I need to avoid many food groups (tomatoes, nightshade vegetables, chocolate) as well as msg and artificial food colors. Is anyone aware of how easy it would be to identify these ingredients if traveling in China?

IMO very hard so I would bring any medicine to counter the affect of these food with you, I assume you have some allergic reaction to them. For MSG you can always ask for it not to be added but it might still end up in your food. Chocolate, tomatoes and nightshade(not sure what that is) can be avoided by visual inspection.

I'd think it would be extremely hard to avoid all of these in China. MSG is so hard to avoid in most asian countries, as it isn't just added as MSG, but is pre-loaded in a lot of sauces and stock bases.

MSG in sauces is a problem. Fibromyalgia symptoms (pain, migraines, acid reflux) are the reason for avoiding these. Nightshades include tomatoes, eggplant and white potatoes. Potatoes are also included in many things and you wouldn't know it unless listed as an ingredient.
Thanks.

Unless you stay at lodgings with facilities to prepare your own food, it will be difficult to avoid those food groups when you eat out.

I'd be staying at Shenyang Normal University and spoke to my professor who believes MSG (the most difficult to spot) would not be in the food in China.
Any more tips are appreciated.

Ask him if Ajinomoto is used. Bet he says yes. It's MSG.

Ajinomoto/msg is a common ingredient found in almost all packaged food and prepared food products with the exception of sweets. Soups, soup mixes, sauces, all cup noodle type products, potato chips and other snack foods, the list is endless. Learn the kanji for it and read the labels. You will be stunned at the places it shows up. Google Ajinomoto China for info on it and their other food products.

I understand your concern. I don't know how you can avoid these foods in the restaurants but I think if you are eating in the canteen of an university or in a home setting like your friend's home or you pay someone to cook for you, you should not have to worry about msg. I learn somewhere that tomatoes are less inflammatory than eggplant. I think for Chinese foods not all red colors are bad, eg the red color on the Chinese roast pork is red yeast rice which is something people take to lower cholesterol. I rarely eat roast pork but I take red yeast rice almost everyday in a pill form. It has lowered my cholestrol level so far.

But as lcuy posted: even if a home cooked or university meal may not add MSG (the "spice")sprinkled on the food it may have MSG in the commercial sauces they commonly cook with.

You can ask your professor to write a list of food that you are allergic to in Chinese and you can show it to the restaurants. There is no reason that the restaurants won't listen.

Knowing what to order is important. Any kind of steam seafood like steam whole fish or steam fresh prawn should not have msg in them. It's really hard to add msg in steam vegetables also. There is some research that linked oyster sauce (not the vegetarian one) to cancer so I would avoid that. I would stick with blanched and steam food, not so much braised meat or casserole dishes. Chinese don't eat raw food, vegetables should be served cooked, not as salads.

From what I've read, including a great book by Fuchsia Dunlop, who is probably the most acclaimed Western expert on Chinese cooking, you will not be easily able to completely avoid MSG.

You may find this article interesting, though:


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/opinion/18dunlop.html

Don't dare rely on visual inspection. This is reckless and crass advice. Being hospitalized on vacation is no fun. Btw, your professor is giving you equally stupid advice.

555 Swiss mango!

I will certainly check out ajinomoto. Being vegetarian, steamed vegetables, rice and tea sounds like the way to go. Can I trust tap water or should it all be bottled? Thanks to all for the tips.
What is 555 Swiss mango???

Drink bottled water only. In fact, brush your teeth with bottled water.

Sorry about the "555" thing travelgals. Five in Thai is "Ha" so "555" is "ha, ha, ha" or LOL.

Ajinomoto is an old Japanese brand name. Upto about 15 or 20 years ago that was what most people call MSG in Asia, refering to the manufacturer's name instead of the product's. Nowadays not many people call it that and might not understand what you mean by Ajinomoto. MSG is found in several brand of food enhancers so I would have it written in Chinese or at least learn how to say it in Chinese to help you avoid it.

I found this web site which could help: http://www.ehow.com/video_4404049_wr...e-symbols.html

You are all amazing! Just watched video on MSG in Chinese. And will brush teeth with bottled water.