Why you shouldn't eat instant noodles

Tumanyan Tatevik Sergeevna

Endocrinologist

The most valuable resource for a person is time. That's why many people don't bother with cooking and prefer fast food. A representative of such food is instant noodles, which have become very popular among travelers, students and simply busy people. This is due to the method of its preparation, because it is enough to pour boiling water over the dry briquette, let it brew for 7-10 minutes, and a delicious lunch is ready. However, this dish can have a negative effect on the body. What is the danger of instant noodles, we will find out in this article.

Can instant noodles be healthy? What is its composition?

In fact, instant noodles are practically no different from regular pasta for cooking . It's just produced in a special way. Premium wheat flour is sifted and water and a little salt are added. Simple ingredients are mixed to form a thick dough. To make thin sheets from it, you need to go through several more rolling shafts, similar to large rolling pins. Afterwards, the sheets are cut into hundreds of thin strips, and the different speeds of the conveyor belts give them that famous winding shape. Only after this the noodles are cut into portions, steamed and dried in premium vegetable oil. At the end, the machine packs the finished noodles along with sachets of seasonings and oil. Finished packages pass through sensors that check them for safety and only then are they sent to store shelves.

Everyone knows the process of making quick noodles - pour boiling water over it and you're done. But probably everyone has tried it in dry form. Even one of the world's most important chefs, David Chang, admits that he eats noodles this way. He had this habit since childhood, when he would eat dry instant noodles on the way from school.

Ready-to-pack instant noodles

Is it possible to gain weight from pasta?

— Why is there such a strong opinion that pasta is harmful? Anyway, the figure?

- Look at the fit Italians, and you will understand that good pasta does not make you fat. Of course, they are not a means of weight loss, but they are a great way to keep yourself in tip-top shape.

— What do you call “good pasta”?

— Pasta and pasta are different. I know that in some countries there are those that make you gain weight very quickly, because, as I know, they make pasta from any flour.

And in pasta made from soft wheat, starch is contained in an amorphous form. The calorie content of such spaghetti is almost higher than that of white bread. This pasta makes them lose their slimness.

The calorie content of pasta depends on the flour from which it is made. Those made from durum wheat are light and dietary food. No other pasta is produced in our country.

— What is special about pasta made from durum pasta?

— Durum pasta is a low-calorie product.

The main secret of “pasta” cuisine is sauces

They contain starch in crystalline form. Such pasta helps the body maintain stable blood sugar levels. They are also rich:

• vegetable proteins
• and B vitamins.

In addition, they contain a large amount of fiber, which is an excellent sorbent and removes from the body:

• slags
• toxins
• and salts of heavy metals.

They are even recommended for people who are overweight.

Are these noodles high in calories?

It all depends on the integrity of the manufacturer. When producing Rollton instant noodles, there are initially strict quality standards: only fresh, highest-grade vegetable oil. In the workshop, it is constantly monitored: special sensors are installed on the equipment that monitor the compliance of frying temperature indicators, and also, thanks to the conveyor system, control oil consumption and renewal.

There is no need to worry about caloric content either. A popular pack of noodles (60 g pack), to which you need to add up to 350 ml of boiling water to get the finished dish, contains approximately 270 kcal.

Accordingly, the total calorie content is at the level of a regular lunch, but this is not a snack, but a full meal. Compare for yourself: the calorie content of an ordinary cracker is about 400 kcal per 100 g of product, and it is eaten very discreetly and in a whole pack!

Korean noodles

Korean noodles undergo pre-heat treatment. Unlike regular noodles, which have to be boiled and additionally fried, the dry product is already ready for immediate use. The product is fried in virgin vegetable oil. After this, the Korean side dish is dried and packaged. The popular vermicelli is brewed with regular boiling water and seasoned with spices (sold along with the noodles).

Everything is clear with noodles. What about instant potatoes?

Potatoes consist of potato flakes, dry cream or milk, dry herbs and spices. The process of creating flakes is similar to making noodles. But in this case, do not use oil. Selected potatoes are boiled with salted water, mashed into puree, which is then rolled into thin layers and dried. The dry product is ground into powder, mixed with dry cream and milk, spices, undergoes quality control and is packaged. All we have to do is pour boiling water over it and let it brew for 5 minutes.

Classic instant product

On the shelves of modern stores you can easily find a bag of product that is simply poured with boiling water. To enhance the taste, monosodium glutamate is added to such noodles (a preservative that allows the dry product to be stored for up to two to three years at a temperature not exceeding 25 degrees Celsius). Wheat flour, a staple for instant cooking, is rich in carbohydrates. Ready noodles can satisfy hunger for a short period of time.

Additionally, palm oil and fatty acids are added to the finished wheat dough. In small quantities, palm oil improves the functioning of the digestive system and saves from problems with the gastrointestinal tract (frequent constipation).

Noodles - original or fake?

Large manufacturers control the manufacturing process at every stage. Moreover, government control authorities constantly conduct inspections of entrepreneurs. But the best “controller” is the consumer. If the product is of poor quality, people simply won't buy it.

