Healthwise
Tao is a self journey where nonlocal knowledge leads to wisdom, put it simply, the less the information is altered the more useful it is.
For example, a common deception used on a single serving item is to declare it as several servings to lower otherwise sensitive numbers on its nutrition label. This label has locality, as the method was not shared equally.
True, just eating plain instant noodles is not a balanced diet. However, the poor raps from the media need a complete rethink. Here are the main issues:
One way to be fair about this issue is to do a “fair use” comparison, i.e., a single serving is what people do for a meal, and most eat more than 2,000 calories a day.
A package of a typical Asian instant noodle has about 400 calories and 1800 mg. of sodium, a sodium/calories ratio of 4.5. For comparison, a can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup has only 156 calories but with 2290 mg of sodium, a ratio of 14.7, and to get just 400 calories of nourishment would mean 5800 mg of sodium!
The problem with low calorie-high sodium ratio foods is that even after eating several of these items together, you are still starved for calories but you have already eaten enough deitary sodium.
As for ramen noodle soups, they have about as much salts as a typical restaurant soup served in the same portion size anywhere you go. Try making your own soup from scratch…the first time I did it, it tasted really bland until I added more salt than I though it needed!
With instant noodles Asian style you also got a choice, i.e., just eat the noodles, which is quite favorable as the sodium is in the watery soup sauce and it is customary not to drink it up anyway.
These numbers are not really that big because people eats way more sodium than the Daily Value. The point is, if you also drink a lot of water, sodium (salt) is not a problem at all.
More…Our Health And Salts
Without always being labeled, MSG is added in most soups, salad dressings, and processed meats; in some crackers, bread, canned tuna fish, most frozen entrees, ice cream, and frozen yogurt. It is often used in “low fat” or “low salt” foods to make up for the flavor lost.
Glutamic acid or GLU (MSG - is the sodium salt of GLU) is a natural flavor enhancer and is one of twenty amino acids that make up human proteins; it is critical for proper cell function but not considered an essential nutrient because the body produces it. People consumes dietary GLU in excess amounts and the body removes it quite quickly.
Most proteins found in plants and animals contain from 5 to 25% GLU, it’s the most common amino acid in the human body and a major constituent of virtually every protein in the human body.
MSG is 99% pure hydrolyzed protein (glutamic acid) and the FDA does not require anything less than 99% pure be labeled as MSG. For instance, all hydrolyzed proteins (soy, corn, wheat, fish, meat, etc.) found mostly in natural flavor/flavorings, yeast extracts, caseinates, gelatins, gums, etc. - contain MSG, but is not indicated. In fact, pure MSG is extracted in yeast from fermented molasses.
There are no real ways to avoid MSG altogether. In instant noodles, the MSG is in the soup base, so you can skip drinking or using the soup stock and be fine.
When I was growing up, my mom used MSG quite a bit in cooking. In fact, in most places in the world, MSG is a common cooking spice really.
As far as scientific studies on the so-called MSG symptom complex, none really point a finger on MSG as the real cause for all those alarms.
Before I started these instant noodle reviews, I had consumed very little MSG in my diet for quite a while as I rarely eat any processed foods, including junk foods. My first bowl of instant noodle even with draining out most of the water gave me a slight buzz afterward. Within a week or two, my tolerant for it was almost back to normal. Your body quickly build up tolerant for MSG just as with many things that we eat, hot chili pepper, coffee, drugs, etc., that would quickly knock out any uninitiated.
Hey, everything that seems too good in life has a catch, i.e., sex, gambling, junk foods, etc. Drinking too much water at once is really bad too, you know… just moderation please.
Enjoy the status!
