Instant noodles have long been a popular choice for many people due to their convenience, affordability, and quick preparation time. However, behind this convenience, this type of food poses potential health risks if consumed regularly.
Limited Nutritional Value
In reality, all instant noodles are composed of two main ingredients: carbohydrates and salt. They contain little fiber or protein, two nutrients that help you feel full for longer.
Therefore, ironically, you eat instant noodles to satisfy your hunger, but in the end, they are not something that can keep you full for long. You will get hungry again very quickly after eating noodles for a few hours.
Abbey Sharp, a Toronto-based registered dietitian and author of the cookbook "Mindful Glow: Radiant Recipes for Being the Healthiest, Happiest You," says instant noodles are very low in micronutrients, meaning they won't provide you with vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants.
This is also true for cooked noodles, the kind you can't just pour boiling water over but need to cook to eat.
Excessive Salt Intake
Going back to carbohydrates and salt, if you are hungry and want to buy a cup of noodles to eat, depending on the manufacturer, each cup or pack of noodles will contain approximately 1,150 mg of salt or more. "That's an extremely high amount of salt," says Jim White, another registered dietitian in the United States.
According to the Dietary Guidelines recommended by the U.S. government, an adult should not eat more than 2,300mg of salt per day. Thus, with just 2 cups of instant noodles, you will exceed this limit, not to mention that college students often have a habit of snacking on other foods that are also high in salt, such as potato chips, skewers, hot dogs, etc.
Consuming too much salt over a long period of time increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. But in the short term, it will lead to the body retaining water. And water retention means weight gain, and your limbs or even your face will tend to swell as if they were swollen. You will also tend to feel bloated, gassy, sluggish, and lethargic because of it.
According to a study by the University of North Carolina, USA, excess salt can also cause headaches and constipation. This happens after the body becomes dehydrated - eating a lot of noodles but not replenishing enough water - especially when combined with drinks such as beer, energy drinks, or alcohol. Dehydration will impair students' cognitive function and physical performance.
Eating a lot of instant noodles will definitely not be good for your memory and concentration, things that a student needs a lot of before an exam or test day.
Lack of Nutrients
According to Healthline, most instant noodle products are made from wheat flour, vegetable oil, and flavorings that have been steamed, dried, or pre-fried. Although some manufacturers do add some vitamins and minerals, instant noodles still lack many essential nutrients like protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, B12, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Notably, this type of food also lacks the antioxidants and phytonutrients that are beneficial to health found in fresh foods.
What else? White says instant noodles are also a food that is high in MSG and TBHQ. MSG, also known as monosodium glutamate, is a non-essential amino acid, meaning that our bodies do not need it. However, MSG is an essential flavoring for instant noodles; if manufacturers didn't put MSG in it, instant noodles would taste like nothing.
Although today's health authorities all say MSG in food is safe, some people with "Chinese restaurant syndrome" will still feel nauseous, have headaches, or feel dizzy when they eat MSG.
TBHQ, short for a compound called tert-Butylhydroquinone found in instant noodles, is also said to be safe. But consuming high doses of TBHQ can lead to a number of health problems, including brain toxicity.
Going back to a key ingredient in instant noodles: carbohydrates. Sharp says the carbohydrates in instant noodles are refined carbs, meaning all the fiber in them has been filtered out. Research shows that consuming a lot of refined carbs leads to weight gain and type 2 diabetes.
If there is anything that could save instant noodles, it is the fact that they contain two micronutrients, riboflavin, and thiamine, although in very, very small amounts. Instant noodles also contain little sugar.
But with the high salt, high carbohydrate content, nutritionists advise that you should not eat instant noodles regularly. Eating just 1 pack of noodles each day can lead to weight gain, dry mouth, dehydration, and more loss of concentration and lethargy than a balanced nutritional state should.
Therefore, the key point here is to be aware of the amount of salt in instant noodles, to be aware of the cognitive effects it can have on you the next day. "All foods should be eaten in moderation," says White.
For a food as low in nutrients as instant noodles, you should eat as little as possible.