Instant Ramen noodles is known by many individuals as a cheap food you can buy in bulk and can cook fast and easily. The average consumer is often drawn to products like these, which are cheap and seemingly have little downside when compared to the convenience. But this meal, as many health food advocates already know, is the complete opposite of healthy.
It’s easy to point out that processed foods like these are not only empty calories with no nutritional value, but are also full of chemicals and additives that cause numerous health issues – all while inhibiting digestion.
What’s really going into your body (and going on inside) when you eat instant Ramen?
- MSG is the well known additive that can make otherwise bland or even disgusting foods taste good. This is plainly found in many different processed foods, and can cause long term damage to your heart and nervous system, and may be responsible for headaches, nausea, and even numbness. Some labels will not have MSG explicitly labeled, so you have to be aware of the numerous names it can be hidden under – you can find this information in our free food additives guide. Other ingredients like disodium guanylate are paired with MSG to have a synergistic effect, and may appear on labels to dissuade people from thinking MSG isn’t present in the food, but it is.
- Tertiary Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is a petroleum-based preservative used to increase the shelf life of foods. While the FDA says it’s safe to use, it has a number of reported side effects. It is also found in cosmetics and some paints, as well as hundreds of processed food.
- Sodium. While certain types of unprocessed salts are essential for your body, the salts in instant noodles and most processed foods is the type of chemical salt that is less than ideal. Additionally, the soy sauce added to most instant noodles can add to sodium intake while having a negative impact on your hormones.
- Unhealthy vegetable oils can negatively impact your cardiovascular system, and sometimes even corn syrup is added to instant Ramen.
Here is a video showing the difference between whole foods and processed foods and how they impact our internal system differently. The results are disturbing to say the least. The inclusion of many chemical additives and flavor enhancers often give an illusion to the tastebuds, making you think you ate something simply delicious, but on the inside this food is practically intolerable to the body.
Instant noodles are not the only perpetrator; there are hundreds of foods which share the same ingredients as Ramen that have the same illusion of being cheap and delicious. So make sure to do your homework on what you’re really eating.
Additional Sources:
Forums.CharBroil
Yahoo
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