohoo — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 17:46:10 GMT

I've never been able to really tolerate MSG - it gives me severe headaches. When I started the TF program I had the soups for lunch and a few hours later I'd get bad headache. For a couple of days I didn't have any soups and I felt great then the other day I had a soup for lunch and the headaches started again. Only yesterday when I went through the forums I didn't realise about the MSG in the soup. When I have the shakes I'm fine so I think I'll just stick with them from now on :). But I wish the people at the Chemist told me this then I wouldnt have wasted my money on the soups!

RE: MSG

glamour_puss — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 13:51:16 GMT

Thats strange because when you have chinese (well when I USED to have chinese lol) most places put MSG in there food, but i always believed it was illegal to use.. And everytime I have had msg in my food it always makes me really really thirsty.. as to know that i have had MSG. I agree I think there should be soups with MSG added and soups WITHOUT MSG.

RE: MSG

Ezza1337 — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:45:31 GMT

knowing there's msg in the soup actually reassures me enough to know i will not try it. i don't have particularly strong reactions to msg most of the time, i just hate additives in my food. it's enough that i have to resort to diet shakes to get somewhere in losing weight... i'll definitely avoid the 621.

i'll either make my own soup (which is always first class of course!), or just have [url=http://www.ainsley-harriott.com/ainsley-harriott-soups.htm]Ainsley Harriott Instant Soup[/url] if i feel that i can't bear to cook my own fresh food (never going to happen). There may be a few carbs in his soup but they're relatively low in calories and don't have any artificial chemical rubbish in them (i.e. don't appear in the classification of "food", are only classified by a number).

RE: MSG

shellbliss — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 17:10:17 GMT

I think there should b NO msg put in the soups i think salt is alot safer:P

RE: MSG

livelifelong72 — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:08:36 GMT

I have been allergic to MSG since I was little so I have stayed clear from the soups as I know I have a reaction. I am just sticking to the shakes and jelly.

RE: MSG

treasure — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 14:09:17 GMT

hi i agree please ban msg or have 2 soups for people to choose from i with msg one without it

RE: MSG

THIN LIZZIE — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 09:07:50 GMT

Thanks sarah,this explains why i dont like the soup as like some people i have had an adverse reaction to msg and i didnt read the back of the soup properly and flushed straight away and my throught got tight so i new then that it was bad . Please ban MSG

Lizzie

RE: MSG

Floss In Boots — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 23:33:49 GMT

Thanks for such a detailed and helpful look at msg and salt. I've really learnt something from that. I'm also going to take it easy on the salt from now on...low fat, low salt, low carb meals for this little chicken! It's the hidden salt and msg that can get you but now I know to look at those details...no worries! Thanks:)

RE: MSG

goodies — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 20:09:51 GMT

I don't care if it is considered safe on government registers, there are just too many of us that know we feel bad when we have msg. I know I feel flushed and achy and hung over the next day even if I have had no alcohol. Many people I talk to feel the same about msg and aviod it, but our symptoms are not life threatening, just uncomfortable. The symptoms are also hard to guage in studies probably. I know there was a lady reported in the paper a few years ago in country NSW that died from alergy to msg, as determined by the coroner. I have yet to see someone reported as dying from one serve of salt.

Why not have one soup with salt instead of msg for us intolerant to msg? I don't have hypertension. Thank you for putting that on your boxes though, I appreciate knowing that before I buy the soup.

RE: MSG

jjb — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 22:04:29 GMT

I'm one of those people who get heart palpitations and asthma when
I've had MSG. I only had to have one soup to realise there was too much in there for me.Just means I don't have the soups I suppose. Thank you for your reply.

RE: MSG

jjkch — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 10:13:19 GMT

Thankyou for the information Sarah, I think that all your staff at the TF Clinics should have this information on hand so they can let people know, I was a bit confused as I was told different things at different clinics. Thanks once again.

