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Could You be Allergic to MSG?

It is very difficult to know exactly what the ingredients are when eating out at a restaurant. The more obvious ingredients are easy to identify such as certain meats and vegetables. However, seasonings and spices are much more difficult to distinguish. Most restaurants are hesitant to disclose the full ingredient list to a customer. MSG is used in the especially ethnic foods such as those cooked in Chinese restaurants. Before ordering at a restaurant, ask specific questions about their usage of MSG. Let them know that you have an MSG allergy. Some restaurants now have signs clearly stating if they use MSG in their cooking process.

If you have an MSG allergy, you must be careful about what you eat.

Prepare Your Own Meals

When you prepare your own meals, you know exactly what ingredients you are using. You have complete control over the meal’s contents and you know that your meal does not contain any MSG.

Ask To See Ingredient Lists

If you are eating out, however, this can be a little trickier. The best thing you can do if you are eating out and you have an MSG allergy is to ask for an ingredients list of the food you’re about to eat. However, this can also be tricky as many restaurants won’t want to divulge the ingredients in their food that they may feel is a secret recipe. In situations such as these, your best bet is to simply ask if the food is prepared with MSG. Inform the waiter that you have an MSG allergy. If it is, ask that your dish be made without MSG. If this can’t be done, then you might want to choose something else to eat or choose another restaurant entirely.

An MSG allergy can be so severe that you might require immediate medical help whenever you ingest it, so you want to be especially sure that you don’t eat anything that contains it. If your favorite foods contain MSG, they can most likely be made without it. It never hurts to ask. Especially when it comes to your health, which is of the utmost importance, you want to make sure that you ask plenty of questions as to what is in your food and make sure you let anyone who might be preparing the food you’re about to eat about your MSG allergy.

An Allergy Doctor Can Confirm if You Have an MSG Allergy

A visit to an allergy doctor and a quick skin test will reveal if you have an MSG allergy. The allergist can help you identify which foods are prepared with MSG. If you are allergic to MSG it is worth the effort to determine which foods to avoid, it is not worth risking your health. Always inquire about the use of MSG in any prepared food and let the restaurant know that you have an MSG allergy. It is the difference between a good meal and a nice time out or being deathly ill.



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