Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I'm sure MSG was something I regularly consumed on previous SAD diet without noticeable effects. A couple months ago (after being paleo for 8 weeks) i went to a chinese buffet and had some shrimp and sauce - after we left I had mild symptoms - felt like my heart was racing and my chest was tight. Came home and did some research and found that it was probably MSG sensitivity.

Fast forward today when I was desperate for something to eat and found some salmon burgers (with salsa, sour cream and 2 squares of Lindt 85%) that I had purchased at Sam's when we first started paleo because they were "healthy" - about hour after eating I'm sitting on couch and talking on phone and the room starts spinning and I'm having trouble talking - silly me thinking it's my imagination, just need to get some fresh air - i go out to the store and end up pulling off the road because I feel like I'm driving drunk. Nauseous,..spinning, heart feels like its racing, hard to breath,...end up having to go home a sleep it off. It was bad, real bad,..I don't want to ever feel like that again. A really bad strange drunk.

Get around to reading box and find autolyzed yeast extract as an ingredient - searching around seems to link it with MSG.

Have you become extra sensitive to MSG since going Paleo?

edited Jun 20 2011 at 23:00

asked Jun 20 2011 at 22:53

OSUfanz
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Yes,definitely....Insomnia bc of a racing heartbeat – Joey Sep 1 2011 at 12:22

dmoffett · Answer 1 · 2011-06-20 23:36:17Z UTC

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I've had the same reaction. Like you I didn't notice it until after I changed my diet. If anyone finds out more about it please share it with all.

answered Jun 20 2011 at 23:36

dmoffett
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Sara · Answer 2 · 2011-06-20 23:42:25Z UTC

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When I had a bad weekend I ate a bunch of cup of soups (4 or so?) and I felt kinda crappy, but my baby who I breastfeed and is normally happy-go-lucky was cranky and spitting up a lot for a few days.

answered Jun 20 2011 at 23:42

Sara
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Frizzell · Answer 3 · 2011-06-21 00:04:44Z UTC

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Yes. I went to dim sum and was wiped out for two days afterwards.

answered Jun 21 2011 at 0:04

Frizzell
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Jennifer · Answer 4 · 2011-06-21 00:09:26Z UTC

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I had horrible insomnia and restless legs after eating Chinese and being paleo for several months. Self punishing crime, never did it again!

answered Jun 21 2011 at 0:09

Jennifer
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HeleneLohr · Answer 5 · 2011-06-21 00:32:56Z UTC

Yep- msg causes me to slur my words and have most of the symptoms of being drunk without the fun.

Interesting short article here: http://www.truthinlabeling.org/I.AreYouSensitive.html

I haven't had a chance to follow this up thoroughly and read through the pubmed articles on this, but if you're interested here's the link to one of the google scholar search terms that looked most promising.

UncleLongHair · Answer 6 · 2011-06-21 01:07:27Z UTC

I had chinese food recently and specifically asked for no MSG, but I suspect that they had some kind of food starch in there. The beef had a silky smooth sauce that was only possible with a thickener.

I went on the energy rollercoaster and had mild flu symptoms for 2 days. Not sure if it was MSG, but something like it. I used to have food from this same place all the time without these effects.

I've also become very sensitive to wheat and sugar after not having it for 2 months.

Matt · Answer 7 · 2011-06-21 11:46:24Z UTC

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Interesting. The first time I was probing paleo diets I noticed people would complain of sensitivities out of nowhere. I used that as an excuse to not eat paleo, as it seemed eating paleo would make you increasingly insensitive to certain things (grains, dairy, MSG, artificial sweeteners, etc). And the more anecdotal evidence I see, the more I suspect it's likely the paleo diet itself that's causing or aggravating sensitivities.

answered Jun 21 2011 at 11:46

Matt
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	That's an interesting thought. I also wonder if it might not be psychological. Think somebody who fears being alone in a house. Every little noise becomes a potential burglar. Maybe Paleos expect to have adverse reactions at restaurants. – Thomas Seay Jul 6 2011 at 0:32
	If you look at Vegans or other dieters, they will make similar complaints about a different set of foods. – Thomas Seay Jul 6 2011 at 0:33

egk · Answer 8 · 2011-06-22 00:17:02Z UTC

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several of these comments reference foods with MSG but also with soy sauce (with wheat)

answered Jun 22 2011 at 0:17

egk
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Meghan · Answer 9 · 2011-09-01 05:21:35Z UTC

Oh man- I am feeling massively sick due to the consumption of terra chips. I thought they were a safe food but hadnt had them in a while because I was trying to avoid foods that came out of a bag. I am now having horrific reflux, bad brain fog and a headache. I was confused so I double checked the ingredients and sure enough: autolyzed yeast extract. GREAT.

Also, I know its not the seed oils because Ive had them sporadically since going lacto-paleo and have had no immediate problems like I had with this.

mtts · Answer 10 · 2011-09-01 06:13:08Z UTC

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You guys do know MSG is simply glutamate, right? Which is a compound naturally occuring in all meat (and tomatoes and cheese too) that is apparently so important to our survival we have special receptors on our tongue to detect it?

I'm sure Chinese take away or terra chips or what have you can cause all sorts of symptoms, but they're due to some of the other processed junk that's in there. Glutamate is perfectly fine, paleo or otherwise.

answered Sep 1 2011 at 6:13

mtts
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Glutamate and MSG are not the same thing. MSG is a salt. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter and is essential in small quantities and toxic in large quantities. The MSG lobbying groups call any connection between MSG and ill health effects "controversial" but I think the connection is plainly obvious. Maybe not for everyone, but for some. I know after one bite if I have eaten something with MSG and if I have too much of it I get dry mouth, a blood sugar roller coaster, headaches snd poor digestion. – UncleLongHair Sep 1 2011 at 8:05

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It's a salt, correct. My bad. The connection between MSG and ill health effects is not "controversial" at all, it simply doesn't (seem to) exist. Check the literature (start at Wikipedia, for example). Like you, I get funny symptoms when eating MSG-rich Chinese takeaway (you can tell it's in there when they use too much - it tastes foul), but I don't get them when eating parmezan cheese (those crystal thingies in parmezan are pure MSG) so I figure it's probably something else in the takeaway that's causing the symptoms. Like salt, sugar, nasty veggie oil or whatever. – mtts Sep 1 2011 at 9:39

Have you become sensitive to MSG since going paleo?

10 Answers