MSG Woes

I spent most of Sunday in bed, in the dark, with a searing headache and I suspect it was due to me trying something new the night before from the Chinese carry out. I'm pretty sure that I'm intolerant of MSG (monosodium glutamate) as I frequently get hit with such killer headaches after eating exotic food and it's usually the afternoon of the next day before I get them. It could be an allergy to something else completely but it's almost always after eating such things as a Chinese take-away or a pre-packed ready meal.

I have to be careful where I get take-away food from and the place in question is one of those I can usually trust but it depends what dish I get as well sometimes. I thought I'd try the Szuechen Beef for a change and it was really nice but obviously it's one of those dishes they add the dreaded flavour enhancer to. I even have to be careful in restaurants as well as they are just as likely to give me a reaction if the dish contains whatever it is that triggers my allergy.

If we're shopping and fancy a ready meal as something quick and easy, I give the ingredients a quick scan and reject anything with MSG, E621 or the words flavour enhancers in the ingredients now. The after effects of such quick and tasty food are such that it really isn't worth the pain. Analgesics such as paracetamol or ibuprofen don't work at all for me but migraine relief tablets sometimes do the trick and so does Solpadeine.