The quick and simple Ramen noodles are one of the most popular foods among college students. You only need to microwave the bowl of noodles, water, and flavoring packet for three minutes to prepare it. It doesn’t get easier than that. Maruchan Ramen Noodles is one of the most well-known ramen brands.
However, this type of processed food is not suited for digestion by the human body. Ramen’s preservatives prevent it from deteriorating, which strains your digestive system. Even two hours later, your stomach is unable to digest highly processed noodles, delaying digestion.
Instant noodles have been a staple since 1958. However, there are numerous unaddressed health issues with consuming these. Ramen noodles can take a while to digest, depending on a number of factors. For instance, how much water and what kind of noodles you eat could affect how long it takes for them to cook and, consequently, how long it takes for you to digest them.
The flavors and other additives in ramen noodles may affect how well you digest. For instance, spicy foods may cause heartburn or indigestion in some people. Fresh versus instant noodles differ in digestion rate.
The high sodium content of ramen noodles is one important factor contributing to their poor health. A packet of Ramen is equivalent to almost 2/3 of the daily sodium recommendation. The sodium claims we see in our food every day were explained in a Mayo Clinic article titled “Sodium: How to tame your salt habit.”
When you consume that much sodium in one sitting, your body overcompensates by retaining more water. As a result, you might gain a little bit of water weight and feel bloated and exhausted. Despite the fact that you’ll probably feel bloated, you probably won’t feel well-nourished. The ramen is practically the definition of empty calories. This is because it contains little protein and fiber and a lot of refined carbohydrates. Your blood sugar may rise and then fall if you consume too many refined carbohydrates. You become ravenous and prone to overeating as a result of this cycle, which causes weight gain.
According to the FDA, the main preservative in instant noodles is tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), which can harm organs if consumed regularly over an extended period of time and increase the risk of cancer. Propylene glycol is additionally added to instant noodles to help them maintain their texture even when cooked in boiling water. Tobacco products share the same ingredient. One block of fried noodles contains 14 grams of saturated fat, or nearly 40% of what your body needs each day, when combined with the broth. Some of this fat may be in the broth, which explains why it tastes so rich, but the vast majority comes from the noodles.
Eating Ramen every day will have extremely negative health effects. The same ingredients that make instant Ramen practically indestructible also make it difficult to digest; an instant Ramen meal may be especially challenging for your liver to process. If this buildup of fat is not reduced, your overworked liver may become damaged. When your liver is overworked, it starts to store fat in its own cells. If you stop to think about it, your body is working overtime to try and break down these preservatives.
The vast majority of healthy people can occasionally consume a bowl of instant ramen and digest it without any problems. But you should limit your consumption of instant Ramen. Quick Ramen’s comforting emulation of a bowl of chicken noodle soup is far from healthy. Even though eating “instant ramen” on the go can save you time, it is depriving you of a healthy life.
Cons of eating instant ramen
The main issue with instant noodles is that they take longer for the body to process, resulting in them remaining in the stomach for a longer amount of time.
The conflict might result in gastrointestinal problems like bloating, constipation, and indigestion.
Another issue is that prolonged stomach emptying reduces the amount of nutrients you consume.
Even though homemade and instant noodles have essentially the same ingredients, those with fewer preservatives and a faster digestion time will still be better for your body.
Digesting homemade vs. instant ramen noodles
Because homemade ramen has fewer preservatives, it digests more quickly and is simpler for the body to process.
Because instant ramen contains so many preservatives, it takes longer for them to break down in your stomach.
I’ll discuss how the length of the digestive process affects nutrient absorption and how healthy (or unhealthy) the noodles are in a moment.
Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), propylene glycol, vegetable oil, BPA, and corn syrup are all ingredients in instant noodles. The body finds it more difficult to digest the noodles quickly due to all of these ingredients.
The method used to make noodles, not the ramen noodles, is what makes them harder to digest. Homemade noodles are digested much faster for this reason.
According to studies, the body’s attempt to overcome the preservatives in instant ramen caused it to remain larger after 2 hours while fresh noodles had already begun to break down into a smaller mass.
The majority of studies on the digestion of ramen noodles found that homemade ramen noodles and noodles with fewer preservatives were digested fairly quickly.
This contradicts the widespread belief that all noodles digest slowly because 2 hours is thought to be about average.
However, preservative-laden instant noodles take much longer to digest.
It was noticed that the stomach had to work much harder, and that there seemed to be a process that repeatedly moved the noodles within the stomach. This causes more stomach issues.
Because the body must overcome the preservatives in instant noodles before it can begin proper digestion, it must work harder to digest them.
The type of noodles you consume also has an impact on digestion, and I’m not just referring to instant and homemade ramen.
Some types of wheat flour, buckwheat, wheat, and konjac yam take longer to digest than others when used to make ramen and other Japanese noodles.
Perhaps you’re unsure if you can continue to consume your preferred ramen noodles on a regular basis. The Japanese eat a lot of ramen, so it could be.
While ramen noodles aren’t necessarily harmful or bad for you, they’re also not very nourishing.
If you enjoy ramen noodles a lot, it is advised that you add some protein and vegetables to make a full meal.
How do I stop bloating after eating ramen?
I advise consuming high-fiber natural plant foods for a few days. Olive oil can also be used to lubricate the passageway. Drink a lot of water. Salads with nuts and seeds should also include live probiotic yogurt served with fruit.
