One of the additives hiding in your food could be monosodium glutamate, better known as MSG.
Eating as healthy as possible is one of the most difficult goals to achieve. It can be hard to know what goes into your food. One of the additives hiding in your food could be monosodium glutamate, better known as MSG. If you’re fond of ordering Chinese food delivery for dinner, you may often notice that the menus have a large symbol proclaiming that they don’t use MSG. How do you know you may have ingested it?
The Symptoms of MSG Exposure
When you have consumed MSG, you may experience the following symptoms:
- Headaches
- Flushing (turning red)
- Swollen hands and feet
Fortunately, once you successfully remove the MSG from your system, these symptoms should pass. Relief will come so quickly because these conditions aren’t all that severe. But if after two days (roughly 48 hours) your symptoms haven’t improved, you should seek medical attention. These symptoms could be indicating some other condition that isn’t caused by MSG. But once MSG is in your body, how do you get rid of it again?
Step One
Drinking plenty of water every day is crucial to staying properly hydrated. The first way you can eliminate MSG from your system is to hydrate, How many ounces of water should you drink? That depends on your body weight; calculate what half of your body weight would be in fluid ounces. If you weigh 200 pounds, then you should drink 100 ounces of water in a day. The more water you drink, the more active your kidneys will be. Your kidneys can help flush the MSG out, as they can with many other toxins that get into your body.
Step Two
Until the symptoms of MSG exposure subside, stay away from sources of sodium. Sodium can affect your ability to absorb water, which means you’ll retain water. Water retention allows the MSG to resist being flushed out of your body. While attempting to purge the MSG from your body, you should steer clear of salt-filled snacks and processed meats, among other foods.
Step Three
Keep drinking water until the side effects of MSG exposure are gone. While you may be tempted to drink something more flavorful, many other drinks can contain sodium as well. Some examples include sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, and even vegetable juices.
Get All Your Asian Groceries at Lotte Plaza Market
Lotte Plaza Market is your one-stop shop for all of your Korean and Asian grocery needs. With more than 10 locations in Maryland and Virginia, this growing market is always expanding and opening new markets to better serve our customers. Opened since 1976, our goal has always been to provide the best customer service and groceries to our customers. For answers to all of your questions, email us at LottePlaza.com.