1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS and MSG?

Posted , 6 users are following.

lauren03220
lauren03220

Hi Everyone, hoping someone else has experienced this. Whenever I eat foods that contain MSG such as sauces from the Chinese that are no doubt laced with it. Or just Chinese food in general, no more than 30 minutes afterwards i'm in agony with the normal IBS discomforting pain cramps diarrhoea and all the other wonderful effects of IBS. Even if I try to avoid MSG it sneaks in somewhere and knocks me for six. Today was some M&S Satay chicken skewers, being M&S I thought I would be safe. Well nope.. 30 mins later like clockwork I was absent from the table in agony in a guests bathroom. Really embarrassing and not at all convenient, especially when no one else suffers from it, so doesn't understand what its like or how it feels. The usual culprits for MSG are Chinese food, sugary sauces like ketchup or brown sauce. Does anyone else get this? I know most people sometimes suffer from an upset stomach following a curry or Chinese and MSG is normally to blame, but even in very small quantities it seems to ruin my day. Wondering if anyone else's IBS just wont tolerate MSG? 

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • jan48389
    jan48389 lauren03220

    Posted

    Yes, and of course MSG is present in a huge number of ready prepared sauces and foods. Certain brands of tomato ketchup, and brown sauce contain onion, which is one of my major food triggers. By and large I try to make everything I eat from scratch so I can avoid my food triggers - time consuming but worth it and I always check the ingredient list on every manufactured food product I buy. In one way I suppose I'm fortunate because a few of my friends are Coeliac, so being a "fussy" eater is the norm in my social circle. On the positive side, once we've identified our IBS triggers, which are different for everyone, we can usually manage to avoid them although you're right, they can sneak in unexpectedly!!! I could never eat anything other than home made curries or Chinese so that I'm confident of the ingredients. 

    Jan

  • pippa58442
    pippa58442 lauren03220

    Posted

    Processed foods often contain MSG and sometimes it occurs naturally in Chinese food. Often anything processed can be bad for IBS including MSG.  The best solution is to cook from scratch and avoid pre prepared products.  If you do buy any pre prepared meal or sauce, check to see if MSG is listed as one of the ingredients.   Everyone is different with IBS and will have different trigger foods. My IBS is not triggered by food, stress is my only trigger.
  • borderriever
    borderriever lauren03220

    Posted

    Lauren

    Yes I have problems, in my case it is some green vegetables  and strong spice foods.

    All I do now is try and keep my food clear of spices and not eat cabbage. We all have our dislikes that cause problems.

    BOB

  • anna6767
    anna6767 lauren03220

    Posted

    I found I have issues with soy sauce.  MSG I am not sure about because I don't eat Chinese food but I do make my own chop suey and if I am on the borderline, it will do it.  I often wonder though if places like Red Robin have it in their burgers. Once I ate at one, had a plain burger and I was  stuck in their bathroom for 20 minutes. Every time I thought I was ready to leave, I had to stay back.  IT was awful. Wendy's hamburgers do the same to me but not other places.  I didn't think of MSG as being an issue but now I wonder. 

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.