Noodles. The truth about instant noodles

Instant noodles come as a great solution that pops up at the bottom of the office drawer the day the world seems to collapse and you have to be on the desk to save it.

Or for those nights of ” I don’t feel like anything ” and the stomach roars attack you in the middle of the series. They are also the frequent lifeguards of students on long nights glued to books.

Total is pasta, total is a soup, they have vegetables! and they are branded – you tell yourself – and so, in 3 minutes, you prepare your instant dinner .

But do you know what you are really consuming? Are they as harmless as you want to believe?

Today, we dive into the packaging of instant noodles to see who they really are.

What’s in the package of instant ramen

In the container house you find a block of pre-cooked noodles, pieces of vegetables, legumes and sometimes meat (or a substitute). They also have an envelope with the flavoring, seasoning or sauce that is incorporated into the preparation with hot water.

The promise of having your food ready in 3 minutes and the price (you can find them for less than € 1) makes them especially attractive, but what are you really bringing to your mouth?

The pasta is made with refined flours that are then stretched, cut and fried in oil, usually palm oil. This pre-cooking makes it possible to have them ready in 3 minutes. Then they dehydrate. A process similar to that in which the rest of the ingredients are exposed.

The bag with the sauce that is usually part of the “secret” of its flavor, is an endless list of preservatives, sugars and salt with some real anecdotal ingredient.

Everything is ready for you to perceive a lot of flavor … what? It is not known very well. But it is tasty for undemanding palates.

Come on, do not be fooled by that it “carries vegetables” , because it is a very careful utraprocessed. So much, so much, that it can seriously affect your health.

And you know, the labels show the quantities present in each container from the highest to the lowest proportion. So no, don’t buy them for the “vegetables.”

An “atomic” bomb in three minutes

In a study published in the Journal Nutrition we are alerted to the possible consequences of these fast food packaging, especially in women . But weren’t they a soup with dehydrated vegetables?

In general, each glass can contain about 450 calories, of those 1,500-2,000 recommended for adults. That is, almost 1/4 of what is suggested to consume. And, in addition, they do not provide any interesting nutrient for your body.

And with the label, be very careful. Keep in mind that a package of ramen contains two servings , so if you are eating the entire package in a single moment, the above amounts will double.

But let’s go back to the study I mentioned a few paragraphs above. Although it is based in Korea, things in our country do not improve. It is enough to go to the supermarket to see that every so often new varieties and brands appear at a very affordable price.

So the temptation is difficult to avoid, especially when the pocket is tight.

If you consume these instant noodles twice a week or more, you are increasing by 68% the chances of suffering from metabolic syndrome. And if you are a woman, you wear it worse.

According to one of the study’s authors, one of the main authors of the research, Dr. Frank B. Hu, professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard: ” This may be because women report their diet more accurately or because women Postmenopausal women are more sensitive to the dietary effect of carbohydrates, sodium and saturated fat . ”

Content and continent are part of the problem

It turns out that the packaging is also to blame for turning these instant noodles into Molotov cocktails for your body.

Do you remember that a few years ago we were all alarmed by the toxic components that were released from some plastic bottles when heated in the microwave?

What’s more, by now you will have seen the Greenpeace campaign and its message that we consume the equivalent of a credit card, per week, in microplastics.

It turns out that the container of these instant ramen is not saved from the alert.

The containers these quick soups come in are Styrofoam containing Bisphenol A. A compound derived from petroleum that accumulates in your body and acts as both carcinogens and mutagens.

But there is more, because it is a selective modulator of estrogen receptors that can accelerate adipogenesis, that is, fat. That’s why bisphenol A also has a connection to obesity.

It is true that if one day you try one of these fast products, they will not be very harmful. The problem is the amount you consume of them, per week.

We talk about components that work as carcinogens, the association with obesity … but there is more.

Let’s go back to the metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a set of symptoms that increase the risk of developing heart disease or type 2 diabetes. These include:

• High blood glucose levels
• High blood triglyceride levels
• Lowering good cholesterol
• Arterial hypertension
• Excess fat around the waist

Metabolic syndrome and digestion problems in 3 minutes

Beyond the brand of instant noodles you consume, in general, it takes a long time for everyone to digest. That is why you feel instantly full and immediately notice stomach heaviness, you feel bloated for a long time and possibly with a bad body. They are all indicators that your digestion is slow and problematic.

Your body is trying to “fight” and process what you just consumed, causing unnecessary stomach strain.

Those additives that appear within the ingredients of instant ramen , stay in our body for a longer time and it is more work to eliminate them. in the long run they become a time bomb that can cause serious problems.

And if they are so harmful, why do they keep selling? Why do “lifetime brands” have their versions?

Because consuming 1 is not the problem, but if they are part of your consumption of weekly products, they are in trouble.

Options for those 3 minutes

They are fast and can last in your drawer for months. They are a lifesaver, yes, but are you sure they are your only option in 3 minutes?

Opening a can of tuna in brine or in olive oil and one of asparagus … can take even less.

Salads prepared from supermarkets are always an option. And with the delivery boom, you always have a fix for the desktop.

The price is no excuse either. A glass of quinoa or rice is recommended to heat in 1 minute. And you can combine it with a can or planter jar. In addition to a helpful solution, surely what you bring to your mouth will be of better quality.

Your own version of instant (and tastier) noodles

In instant food packaging, there is not a good food balance: there is much more pasta than vegetables or meats.

Surely if you made this same dish at home, the proportions would be different, the quality of the ingredients would surely be better and the oil you would use would be EVOO.

If you are dying for a good ramen , here is the recipe for one that is great and that you can heat up at work in less than 3 minutes.

Or some vegetables sautéed in the wok . Even the chicken noodles .

Make them at home and microwave them at work, in less than 3 minutes.