Hang in there, friends, three more weeks of school and we’ll be on spring break. If you’re tired of school, stressed, and wishing you could eat candy for lunch or sleep for two hours a day, don’t give up. If you are under pressure, I bet it would be tempting to cope with it all by bingeing and slacking off. Today, we’ll examine a popular all-nighter meal: ramen, the king of instant meals.
One of the most decried yet widely consumed meal options is instant noodles. They have countless varieties, are not only adaptable but also practical, affordable, and tasty. Let’s examine these ingredients from a nutritional standpoint to determine what exactly is unhealthy about ramen, such as whether it is the noodles, the seasoning, the dried vegetables, or the sodium.
Let me briefly introduce instant noodles before we get started. Instant noodles were first marketed in 1958 by Taiwanese-Japanese businessman Momofuku Ando. Because of their novelty and long shelf life, they were regarded as a luxury good. When they first gained popularity, surprisingly, they were sold for six times the price of fresh noodles!1 They were so well-liked that, in a poll conducted in Japan in 2000, ramen was chosen as the best Japanese invention of the 20th century. China, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, India, USA, South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, and Brazil are the top 10 countries that consume instant noodles, according to the World Instant Noodles Association. The lowest demand for instant noodles is found in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Hungary, where consumption is 200 times lower than in the US3
Now, it’s time for our main course. We are about to examine the factors that make instant noodles instantly delectable, instantly dangerous, and possibly instantly lifesaving. Boil your water and get out your styrofoam cup.
These are the ingredients in our favorite quick and affordable college ramen for dinner, lunch, or breakfast. Ramen noodles are primarily made of enriched flour, salt, water, and a number of additives, such as tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), a petroleum derivative used to preserve processed foods, according to Nissin Food. According to the Toxicology Data Network, TBHQ has long-term neurotoxic effects and vision disturbances in humans, which are intended to slow bacterial growth. Preservatives can be found in Chicken McNuggets, Pop-Tarts, M&M’s, etc. A butyl group, which is made up of four carbon atoms, is a component of TBHQ. Many harmless substances, such as butter, also contain butyl. When present in foods at the permitted levels, TBHQ is not harmful. For example, the FDA limit – 0. Since TBHQ does not accumulate in the body over time and only makes up 0.02 percent of the total oil or fat, you would need to consume more than 11 pounds of Chicken McNuggets to consume one gram of it. Therefore, you shouldn’t be too afraid of the preservative in instant noodles. The risk is minimal as long as you don’t inhale dozens of packs.
The main issue with instant noodles’ health, aside from preservatives, is their high sodium content. The FDA advises against consuming more than 2,300 mg of salt per day for an adult. More than half of this can be found in a pack of Top Ramen. Ramen’s distinctive umami flavor, or “tasty” in Japanese, is primarily due to the flavor enhancer and base ingredient monosodium glutamate (MSG). Although MSG has a reputation for being the “silent killer” in many of the foods we eat, it is actually a sodium salt of glutamic acid, which is only dangerous when consumed in excess. According to a 2008 NY Times article, scientists at the University of Toronto, who were celebrating the discovery of the glutamate flavor, said that while MSG exists in nature and tastes good at normal levels, large amounts at high concentrations taste strange and aren’t that healthy for you. There is a lot of misunderstanding and divergent viewpoints regarding the potential health risks of MSG. In the attached YouTube video, “Is MSG Bad for You?,” these misconceptions are dispelled. In conclusion, despite its poor reputation, MSG is generally safe for consumption.
Even though they can lead to cardiovascular disease if consumed in excess, instant noodles have improved the world’s health. Instant ramen was created in Japan after World War II to provide food for thousands of hungry victims. Since then, it has evolved into the 20th century’s go-to survival food. The purpose of instant noodles has been fulfilled by feeding countless starving children, mothers, workers, travelers, campers, people who lack the cooking skills, and of course, you.
TBHQ: Not Safe At Any Level
These “savory” noodles are laden with sodium and the dangerous preservative TBHQ (tertiary-butyl hydroquinone), and are therefore not at all healthy. In case you were curious, TBHQ is a petroleum industry byproduct that is used to preserve low-quality processed foods and is neither digestible nor healthy for the body. In lab rats, the chemical resulted in tumors and DNA damage at high doses.
Even though many foods contain TBHQ when you check the Nutrition Facts ingredient list when shopping, it is not safe to consume TBHQ at any concentration. Why is it legal to use this preservative in the foods we put inside our bodies and inside the bodies of our children if this chemical is not safe to ingest at any level?
The FDA limits TBHQ to no more than 0. 02 percent in a food. When an ingredient cannot be more than 0. 02 percent due to unidentified risks, it might be best to completely ban this chemical. What do you think?.
What effect does TBHQ have on your digestive system? Wouldn’t it make sense that a chemical that prevents oils from being broken down by natural processes might also affect our own bodies’ capacity to digest those compounds? Preservation and extended shelf life seem like good things at first, but what effect does TBHQ have on your digestive system?
We must all become lay scientists and independently examine the ingredients added to our foods if the FDA is going to allow synthetic chemical additives in them without conclusive testing. Be mindful of the potentially harmful synthetic chemicals used to reduce the cost or extend the shelf life of food products. If a food you like contains TBHQ or other artificial preservatives, think about switching to an organic substitute. Synthetic food preservatives don’t save much money, and any potential health risks are not worth it.
As a college student I rarely bothered to read the ingredients, but I am more conscientious about the foods I buy nowadays so I checked the ingredients before indulging. When I saw TBHQ in the list, I thought twice and checked to see if any alternatives were TBHQ-free. But all the instant ramen noodle options available at the store contained TBHQ as a preservative.
Tertiary butylhydroquinone, also known as TBHQ, is a synthetic chemical that is frequently added to processed foods like ramen noodles, microwave popcorn, chips, and crackers. By preventing the oils in those goods from going rancid as a result of exposure to light, heat, air, or microorganisms, TBHQ increases their shelf life. In other words, it alters the oils so that they no longer naturally degrade as they would otherwise. For the same reason, TBHQ is also included in paints, varnishes, insecticides, and cosmetic products.
(But TBHQ-free alternatives can be found if youre intentional about it. Goldfish, Whales, and Annies Homegrown Cheddar Bunnies do not contain TBHQ.)
What are the dangers of TBHQ?
Based on studies demonstrating that high doses of this ingredient can result in stomach tumors in lab animals, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set a limit for TBHQ in foods. The FDA limit for TBHQ is 0. 0.02% of a food item’s oil or fat content
Lab experiments have also shown that TBHQ can cause:
FAQ
Do ramen noodles have TBHQ?
The chemical tertiary butylhydroquinone, also referred to as TBHQ, is frequently found in instant ramen noodles. It’s a preservative used to make processed foods last longer on the shelf and keep them from spoiling.
Is there ramen without TBHQ?
One Culture Noodles One Culture is a tBHQ-free and MSG-free ramen, but it does contain added sugar, natural flavors, and a variety of other ingredients that you won’t find in Public Goods ramen.
What foods have TBHQ in them?
Foods like crackers, fats and oils, chips, donuts, some breads, popcorn, other snacks, pre-made frozen foods, and packaged dinners are frequently sources of TBHQ. The U. S. In 1972, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognized the use of TBHQ in foods as “Generally Recognized as Safe,” or “GRAS.”
What does TBHQ do to your body?
Additionally, cases of vision disturbances have been reported when people consume TBHQ, according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM). This organization also cites research showing that TBHQ causes lab animals to develop enlarged livers, neurotoxic effects, convulsions, and paralysis.