RE: MSG

*michelle* — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 23:14:05 GMT

Thank you for the info Sarah, l never even realized any of that. I have high blood pressure but am on medication for it, hoping to get off that when l lose enough weight. Anyhow back to the subject.....l have yet to experience any side effects whilst having the soups. I dont have salt in anything else so it should make no difference to me whatsoever. Thanks again for the info

MSG

Sarah - Tony Ferguson Nutritionist — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 09:55:34 GMT

Hi there, sorry for the delay in my reply have been a little busy the last few days so i will explain the whole concept of MSG and its relation to the Tony Ferguson program.

Ok, first of all What is MSG? MSG or monosodium glutamate is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant amino acids found in nature. It is the most common amino acid found in the human body and a major constituent of virtually every protein in the human body. Glutamate is present in nature in two forms; bound and free and it is this free glutamate that is responsible for the flavour enhancing properties of MSG. Free Glutamate is found naturally in varying amounts in many foods such as soy sauce, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, seaweed and shellfish.

Why is there MSG in the soups? As you may have noticed the Tony Ferguson soups list monosodium glutamate (621) as an ingredient for flavour enhancing purposes. This was only one of the reasons for its inclusion, the other more important aspect relates to the need for a reduction in the sodium content of the soups. We at Tony Ferguson view this concept as essential due to the reality that a large majority of our clients suffer from hypertension and have to monitor their sodium intake on a daily basis. To remedy this we added a very minute amount of monosodium glutamate, as it has only one third the amount of sodium as table salt, so slashes the sodium content by 1/3 and does not compromise the flavour.

MSG and Blood Pressure. The recommended amount of sodium to be consumed each day is less than 2300mg (1 tsp). For people with existing high blood pressure the value is less than 1500-2000mg per day. People with hypertension are often advised to avoid MSG and other sources of sodium. However, there is no evidence that sodium from MSG, or sources other than salt raises the blood pressure or contributes to the development of hypertension. This means that people suffering from high blood pressure can safely enjoy the TF soups without concern it will have detrimental effects on their BP and remember that we have only used the smallest amount of MSG in the soups to acheive the sodium lowering effect.

The sodium content of the soups ranges from 799mg per serve in the pumpkin soup to 1013mg in the chicken soup (due to the need for the meaty/savoury taste), while the milkshake sachets contain around 167mg each. As long as you are not consuming 2 soups a day, every day and you are being mindful of extra dietary sodium such as soy sauce and stock cubes your sodium intake each day will fall within the recommended 1500-2000mg per day for hypertension sufferers making it safe, once again for you to enjoy the flavour variety of the TF soups like other clients do.

Is MSG safe? In Australia and New Zealand, no food additive, including MSG can approved for use in food until its safety has been established by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). MSG and other glutamates are among a group of food additives that are generally permitted in foods, due to their recognised safety in the amounts they are utilised, once again we use a very small amount of MSG in our products and as such are in alignment with this ruling. Additionally, monosodium glutamate has been on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "Generally Recognised as Safe" (GRAS) list for 40 years. It sits alongside pepper, sugar, vinegar and baking powder and similar acceptance of the safety of MSG is reflected in food laws throughout the rest of the world.

There have been numerous reports of allergies and sensitivities to MSG, that cause a wide variety of physical symptoms such as migraines, nausea, digestive upsets, heart palpitations and asthma attacks. It must be recognised, in contrast to what the media leads you to believe, MSG is not a common trigger for food sensitivity in the way that sulphites and colours may be. A very small number of people may experience some reaction to large amounts of MSG (3-6g which is quite a lot!) when consumed in a singe meal, yet toxicologists have concluded that there is still no convincing evidence to suggest that MSG is the significant triggering factor in these symptoms.

I hope this has answered your question and know that you are able to safely enjoy the soups with your high blood pressure.

Have a great day!

Sarah

Tony Ferguson Nutritionist