What’s more, having three or more of these symptoms puts you at a higher risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Even past research examining overall nutrient intake between instant-noodle consumers and non-consumers confirmed that instant noodles contribute little to a healthy diet.
The instant-noodle consumers had a considerably lower intake of vital nutrients like protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, vitamin A, niacin, and vitamin C in comparison with non-consumers. On the other hand, they had an excessive intake of energy, unhealthy fats and sodium (just one package may contain 2,700 milligrams of sodium).
What Else Is in a Package of Instant Noodles?
Except for huge amounts of sodium and the preservative TBHQ, what else does a typical serving of instant noodles contain? As reported by Prevent Disease:
“The dried noodle block was originally created by flash frying cooked noodles, and this is still the main method used in Asian countries, though air-dried noodle blocks are favored in Western countries. The main ingredients of the dried noodle are wheat flour, palm oil, and salt. Common ingredients of the flavoring powder are salt, monosodium glutamate, seasoning, and sugar.
…In June 2012, the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) found Benzopyrene (a cancer-causing substance) in six brands of noodles made by Nong Shim Company Ltd. Although the KFDA said the amounts were minuscule and not harmful, Nong Shim did identify particular batches of noodles with a problem, prompting a recall by October 2012.”
One sufficient reason to avoid instant noodles is the presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG), an excitotoxin that overexcites the nerve cells to the point of damage or death, causing various degrees of brain dysfunction and damage, and potentially even prompting or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and more.
In fact, MSG is approximately 78% free glutamic acid, which is the same neurotransmitter used by your brain, nervous system, eyes, pancreas, and other organs initiate certain processes in your body. But, MSG is the ideal obesity drug as mice for scientific study are fattened up with it. So, if you’re striving to maintain your ideal body weight, you should avoid MSG at all cost.
Return to Whole, Living Foods for Optimal Health
Even though eating a package of instant noodles from time to time won’t necessarily kill you, the real problem occurs when processed food replaces real food and instant noodles are a perfect example of the type of processed food you should avoid as much as possible, as overindulging (having instant noodles at least twice a week) will unquestionably affect your health and weight.
The high content of sugar, fructose, refined carbohydrates, and artificial ingredients, as opposed to the low content of nutrients and fiber is what makes processed foods the ideal means for weight gain and chronic disease. Not only are processed foods addictive and designed to make you overeat, but they also stimulate excessive food cravings, resulting in weight gain. Plus, they trigger insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, both of which are signs of most chronic and/or serious diseases. This shouldn’t come as a surprise because people have grown well on vegetables, meats, eggs, fruits, and other whole foods for centuries, whereas processed foods are only a recent invention.
Cutting processed foods out of your diet calls for advance meal planning, but if done step-by-step, it’s quite possible, and manageable. For one thing, you can try exploring your local farmer’s markets for in-season produce that is priced to sell, and plan your meals accordingly. You can also do this with supermarket sales. What you can generally do is plan a week of meals at a time, ensuring you have all the necessary ingredients at hand, do any prep work ahead of time so that dinner is easy to prepare if you’re short of time.
