Re: Hidden MSG (not message) monosodium glutamate in organic/vegetarian/vegan food

Hi,
I'm new here.

I'm researching the Elimination Diet because lately I've been becoming ill unexpectedly in reaction to foods.

A week ago, I prepared a dish at home - vegetarian; vegetables and noodles with thai paste.

The Thai paste had the following ingredient list:

* Herbs & Spices (fresh shallots, fresh coriander, fresh ginger, fresh lemongrass, organic garlic, chili)
* Dextrose
* Vegetable oil
* Humectant (Glycerol)
* Fructose
* Milk Solids (Whey powder, Lactose)
* Concentrated lime juice
* Sea Salt
* Acidity regulator (sodium lactate, citric acid )
* Antioxidants (Sodium Ascorbate, Ascorbic Acid)
* Thickener (Xanthum Gum)
* Calcium Chloride

Now - when I look at that list, there is NOTHING on it that I would normally react to.
The paste was well within use-by date, so it was not "off".

I have not previously been tested for/confirmed as Lactose Intolerant.

I have never reacted to food additives of this nature previously - or if I have, not to the degree I was affected by this product.

*** I confess, however, that it may not have been this product alone that upset my gut soooooo bad. I did have a protein bar - a chocolate one - about half hour later and yet I recall feeling a little unwell already. The protein bar just sent me right off.

I had horrendous gut pain, bloating, and digestive distress for 5 days straight and even today, 8 days later, I am not recovered to the degree where I could say I am well again.

However, as I don't have the protein bar packaging/label to see the ingredient list I can't comment on it.
What I can say is that certain protein bars (protein powders etc) make me feel ill.

So, I am not discounting the possibility that the protein bar might have made a mild gut upset from the Thai paste 10x worse...

I guess the whole point of my contribution here is that I have reached the absolute point of frustration.

I am "sick of being sick, and tired of being tired".

I have had various health challenges that have been so debilitating that I have had to resign from employment in order to cope with being unwell.

So, this weekend I am shopping for the Elimination Diet.
It will mean cutting out ALL BREADS, ALL DAIRY, CERTAIN VEGETABLES (TOMATO, LETTUCE) AND ALL TEA, COFFEE, SUGAR, MUSHROOMS, AND ALL ADDITIVES, ALL PROCESSED FOODS/PRE-PREPARED FOODS.

I will only be eating simple foods such as rice, pears and apples, all vegetables except tomatoes (high salicylate) and mushrooms.

I have no idea how I will cope - I have to do this for at least 10 days and for all dairy it is 30 days.

Being vegetarian it is relatively easy because my diet is predominantly vegetables - but I like tomato, wheat based products such as cous cous, cheese, and some sugary things.

However, I will have moments where I won't know how to get through craving chocolate, Sugar or some other vice.

I have never been so unwell, but then, I have never really known great health. Except in my 20s I was pretty healthy - then when I was 26 I had an accident (trip-fall) where I fractured my sternum, damaged ribs and hip, and overall went from athletic to couch-potato... I have fought to recover but can't understand why I get soooo sick.

I get Shingles - well, at least I've always classified them as shingles (I had chicken pox as a kid).
The symptoms have always been those described as shingles - the radiating pain down the nerve, the burning tingle under the skin, the red raised welt, the blister that bursts (and that is the only time the pain goes away)... and I have only ever had post-herpetic neuralgia once and it was awful, for 4 weeks I was in pain).

Still, today I described my symptoms to my chiropractor and he said, the continuous nature of my outbreaks, the excessive number of blisters, and the trigger for the outbreaks (exercise or joint distress) are just WRONG and need to be investigated.


Which brings me back to my research, into food additives , the Elimination Diet and all sorts of investigations.
I'll be arranging blood tests soon, to request tests for things like toxoplasmosis (the cat carrier illness), herpes zoster, and white blood cell count.

Something is wrong - very wrong - and I am sick of the whole health breakdown crap.

If any readers here can relate to my situation and have any questions or input, please let me know... I am one desperate lady looking for information :-)

Thank you.

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