I recently attended a nutrition seminar. The dietician who kept it mentioned Chinese restaurant syndrome
at one point .

He explained that the glutamate contained in Chinese foods, including soy sauce and other preparations, would be responsible for nausea, headaches and intestinal problems after eating.

I was skeptical of the scientific validity of the Chinese restaurant syndrome , which I knew was never proven.

Chinese restaurant syndrome is a theory formulated by Dr. Robert Kwok , who wrote to a scientific journal venting the hypothesis that something about Chinese food was giving him a severe headache.

Since then, some scientists have identified glutamate  as the possible cause of the Chinese restaurant syndrome.

But glutamate is a substance that is also found in Parmigiano Reggiano and is one of the foods that have the “umami” taste.

Indeed, glutamate is used as a flavor enhancer in many foods .

However  , allergies to this particular ingredient are not proven .

Esso si trasforma in acido glutammico, una sostanza che si forma anche dalla digestione delle proteine, cioè è un amminoacido.

Dunque è molto difficile che il glutammato della salsa di soia o di altri ingredienti della cucina cinese possa darvi effetti collaterali.

Ma allora a cosa si deve la sindrome del ristorante cinese?

Ora, pensate a quello che mangiate quando andate al ristorante cinese e vi darete la risposta da soli.

Cibo sfritto nell’olio di soia, uso e abuso di ingredienti disidratati, liofilizzati, congelati, generosa salsa di soia che in eccesso è come mangiarsi manciate di sale, fritti, intingoli vari che per i più sono poco digeribili.

E infine eccesso, in generale, di grassi e quindi di calorie.

This can lead to headaches, nausea and a sense of heaviness due to the difficulty in digesting processed and caloric foods eaten “all together”.

It ‘sa bit as if I ate a parmigiana, half a lasagna, a fried calamari and a tiramisu and then I felt weighted down.

Can I really blame the grated cheese from the first two dishes?

Far from demonizing Chinese cuisine, it’s normal to feel heavy after these dishes.

As in everything, it is better to focus on quality rather than quantity, and find Chinese restaurants that serve traditional cuisine with some care in raw materials.