In a busy world, eating instant noodles provides a quick relief to hunger, especially when you are in the middle of an important task and have no time to cook or get a quick healthy bite. With just the addition of hot water, there goes your meal of scrumptious instant noodles. Eating instant noodles, however, has its potentially dangerous health risks. You never know how the dangers of eating instant noodles can greatly affect your life, just as soon as your mouth touches that meal you consider tasty.
Instant Noodles and Your Digestive System
One of the dangers of eating instant noodles is that it is very hard to digest. Even after two whole hours of consuming it, it stays incredibly intact in your digestive system. This can be such a strain to your system, since it will work very hard to just break down what you have eaten. Your body’s other functions will be disrupted, because your digestive system will prioritize breaking the noodles down first. Your blood sugar levels will not be stable and releasing insulin will become a problem. As the noodles stay in your stomach for an extended period, the other nutrients in your body will not be absorbed properly.
TBHQ, Noodle Preservative
TBHQ, short for tertiary butyl hydroquinone, is a noodle preservative that promotes the shelf life of a product. It inhibits fat and oil oxidation, which is why life of a product is extended. It is also a synthetic chemical, which has properties like that of an antioxidant. For a maximum of 0.5mg per kilogram of body weight, TBHQ is relatively safe for consumption. While there are safe limits, it was proven that even a gram of TBHQ can cause:
- Tinnitus or ringing in the ears
- Collapse
- Delirium
- Sense of suffocation
- Nausea and vomiting
Instant Noodles and Metabolic Syndrome
There has been a link shown between eating instant noodles and metabolic syndrome. The consumption of instant noodles for more than twice for the duration of seven days can lead to metabolic syndrome. If you eat more instant noodles, you are at a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome compared to others who eat less, no matter how much you exercise and eat healthy foods. Metabolic syndrome is a group of natural and physical abnormalities closely linked to the development of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These include the following symptoms:
- Elevated blood pressure
- Elevated fasting triglycerides
- Central obesity
- Elevated fasting blood sugar, and
- Low levels of HDL cholesterol
Instant Noodles Nutrition Facts
Instant noodles will not make you any healthier. Consumers will have lower intake of important nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, niacin, iron, vitamin A, protein, potassium, and vitamin C, to begin with. Unhealthy fats, sodium, and energy are just what they are particularly high in. There is nothing more to be expected of this dish when you know that the main ingredients are just palm oil, salt, and wheat flour. Monosodium glutamate or MSG is also an ingredient with most of the instant noodles today. A powerful excitotoxin, MSG overexcites the nerve cells in your body. This can lead to damage or death of those cells, causing brain dysfunction and difficulty in learning.
While eating instant noodles may be something you are used to doing, with these pieces of information, it is time to avoid eating them as much as possible.
