If you have an allergy to MSG or are simply trying to avoid negative effects of consuming too much, traveling in Thailand will present challenges to limit MSG intake.
70% of Thai food contains MSG as it’s commonly used as seasoning and found naturally in many ingredients used in cooking. When added as a seasoning, no more than 1/2 teaspoon is used per serving.
As a Southeast Asian country, cuisine from the area is deeply ingrained with MSG usage, but there is good news: Thai street vendors are able to exclude MSG seasoning upon request and there are foods you can eat to limit your MSG intake.
Popular Thai Foods With MSG
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a seasoning commonly used in Southeast Asia and derived from the amino acid Glutamic Acid (glutamate) which is a natural compound first derived from seaweed in Japan. Some are more prone to negative side effects than others but effects from excessive consumption include headache, sweating, burning or tingling sensation in the face/neck, heart palpitations, chest pain, and nausea.
Every popular recipe in Thailand has variations that use MSG additives and those without. It is safe to assume the food you’re eating contains MSG unless you’ve specifically requested otherwise but also note that many natural ingredients contain high amounts of MSG. I’ve listed those natural ingredients with high MSG at the end of this article.
Here is a list of popular Thai dishes containing MSG through additives or natural ingredients such as fish sauce:
Pad Thai
Khao Soi
Tom Yum Soup
Thai Fried Rice
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Some others:
- Massaman Curry
- Red Curry
- Tom Kha Kai
- Larb
Another big thing to be wary of is fast food. KFC is HUGE in Thailand and their products are known for being packed with MSG. Other foods to watch-out for are snack foods (Doritos), fermented foods, instant noodle products, frozen TV dinners, and low sodium foods as they will often boost flavors by adding MSG.
Thai Foods With Little to No MSG
It’s going to be nearly impossible to completely avoid MSG during your trip. If you’re trying to limit your intake, it’s best to stick to salads, raw foods, or other street foods high in dark green vegetables as this can offset the negative effects of MSG.
Green Papaya Salad is a good option, but only if you’re getting it from a street vendor and request “No MSG” (“Please No Pong Chu Rod”). There is often fish sauce added to Green Papaya Salad as well but it will significantly reduce your MSG intake to make the request to exclude MSG additives. Other ingredients and foods that are no/low MSG:
- Fresh Fruit
- Fresh Vegetables
- White Rice
- Sugar
- Canola Oil
- Olive Oil
- White Flour
- Jasmine Rice
- Organic Meat
- Raw Foods w/ Low Protein
Avoid processed and packaged foods or any foods containing the following ingredients on the label:
- MSG
- Gelatin
- Calcium Caseinate
- Monosodium gluatmate
- Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)
- Textured Protein
- Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP)
- Monopotassium gluatmate
- Yeast Extract
- Glutamate
- Autolyzed Plant Protein
- Yeast food or nutrient
- Gluatimc Acid
- Sodium Caseinate
- Autolyzed Yeast
Also note that if a Thai restaurant has a sign that says “No MSG”, they will probably be using more sugar to compensate.
MSG in Thailand: General Info
MSG use is heavy in Thailand, often purchased by the kilo and a favorite for consumers, street vendors will commonly use it as an additive. If you’re not a Thai speaker and trying to limit your intake, try having someone write on a card in Thai “No MSG Please”. You can also say “Please No Pong Chu Rod” (Pong Chu Rod is MSG).
MSG makes food taste much better, but comes at a risk for your health. Green veggies such as spinach or broccoli, which are high in magnesium, often diffuse side effects.
It varies by vendor the amount of MSG used, but, from what I’ve personally seen and based on a handful of videos I’ve watched, it’s usually no more than a half teaspoon per serving. Many of the ingredients used in popular dishes, such as fish sauce, are also high in MSG.
Most classic dishes are made differently by each vendor, so you will find vendors who add MSG seasoning and those who do not while you can also request to have it excluded. To give you a feel for the street food culture, I’ve linked two videos below. The first shows a vendor who does not add MSG while the second uses MSG.
Foods/Ingredients Naturally Containing MSG
Below is a list of ingredients that naturally contain MSG. Many of the ingredients listed below are commonly used in Thai cooking and I’ve noted the prevalence of use.
| Ingredient | mg/100g | How Often Used in Thai Dishes? | Thai Dishes |
| Kelp | 230-3380 | Often | Salad and noodle dishes (i.e.: Raw Pad Thai/Kelp Noodle Pad Thai, Kelp Noodle, Kelp Salad) |
| Soy Sauce | 400-1700 | Often | Used in almost all stir fry along with many other dishes (i.e.: Hang Lay Curry) |
| Fish Sauce | 727-1383 | Often | Served with nearly every Thai dish (i.e.: Nam Prik Nam Pla which contains fish sauce) |
| Seaweed | 550-1350 | Often | Dried seaweed, soup, various dishes containing seaweed for flavoring |
| Parmesan Cheese | 1200-1680 | Rare | Used with few curry dishes |
| Roquefort Cheese | 1280 | Rare | Used in Thai cheese balls |
| Dried Shiitake Mushrooms | 1060 | Often | Stews and combined in popular dishes with pork and rice noodles |
| Oyster sauce | 900 | Often | Meat, seafood, veggie, stir fry, soup, fried rice, noodle dishes |
| Miso | 200-700 | Often | Soup and Pad Thai dishes |
| Green Tea | 220-670 | Often | Iced Green Tea/Green Tea Latte |
| Anchovies | 630 | Somewhat | Salad and Pad Thai dishes |
| Salted Squid | 620 | Often | Stir fry and glass noodle salad dishes |
| Cured Ham | 340 | Somewhat | Stews |
| Sardines | 10-280 | Somewhat | Salads |
| Grape Juice | 258 | Somewhat | Paired with Thai dishes |
| Tomatoes | 140-250 | Often | Salad, soup, curry dishes |
| Kimchi | 240 | Often | Stand alone side dish |
| Clams | 210 | Often | Soup and stir fry dishes, some curry sauces |
| Peas | 200 | Often | Pad Thai, green curry, and stir fry dishes |
| Cheddar Cheese | 180 | Rare | Cultural blend recipes |
| Potatoes | 30-180 | Often | Curry dishes (Massaman Curry) |
| Scallops | 140-159 | Somewhat | Various seafood dishes |
| Oysters | 40-150 | Often | Check out this YouTube video on how they eat oysters in Thailand: link |
| Squid | 20-146 | Often | Served with noodle dishes and salad (i.e.: Squid Pad Ki Mao) |
| Corn | 70-130 | Often | Salad and curry dishes as well as being a popular street vendor item |
| Simeji Mushrooms | 40 | Often | Stir fry and fried rice curry dishes, larb |