Wellness

[LTT1]

Has anybody had this happen to them?

I attended a Book Club meeting last night and (apparently) had this happen.

While eating my sauce-covered, "chow fun", I felt myself flushing!

Next, I broke out in an uncomfortable sweat!

I will mention it to my doctor at my next appointment, however, I have been having trouble digesting Chinese food for a number of years and it was never very clear as to WHY?

I'm guessing this was my body's rxn to MSG.

If you have ever had this happen, would you provide any info, suggestions, etc, as to how you handle this or what you order instead?

The lady who organizes our meetings really likes this place for the location and service...so if I continue to go, I'd like some alternatives!

Thank you in advance!

Chow FUN

[Goldengate8361]

Oh my...that doesn't sound "fun" at all. It's impossible to know what's actually in the foods that we eat when we eat out or order in. That's another reason I prefer eating my own food at home. Hope you're ok, @LTT1 

[Shelbelle]

I was also going to say could be MSG

[Bookplate]

Yes, it happened to me when I was in college and my roommate's parents took us to a Chinese restaurant.  Fortunately, they knew what my reaction was when it happened.  From then on, when I ate Chinese food I would ask that MSG not be added.  I think it is being used less these days than in the past.

[haddon9]

Yes I have had that happen to me a long time ago.  

Today most Chinese restaurants in my area abstain from using MSG.  You can tell this person in your book club that you can't eat the food because you've had an allergic reaction to the MSG that was put into it.

Maybe she can request that her order not have MSG put into the food in the future?

[on the bay]

My mother took us to Chinese restaurants when we were very young. I would get piercing headaches like a knife in both temples and cry.  My mother didn't know what was happening. We figured out it was the msg.

So really you have to find a restaurant that doesn't use msg. Not all Chinese restaurants do. 

But I don't know if it doesn't bother me anymore or if most Chinese restaurants don't use it anymore.

But that is what you probably shouldn't eat anymore-anything with msg.

Some people do have reactions to it and though the FDA lists it as safe (naturally they do), it has to be listed as an ingredient because of adverse reactions from some people.

[Effie54]

Yes, this happens to me whenever I eat Chinese food. The additives, MSG, pepper, or whatever they add to their food gives me wicked flushing and hives. I can't eat it any longer. 

[LTT1]

@Effie54 @on the bay @haddon9 @Bookplate @Shelbelle 

No, it wasn't fun...but I've learned my lesson!

This group I joined because my DD invited me.

I didn't want to embrace her in front of her friends, but I did go sit in the car until she paid our bill and joined me outside!

I can eat the "cream cheese wontons" (of course they are fried and nothing particularly nutritional about them.

Next time DD and I agreed that we would order just the won tons ...at least I will.

DD used to roll her eyes at me when I would tell her I couldn't at certain things. Now I guess she believes me! In fact, she too me he felt nauseous after eating her order last night too!

[imo...this restaurant is having trouble staying in business. I think competition and lots of food spoilage are important problems hindering restaurants these days. I have had a couple of bad experiences with this restaurant's food in the past which is too bad because when I first moved here I purchased their salmon sushi at least once per week

but stopped because when I picked up my order it was room temperature and not chilled.]

[Jersey Born]

@LTT1 - First off, I LOVE Chow Fun, so having that kind of reaction to that particular food entree would really make me upset. Sorry it happened to you.

I did have a problem that was actually worse than the one you described at a Chinese restaurant that I did not frequent on a regular basis. I ordered a chicken dish that featured sauteed mushrooms. Certain mushrooms are used to make MSG, as it turns out. So, I am sitting at this restaurant with my mother, and eating the food, and suddenly, I feel this weird sensation in my head-- a pounding, throbbing, unnatural kind of headache I had never felt before. My entire head, including my brain, felt bizarre, and I was struggling to speak. I had not eaten all of that food, either, prior to having that reaction. The head pain and oddness of sensation began after only a few bites of the food. I was able to tell my mother about my problem, and I stopped eating the food immediately, because it was most definitely the cause of the problem I was experiencing. I actually thought I was going to have a stroke if I continued eating the food, or perhaps, even if I did not feel any improvement after stopping eating the food. All I did after that point was drink water. I told the waiter I could not eat the food, and that I did not want to order anything else, either. I asked about MSG, but was told they did not use it in their food, which I think was a lie. That, or perhaps the mushrooms they used in that dish were poisonous mushrooms. 

Here is a list of foods/flavorings to avoid from an article entitled "10 Foods High in Glutamate and Why You Should Avoid Them":

Foods With Glutamate

Most foods contain glutamate, so it’s challenging to eliminate it from the diet completely. The easiest way to reduce MSG consumption is to read nutrition labels. Many processed foods contain MSG, but may be listed under a different name in the ingredients list.  

In addition to “monosodium glutamate,” look for:

• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
• Autolyzed yeast
• Hydrolyzed yeast
• Yeast extract
• Soy extracts
• Protein isolate

"You will find these flavor enhancers most often in sauces, soups, gravies, salad dressings, snack foods, and ready-meals."

If I were you, I would explain to the woman who holds those Book Club meetings that that particular restaurant is not safe for you, due to your reaction to their food. She will have to select a different restaurant in order for you to continue in the club. Chicken, beef, or pork chow fun does not typically contain mushrooms, so it must be some soy or yeast product they are using at that restaurant, and that product might be in many of their other dishes, too, especially if the sauces are brown sauces. Perhaps shrimp with lobster sauce paired with white rice might be a safe option for you, but not if you eat it with fried rice (which would contain soy sauce)?   

[CelticCrafter]

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@LTT1 wrote:

@Effie54 @on the bay @haddon9 @Bookplate @Shelbelle 

No, it wasn't fun...but I've learned my lesson!

This group I joined because my DD invited me.

I didn't want to embrace her in front of her friends, but I did go sit in the car until she paid our bill and joined me outside!

I can eat the "cream cheese wontons" (of course they are fried and nothing particularly nutritional about them.

Next time DD and I agreed that we would order just the won tons ...at least I will.

DD used to roll her eyes at me when I would tell her I couldn't at certain things. Now I guess she believes me! In fact, she too me he felt nauseous after eating her order last night too!

[imo...this restaurant is having trouble staying in business. I think competition and lots of food spoilage are important problems hindering restaurants these days. I have had a couple of bad experiences with this restaurant's food in the past which is too bad because when I first moved here I purchased their salmon sushi at least once per week

but stopped because when I picked up my order it was room temperature and not chilled.]

---

@LTT1 I'm not sure there would be a next time and I would find a way to bow out gracefully.