Is Your Ramen Ruining Your Health? (2024)

FAQs

Is Your Ramen Ruining Your Health? ›

Though instant ramen noodles provide iron, B vitamins and manganese, they lack fiber, protein and other crucial vitamins and minerals. Additionally, their MSG, TBHQ and high sodium contents may negatively affect health, such as by increasing your risk of heart disease, stomach cancer and metabolic syndrome.

Ramen is not inherently unhealthy, but the flavor packet provided in instant ramen does contain high amounts of sodium. Diets high in sodium are associated with an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, a leading cause of stroke and heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thus, Japanese ramen has high fat, carbohydrate, and sodium content, just like most noodle foods. It poses a major risk of weight gain due to its high-calorie content. However, as long as you are mindful of how many calories you consume each day, you can eat one or two average-sized bowls of each meal.

1 packet is half your daily sodium allowance. Two is a full day's worth of sodium in one sitting. If you go light on the sodium for the rest of the day you'll be fine but you don't want to do it all the time.

The Bottom Line. In moderation, including instant noodles in your diet likely won't come with any negative health effects. However, they are low in nutrients, so don't use them as a staple in your diet. What's more, frequent consumption is linked to poor diet quality and an increased risk of metabolic syndrome.

Instant ramen noodles are very high in sodium, with one package containing 1,760 mg of sodium, or 88% of the 2-gram recommendation suggested by the WHO. Consuming just one package of ramen noodles per day would make it very difficult to keep sodium intake close to the current dietary recommendations.

The ideal frequency is between two to three times a week only. They should not be consumed solely, since the dish itself lacks certain key nutrition groups such as protein and fiber, leaving a risk of having malnutrition if consumed in the long term.

The culprit is the highly processed ingredients like saturated fat and high sodium. They contribute to high blood sugar, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Shio is considered a healthier ramen because of the thinner broth. Instead of the flavor from fat in the liquid, it comes from salt and other seasonings. Keep it low in calories by minimizing the fatty toppings or adding more vegetables to your noodles.

Sugar (via ramen noodles) takes the crown in terms of heart disease risk and other issues. In the same regard, there are many foods that have a ton of sodium in them that are unhealthier than ramen. This includes burritos and pizza, for example. With this in mind, the sodium in ramen soup is the least of my concerns.

Why do Koreans eat so much ramen? ›

But recently, a study in Korea proved how unhealthy eating a lot of instant noodles is. 💢That was the first key to its success, it was the ideal dish to feed simple working people, who had little time to stop and eat. They are also very complete recipes, nutritionally speaking, and there are options for all tastes.

A 2017 study in Nutrition Research and Practice found that frequent consumption of instant noodles like ramen is associated with a higher risk of cardiometabolic risk factors, like higher triglyceride levels and higher blood pressure.

The fat in ramen noodles is high because the noodles are fried during the manufacturing process. A half package of ramen contains 10 grams of fat, including 5 grams of saturated fat. Saturated fat in the diet raises cholesterol levels and contributes to cardiovascular disease.

Pasta is made from grain, one of the basic food groups in a healthy diet that also can include vegetables, fruits, fish, and poultry. It's a good source of energy and can give you fiber, too, if it's made from whole grain. That can help with stomach problems and may help lower cholesterol.

Metabolic syndrome comprising conditions that escalate the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes can be provoked by consistent consumption of instant noodles. These noodles are not only high in sodium content but contain unhealthy fats and refined carbohydrates which is extremely bad for your heart's health.

The Maggi Extra Delicious 2-minute Noodles range is a better choice than anything else we found (they still contain a lot of sodium at 970mg per serve). Look for the blue 'baked not fried' symbol as the packaging is quite similar to Maggi's standard noodles which are fried and significantly higher in fat and sodium.

A typical bowl of tonkotsu ramen has about 900 calories per bowl, but some stretch far beyond 1,000 calories at certain restaurants. Most of the calories in this meal come from the noodles and the tremendous amount of fat in the meat. The broth alone takes in all the fat, making it a scrumptious choice.

The only thing that quick noodles and ramen have in common is that they are both noodle soups. Ramen is created from scratch, whereas instant noodles are made from a wide selection of prefabricated noodles. Think about it the next time you name something ramen.