== == Interesting question -- MSG itself is flavorless; it merely enhances the flavors in other ingredients. As such, the simplest answer to this question is... salt. Salt also has no flavor, per se, and "wakes up" your taste buds so that they experience more of the food's flavor. There are also companies that produce substitutions (see http://www.newstarget.com/021518.html) but nothing particularly popular. Depending on the recipe, salty additives like soy sauce (make sure it's MSG-free, which it often isn't), Worcestershire sauce, etc., can help.

When added to almost to any food, MSG is not flavorless. The Japansese have found a new sense of taste called unami, and MSG will often enhance food by adding this meaty flavor to it. So use meat bases if you want to achieve a similar result.

MSG is Mono-Sodium-Glutamate, usually produced commercially by bacteria. It is converted by saliva to Sodium, (Table Salt) and Glutamate, the anionic form of Glutamic acid. Aside from the flavour enhancement of the Sodium, it is the Glutamate that gives the Unami taste provided by MSG. By itself it has a subtle salty,savoury taste, that is only fully registered when combined with other food. Unami is a true taste registered by the tongue, not a flavour. As a taste unami is best described as savoury or meaty.

Glutamate and Glutamic acid are naturally occurring amino acids present in a large range of foods. It is free Glutamate that provides the unami taste They are most concentrated in sharp cheeses (like Parmesan), yeast and yeast extracts, anchovies, fermented fish sauce (and hence Worcestershire sauce), fermented bean products (hence soy sauce), sea-weed/vegtables and savory mushrooms (like Shiitaki). Tomatoes also contain reasonable amounts, which in the quantities of a tomato sauce, have a strong unami taste.

All meat products will have some unami taste because of their high protein content. As an all-purpose substitute, fermented fish sauce is the best substitute. In the small quantities needed as a flavour enhancer it contributes little extra flavour to a dish other than the desired unami taste. It also contributes salt to the dish. Worcestershire sauce does much the same with a more complex flavour.

Soy sauce is best for Asian dishes.

Parmesan cheese for pastas and other Italian/Western cooking.

Tomato and Shiitaki mushrooms can play roles although they are not as ubiquitous in use as MSG or its concentrated substitutes.

If you want to avoid adding Glutamate altogether, remembering that it is a part of all proteins in every living cell, both plant and animal, you can focus on the other taste and mouthfeel aspects to mask the lack of unami in your dish. Taste wise you can:

* Add more salt to make you dish saltier. * Add more sugar, honey or caramel etc... to make it sweeter. * Add more lemon or fruit juice, tamarind, vinegar or wine to make it more acidic. * Note: Bitter and alkaline flavours aren't usually desirable but lime juice can give a very nice bitter tang and Bi-Carb Soda is sometimes used in food for its flavour.

Or introduce other mouthfeel elements such as: * Pepper and chilis to add spicy heat * Alcohol (strong spirits) to add warmth * Mint (menthol) to add a cooling sensation

* Szechwan pepper to add a mouth-numbing sensation

MSG is a mono sodium glutamate

it gives food a better taste but it is not healthy for your body

it can cause cancer to form in the body

it does not digest

Here are some more dangers to watch out for:

• Allergic reactions
• Alzheimer's disease
• Asthma attacks
• Burning, numbness, or tingling in or around your mouth
• Brain damage
• Cancer
• Chest pain
• Confusion
• Damage to your unborn child
• Death due to an MSG reaction
• Diarrhea
• Eye inflammation
• Flushing
• Free radical damage to your blood vessels (this can lead to a heart attack or a stroke)
• Headaches (including migraine headaches)
• Heart disease
• Memory loss
• Nausea
• Pressure or tightness in the muscles in your face
• Fertility problems (for both men and women)
• Rapid, fluttering heartbeats
• Seizures
• Shortness of breath
• Stuttering or speech problems
• Sweating
• Swelling of the brain (brain edema)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Weakness
• Weight gain (the weight you gain from eating MSG is very difficult to lose)

Most fast food resturants use MSG. if you go to http://www.wendys.com/food/NutritionLanding.jsp you can find the nutritional facts, but they do not list MSG. MSG does not have to be listed according to the FDA unless it reaches certain limits. Not listing it does not mean it is not there, it can be under other names including flavorings. Below is their Homestyle Chicken Fillet, I never saw my mother use even a tenth of these ingredents.

Homestyle Chicken Fillet

Chicken Breast, Water, Modified Potato Starch, Seasoning (salt, flavor, maltodextrin, modified corn starch, yeast extract, citric acid, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, chicken broth, partially hydrogenated soybean/cottonseed oil, soy sauce solids [wheat, soybeans, salt]), Sodium Phosphate. Battered and Breaded with: Wheat Flour, Water, Bleached Wheat Flour, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Spices, Wheat Gluten, Leavening (sodium bicarbonate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), Egg White Solids, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Fructose, Maltodextrin, Yeast, Chicken Broth, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Locust Gum, Lactic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Extractives of Paprika. Cooked in Vegetable Oil. Note: May be cooked in the same oil as Fish Fillets (where available). CONTAINS: WHEAT, SOY, EGG.

Kinda makes your mouth water huh?

Notice the words Natural and Artificial Flavorings. If you are worried about MSG and you should be you should also look to your dairy products and carrenagenan another bad one. MSG is often found in many processed foods in the grocery store as well. There are two forms of MSG and Carrenagenan; natural and synthetic and the problem appears to be with the synthetic. Call Wendy's, we talk to lots of manufactures and where they may not tell you on the label they are often very clear when asked specific questions. Don't ask about MSG, ask about "free glutamic acid" and you will get the correct answer for the correct question otherwise they can honestly say no to MSG. Watch out for spices some manufacuters buy spices and have to look at those ingredents, barbaque spices are often a problem.

Remember MSG is not a spice it is not a flavor you can taste it is a chemical that tricks the brain into thinking something tastes goods. Numerous sources clearly state it causes brain damage. For myself I cannot afford to loose any brain cells.

Our WEB site http://healthylife.rmtrain.com/ is working hard to consolidate information on good and bad foods with reliable sources. There is a lot of good information available on the internet, but it is sometimes difficult to find.

John

Here are a few other terms for MSG

Monosodium Glutamate

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

Hydrolyzed Protein

Hydrolyzed Plant Protein

Plant Protein Extract

Sodium Caseinate

Calcium Caseinate

Yeast Extract

Textured Protein

Autolyzed Yeast

Hydrolyzed Oat Flour