HOW MUCH TO LIMIT MSG?

You wouldn’t drown your salad in olive oil just because it’s a heart-friendly oil, nor would you add an extra packet of artificial sweetener to your coffee because it’s better than regular sugar .

You also don’t want to go crazy with MSG — especially when “there’s no set limit for MSG per se,” Reutens said. “We need to use common sense when adding salt, sugar and oils to our foods. »

You could, Seto said, substitute some salt for MSG to reduce your daily sodium intake (which, by the way, should be less than 2,000 mg, less than 5 g, or less than a teaspoon of common salt per day), but she warned you. may miss the roles of salt in flavor and texture.

“People with sodium-sensitive conditions such as hypertension and kidney disease should be aware of their total sodium intake, including MSG,” Seto said.

WHAT ARE THE MOST UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS TO USE MSG?

On social media, entire steaks have been enclosed in a MSG crust like chicken in salt and cooked on a covered grill.

“I’ve seen people add MSG to watermelon or mix it with popcorn,” said Jesper Chia of The Wood Ear private restaurant.

You can also, Low suggested, add the flavor enhancer to scrambled eggs, already-salted fries, curries and fried rice – but perhaps not in the way comedian Nigel Ng advocates in his sketches on Uncle Roger.

Try MSG in spice blends to rub on roasted vegetables, Sim recommended, to “enrich their natural flavors.”