Unfortunately, the issue of poor-quality products is still relevant in the market. Some manufacturers may skimp on products to cut costs. Sometimes products from well-known brands are counterfeited. As a result, the consumer receives a product of unknown quality.

So how do you choose a product whose quality and taste you can be sure of? First of all, pay attention to the packaging - it must be sealed, without tears and labeled.

Ready to sell instant noodles

History of vermicelli production

Instant meals help out more than one housewife around the world. Popular products do not require long-term heat treatment or the preparation of additional side dishes. The universal vermicelli was invented in China, the homeland of healthy cereals. During wars, noodles, which were quickly brewed, saved thousands of soldiers exhausted by constant fighting.

Modern production of dry ingredients for lunch or dinner makes it possible to produce vermicelli of different tastes and appearance (snacks or compressed briquettes). This side dish can be eaten separately or together with any cut vegetables and baked meat products.

Content:

• History of vermicelli production
• Classic instant product
• Korean noodles
• Instant rice product
• Japanese funchose
• Harm and benefit
• Instant Noodle Recipes

Who invented the dry product? The inventor of a dish that helps hundreds of people every day is Momofuko Ando. The product has become popular in the last decade: with the acceleration of the pace of life, people began to spend less time on household chores and cooking. All production processes, how vermicelli is made and what is added to it, are strictly regulated at the legislative level. The main components of the product - wheat flour and rice bran - are selected only for quality indicators. The high protein content in noodles helps fill a person and gives him a lot of energy.

Cooking recipes

We will need:

• egg noodles – 80 g;
• garlic – 2 cloves;
• chili pepper – 2 pcs;
• zucchini – 2 pcs;
• asparagus (pre-blanched in boiling water) – 2 pcs;
• fresh green peas – 50 g;
• fresh spinach – 100 g;
• olive oil – 1 teaspoon;
• coconut milk – 100 ml;
• salt/pepper/favorite spices to taste.

Preparation

Cook pasta until al dente (cook 1 minute less than cooking instructions). Heat a frying pan, add olive oil, fry the garlic and chili pepper. Once the vegetables are soft and golden brown, add the chopped zucchini, green peas and asparagus (previously blanched) into the pan. Fry the vegetable mixture until cooked. There is no need to use spices at this stage - they will be needed in the final part of cooking.

Once the vegetables are ready, pour the coconut milk into the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Add egg noodles to boiling coconut-vegetable broth. Reduce heat and heat the dish until the noodles are completely cooked. Add your favorite spices, taste the dish periodically and adjust the flavor palette.

Egg noodles are a type of pasta that consists of narrow and at the same time long strips of dough up to 1 cm wide and up to 15 cm long (see photo). This product comes in yellow and white colors depending on the ingredients used to prepare it. Yellow noodles are made from egg yolks, while white noodles are made from egg whites.

Classic egg noodles are prepared from only two ingredients: eggs and flour. In this case, either wheat flour, buckwheat or rice can be used as the last component.

As history goes, the first recipes for egg noodles appeared in Ancient China. This product was brought to European lands in the 13th century by the Italian merchant Marco Polo. Later, this type of Chinese pasta became very popular in many countries around the world.

Every buyer wants to know how to choose the right egg noodles. Today there are a lot of counterfeits of this product on sale, and in order not to stumble upon one of them, it is recommended to remember a few important rules.

The composition of pasta plays a very important role. According to the current GOST, they should consist only of flour and eggs. Sometimes the list of ingredients can be supplemented with water, but this is rare.

Read more: Garlic benefits and harms for the health of the body of women and men

The first step is to carefully study the product label. High-quality noodles must be made from premium flour.

Buy multi-colored noodles with caution. Be sure to read what dyes are included in it. A high-quality product is colored exclusively with natural additives: spinach, tomato extract, cuttlefish ink and others.

It is most often possible to distinguish a fake from a good noodle only during the heat treatment of the product. Pasta made from durum wheat retains its shape even after cooking, while low-quality pasta simply becomes soft and subsequently acquires an unappetizing texture.

Many people classify egg noodles as fast food. However, instant noodles and this type of pasta are two different products. For example, noodles. It contains elements that are very harmful to the body, thanks to which the dish is ready in just a couple of minutes. Natural noodles must be cooked for at least five minutes.

It is recommended to store this product in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. Shelf life - no more than thirty days.

There are two ways to make egg noodles at home. There are simple dough recipes using only flour and eggs, and there are also recipes with the addition of water. In this section we will reveal two options for making homemade noodles. You can also watch the video below for more details on how to prepare this product.

