In general, are the quick-prep 2 min variety noodles* unhealthy?
Not in the sense of a regular diet. Just as an occasional, rare meal. For the short term or long term, is there any reason to avoid eating these noodles altgether?
*Nissin ramen, Maggi, Nong Shim…etc
IANAD, but if I recall from the label, they are very high in sodium and therefore could be a problem.
Avoid them altogether? Probably not. However, most commercial ramen is fairly high in sodium (if you use the flavor packet, that is) and the noodles themselves are high in fat (especially for the serving size) and much of that fat is trans fat which is about as unhealthy as it goes, fat-wise. That said, occasional indulgences should not be a problem unless you’re sensitive to dietary sodium and/or fat or have an overall health condition which precludes intake of either.
If they are just an occasional part of the diet, the question of how ‘healthy’ they are is irrelevant - there are no unhealthy foods (with the possible exception of those that contain significant amounts of some kind of toxin), there are only unhealthy diets.
quite true…
My question now seems poorly phrased. Let’s say, one day, my choices for breakfast are noodles vs. rice dish vs. peanut butter. Any particular reason to prefer the other two choices?
Actually, depending on one’s condition, some foods are unhealthy right out of th bag. And since everyone is different, you have to ask yourself if you suffer from any conditions that would be sensitive to high sodium or have conditions that would be aggravated by rapid intakes of sodium, high fat, high carb foods. Anyone with high blood pressure, a rapid pulse and/or some digestive problems might need to avoid ramen noodles.
Philster is right. Mind though, that your body enjoys variation. If you’ve had that rice repeatedly for a while, it might be good to briefly switch to the noodles, depsite the fat.
NOtice though, that if you look for it, you’ll find noodles that come in bigger packages, and are more like european pasta, only with a different consistence. They are definitely healthier.
Again, I think I’d argue that these are unhealthy(in some sense) people, rather than people eating unhealthy foods.
A gooly number of Ramen noodles are fried in Palm Oil which is pretty much #1 on the No Redeeming Value Oil List. If you can handle the sodium, try and find some not fried in PO.
Still, unhealthy for THAT person, because they are on a restricted diet for health reasons due to other factors (besides diet).
If their condition IS diet related then were back to **Mangetout`s ** first post.
Sure, if the definition of a healthy person is one who can eat the widest varities of foods at the widest variety of times with complications. Unfortunately, that isn’t the definition of ‘healthy’.
Also, one can be healthy and encounter something that is not conducive to good health. Like the air, food has various grades of quality, which can be conducive to good health or not.
In fact, having eaten many, many, many ramen noodles over my lifetime, I get those symptoms just by thinking about eating them.
(I still cave sometimes, tho …)
I have a couple of dozen packets squirred away to be eaten in emergency* only. I stopped eating them. Why? Well, what’s in them:
A heck of a lot of calories (from poor quality high GI carbs)(let’s ask Rob) I think one packet is supposed to be more than one serving - must be in small print 'coz I didn’t notice.
A lot of palm oil as **unixrat ** says, this is a no-no
A lot of salt/sodium
If your gonna spend the day hiking and burn off all those calories, don’t mind building your cell membranes** out of faulty materials and don’t mind prepping yourself for heart disease then go for it.
When I do use noodles I use Italian style egg noodles, not packets.
*breakdown of civilisation/nuclear winter that sort of thing.
**or something, but I don’t want those trans-fats in me thanks.
Unlike the air that we breathe, though, we are easily able to ingest foods in moderation by type and thus achieve balance. The terms ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ really aren’t all that applicable to individual foodstuffs - ‘suitable’ and ‘unsuitable’ would be better terms, depending on the context.
OTOH, there may be foods that are generally ‘unhealthy’ in that they contain something (such as a toxin) that is injurious to everyone’s health - I mentioned this above.
The reason I am a little finnicky over this wording is that phrases like ‘hamburgers are unhealthy’ are all too frequently-used, often leading to the false impression that they are exclusively harmful and that there is no way they can be integrated into a healthy balanced diet.
Unhealthy or not, they get you through college. Along with peanut butter, tomato soup, and the all-you-can-eat nights at the local dive.
Are ramen noodles healthful?
No, they are not conducive to a healthy diet. A healthful diet consists of eating 4-5 times per day to keep the metabolism high with an emphasis on keeping the calories to nutrition ratio optimized. Foods low in saturated fat, cholestorol, sodium, & transfats are not conducive to good health, nor are those which spike insulin levels.
Can you eat ramen noodles tomorrow and not suffer dire consequences? Yes, if you are not one of millions of people suffering from any variety of conditions that might be aggravated by such foods.
Can you smoke a joint, or puff some cigars or pop a valium one day this week? Sure, and you are not likely to experience dire consequences.
Are ramen noodles, cigars, cigarrettes or casual drugs healthful? No, they are not.
Is it fair to put such foods into the same category as tobacco or other drugs? Yes. Based on everything we know about people and their ability to abuse foods that are easily over eaten and which are not conducive to good health are deemed ‘unhealthful’.
Should you avoid ramen noodles?! Not if you can eat them sparingly in the overall context of what you diet really should be. Generally, you try to limit things that are unhealthful. The fact that an awareness exists about being careful to limit exposure of certain food stuffs would be the court of common sense’s arguement that those certain foods indeed are unhealthful.
But this is my point; people subsist on diets - a diet that includes ramen noodles can easily be healthfull, a diet that consists mostly of ramen wouldn’t, of course. But foods don’t fall into black-and-white categories of ‘good’ and ‘bad’.
There’s nothing magical about the food we eat and many items that we might categorise as healthfull contain components that alone would not be considered healthfull.
Carrots contain a lot of sugars (as well as vitamins, minerals, fibre and starches) - a diet of sugar alone would not be considered healthfull, but it is invalid to disqualify carrots on the grounds that they contain sugar - in the wider context of inclusion in the vegetable, the sugar is acceptable.
Likewise in the wider context of the diet, ramen noodles are acceptable - which was what the OP was asking about.
Philster, I hope you don’t think I’m trying to be deliberately obtuse.
I think that we’re getting far too pedantic about the issue, especially with regard to what the OP has asked. Is there any reason to avoid ramen altogether? No. Asked, answered, done.
I don’t have the energy to deal with this thread any longer. I had cookies for breakfast, ramen for lunch and a cheeseburger for dinner.
