Health Discussions > SayNOtoMSG.com :: To Your Health - Dedicated MSG Section
Olive Garden Msg reaction
Gram:
My husband and I both have reactions to MSG. We hardly ever eat out anymore, but last Friday for our anniversary we went to Olive Garden and we ordered chicken parmigian. We both had headaches and overall weakness. We are guessing that the chiken must have had the MSG. I had read somewhere that Olive Garden didn't use MSG except in their soups. Have others experienced this?
misfitguy:
Whoa, that is horrible news.
My wife, Sassafras and the administrator of the Misfit City Forum, is terribly allergic to MSG and all its derivatives. Olive Gardens has been a safe haven for us in the past. I just read your post to my wife and she said, "Well, then, I guess we'll have to go there and order the Chicken parmigian." She can tell within minutes, usually, if there is any MSG in the food. We have learned that when ordering chicken, we ask that the chicken be an actual breast of chicken and not a chicken strip or other processed piece of chicken.
By the way, since we live on the road for months at a time and depend on restaurant food much of the time, one simply has to learn to ask the right questions to assure that they will have an msg free meal. My wife has made up a card that lists many of the ingredients that the food industry uses to hide the fact they are using msg. If you would like a copy of one in a pocket or wallet size for free, simply email us at saynotomsg@yahoo.com include a mailing address (we have been getting requests with no address) and we will gladly send you one. Or you can go to http://www.saynotomsg.com/basics_list.php , copy the list to a word document and print it. We did this for years and used it while shopping. The card, though, is much handier. Our only request for those interested in a Laminated Pocket Card is to join our Forum. Joining is free!!
warmly,
Mick
Sassafras:
Gram,
Sorry to hear about your and your husband's MSG reactions. And I am really sorry to hear that you suspect it came from Olive Garden. This is very disheartening news because, as Mick stated earlier, I react to MSG severely. Olive Garden is the only chain restaurant that I consider safe (except for their soups, as you already know).
Chicken Parmesan. The only thing that I can think that might be the culprit here is the amount of Parmesan. The different websites that I have read say that Parmesan has a very high amount of Glutamate, or Free Glutamate, depending on the website. I have Parmesan on my salad and entries, but this is in moderation, not an entire dish. It's different than tomatoes or mushroom because they are "nature grown". All cheeses are processed in some way. And anytime man has the chance to dabble with the process of anything, that item has the chance of containing un-natural Glutamates. I also wonder if the recipe for Olive Garden's Chicken Parmesan calls for other cheeses - especially by-product cheeses. I have noticed lasagna recipes throughout the internet calling for cheeses that are in fact cheese by-products. These items are not guaranteed MSG reaction getters according to known websites, but the processing for these items calls for hydrolysis and autolysis which are red flags to any MSG sufferer.
I know this, when Mick and I go to Olive Garden, I'll get the Chicken Parmesan. It will be interesting to find out if I react to it. I will also do more research on the internet in the meantime.
Also, what Olive Garden's did you and your husband visit? It might be interesting to find out if the Olive Garden's is chain-owned or independently-owned.
I hope our replies are helpful and I look forward to hearing from you.
_____________
Just Me
Sass
BTW...
I have had a few waiters and waitresses share with me some backroom secrets. They have told me that the base for their salad dressing is Newman's Own. I do have their salads and I am not shy about getting that last olive in the bottom of the bowl. So far, I have not reacted to the dressing. On their website, the only ingredient in the Caesar Dressing that sends up any flags is Xanthan Gum. This ingredient is on the "sometimes" list. In dressing or maybe even hot chocolate, there might not be a reaction. For me, it is when it is in toothpaste that I get a reaction. That is where the "sometimes" fits into play.
Take care.
And... W==(:D)== W==(:D)== W==(:D)==
[welcome] to the City!!!
john2729:
I suffer from migraines from MSG. I recently visited Olive Garden with my family, I usually get the mixed grill which I never usually have a problem with. Last night I ordered chicken gorganzolla and today I have a terrible migraine. I called Olive garden but they said they don't use MSG. I'm pretty sure it was the chicken gorganzolla after so many attacks you can usually pinpoint the cause.
misfitguy:
John,
Welcome to the Misfit City Forum. We are sorry to hear you had a bad experience at Olive Garden. This is the one restaurant that Sassafras and I can eat at without her getting a reaction. she normally orders the shrimp scampi and I order the chicken Marsala. We share, so both dishes are safe. We also eat a whole lot of salad with them normally filling the bowl a couple of times.
We went to the Olive Garden site and couldn't find the dish you ordered. It must be very new. We will email Olive Garden requesting ingredients and will report back here with their response. How knowledgeable are you of all the different ingredients that can cause an MSG type reaction? Go to http://www.saynotomsg.com/basics_list.php for a pretty complete list of most of the excitotoxins used by the food industry.
I would like to ask if you had a diet pop or a wine with the meal. Did you request a special dressing with your order? Also, what other things did you eat in the previous 12 hours before you ate at Olive Garden? These are the questions we had to ask ourselves daily 12 years ago to be able to get a handle on what was causing Sassafras' reactions.
I hope you will continue to share with us.
warmly,
Mick
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