• To prepare pasta without water, you need to combine two chicken eggs, a standard glass of premium flour and a little salt in one bowl. Next, you need to knead the dough well and put the resulting mass in a cool place for thirty minutes. After the specified time, thin cakes should be made from the dough, the thickness of which should not exceed five millimeters. The resulting sheets should be cut into long strips, lightly sprinkled with flour and left at room temperature for sixty minutes to dry.
• To prepare homemade noodles using water, you will need half a kilogram of flour, six chicken eggs, as well as five to ten grams of salt and two hundred milliliters of purified water. The ingredients must be mixed, after which you should start kneading the dough. When the mass is ready, roll it out thinly and chop it into small strips. If the noodles are too thick, cook them for at least thirty minutes. The product prepared in this way can be dried in the oven, bread maker and even in a slow cooker.

In Italy there is a rule that says: when making egg noodles, at least four eggs must be used per kilogram of flour.

In cooking, this type of noodle is used in many cuisines around the world. Soups, broths, as well as casseroles and various main courses are prepared with it. It is most popular in Italy, Asia and China. In Chinese cuisine, there are even culinary masterpieces that can only be prepared from this type of noodle.

Vermicelli made from eggs goes well with the following products:

• fish;
• meat;
• chicken;
• shrimp;
• vegetables.

Very tasty and unusual salads and snacks are prepared using noodles. However, most often this product is used as an independent side dish. Before serving, it is seasoned with all kinds of sauces, as well as spices and gravies.

Egg noodles differ from other types of pasta in their pleasant taste and delicate texture. This is the best pasta, and it is delicious in any form (boiled, fried, baked or stewed).

Read more: Signs and symptoms of diabetes

Egg noodles: benefits and harms

It’s worth noting right away that food of this type is very high in calories - it is undesirable to eat it for people who are overweight. The same applies to allergy sufferers - if there is an individual intolerance to wheat flour or protein, you will have to refuse egg noodles. Of course, this product is quite tasty, you can use it in various dishes - but not regularly so as not to spoil your health.

Japanese funchose

Japanese noodles are in no way inferior to Chinese products. It is hearty, healthy and extremely nutritious. To prepare funchose, starch from legumes is used. Sometimes noodles are prepared from root vegetables, which contain vitamins and beneficial microelements. After brewing, the product becomes transparent and slightly plastic. Another name for funchose is “glass noodles” due to the transparent structure of the finished product. The bland taste of noodles is diluted with spices or used as a neutral side dish.

Harm to products

The benefits and harms of noodles like “Doshirak” are incommensurable. But what benefits can we talk about? Among the advantages of this product, we can only name the speed and ease of preparation, as well as a pleasant taste that literally beckons you to buy another package of noodles.

The product contains a very dangerous substance, monosodium glutamate, which causes a number of disorders in the human body:

• It retains fluid, causing swelling and a persistent increase in blood pressure.
• Gradual addiction occurs, and a person can no longer live without such noodles.
• Combined with flavorings and spices, monosodium glutamate has a bad effect on the stomach and can lead to gastritis or ulcers.
• May cause severe allergic reactions in sensitive people.

It is not recommended to eat any instant noodles for children, pregnant women, the elderly, or people with chronic diseases. If you have no choice, then you can eat instant noodles, but without adding the spices that come with it. The benefits of such a product are less than those of regular pasta, since it contains no vitamins or proteins, but only carbohydrates. The product has low nutritional value, so you won’t be able to satisfy your strong hunger with noodles. For a snack, it is better to take an apple or a banana; the benefits of fruit will definitely be greater.

constantly broadcasts that there is nothing tastier and healthier than “Rollton”, “Anakom” or “Doshirak”. In fact, this is just a successful publicity stunt, because many people believe in television.

Is it possible to eat while losing weight, eating right and being vegan?

Another popular myth is that eating instant noodles will make you gain weight. In reality, a person gains weight by consuming too many calories (called a calorie surplus), regardless of what foods he or she eats. You can gain weight even if you eat only the right foods.

This means that instant noodles can be eaten while losing weight if they fit into the daily calorie intake (which can be easily calculated using formulas on the Internet). Another question is whether it is rational to do this, because this product has a fairly high calorie content, but does not provide much energy and saturates for a short time (due to the fact that it consists mainly of simple carbohydrates).

Speaking about instant noodles for people on a healthy diet, many argue that if you remove the spices, the product will become the most ordinary pasta that such people can eat. This is not entirely true. The fact is that the product consists of simple carbohydrates, which, as we have already said, satiate for a very short time, that is, this option is not entirely suitable for people on a healthy diet. In addition, the noodles are fried in oil, which may not be suitable for everyone.

What about vegetarians and vegans? There is no definite answer to this question, because everything depends on the composition of the specific noodles and the type of nutrition of the person himself. Many manufacturers claim that their product contains meat, but, as practice shows, most bags contain soy meat. Moreover, Roskomnadzor conducted its own research, which showed that manufacturers add almost no real meat.

Read more: Whey - benefits and harm to the body

The chicken can only be in the broth, so if you remove it, a vegetarian can safely eat such noodles. Vegans will have to give up many types of instant noodles, because they are made from eggs. In any case, vegetarians should read the ingredients very carefully if they want to treat themselves to instant noodles.