Instant noodles such as Mama Noodles are immensely popular in Thailand. They are cheap, easy to prepare and loved by young and old. These noodles are often seen as a quick meal option, perfect for busy days or when money is running low. However, despite their popularity, they contain harmful chemical ingredients that pose serious health risks, which requires awareness and caution when consumed.
When you look at the ingredient list of instant noodles, the chemical names immediately catch your eye. MSG (monosodium glutamate), TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone), and propylene glycol are some of the additives commonly used to improve flavor and extend shelf life. These substances, although approved for use in food, can have harmful effects if used regularly.
Harmful effects on the body
1. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): MSG is used to enhance the flavor of noodles, but it can cause some side effects, such as headaches, nausea, and heart palpitations. Long-term consumption can even lead to more serious health problems such as metabolic syndrome, obesity and neurotoxic effects.
2. Tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ): TBHQ is a preservative used to extend the shelf life of noodles. In high doses, TBHQ can lead to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, delirium and in some cases even loss of consciousness. Long-term exposure can cause damage to organs such as the liver and kidneys.
3. Propylene glycol: This substance is added to keep the noodles moist and flexible. Propylene glycol is also used in antifreeze and can have harmful effects on the nervous system and kidneys when consumed in large quantities.
Nutritional value
Besides the chemical ingredients, instant noodles also have low nutritional value. They often contain many calories, but few essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber. The high amount of sodium can contribute to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Long-term health consequences
The combination of chemical additives and poor nutritional value makes instant noodles an unhealthy choice for regular consumption. Studies have shown that people who regularly eat instant noodles are at a higher risk of developing conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. In addition, excessive sodium consumption can lead to chronic kidney disease and other health problems.
Conclusion
Although instant noodles seem like an easy and inexpensive meal option, the health risks associated with their consumption are significant. The chemical ingredients and low nutritional value make them a poor choice for anyone wanting to maintain a healthy diet. It is important to make conscious nutritional choices and opt for healthier alternatives that are both nutritious and safe for your body.
Sources:
1. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG):
• US National Library of Medicine – “Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and Other Sources of Glutamate Intolerance”: NCBI
• Mayo Clinic – “Monosodium glutamate (MSG): Is it harmful?”: Mayo Clinic
2. Tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ):
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) – “Tertiary Butylhydroquinone”: Pubchem
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – “Everything Added to Food in the United States (EAFUS)”: FDA
3. Propylene glycol:
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) – “Toxicological Profile for Propylene Glycol”: ATSDR
• US National Library of Medicine – “Propylene Glycol”: ToxNet
4. Nutritional value and health risks:
• Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health – “The Nutrition Source: Instant Noodles”: Harvard
• Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences – “Instant Noodles and Its Nutritional Impact”: ResearchGate
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
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– Fried food is unhealthy…
– Too much sugar is unhealthy…
– Ultra-processed foods (including our noodles) are unhealthy…
– Alcohol consumption is bad…
And we can go on like this for a while.
Eventually I don't know what we can eat anymore. Just about everything has been processed or sprayed (especially in Thailand).
I like those instant noodles, but I eat them in moderation. And as long as you don't overdo it, I don't think there will be anything wrong with it.
Most people have no idea what kind of junk they are putting into their mouths and therefore into their bodies. Ask someone if they are okay with cheap and bad motor oil being poured into their car. I already know the answer. Apparently people are being extremely careful.
So if people eat that junk, they shouldn't complain if sooner or later they develop serious health problems. Ultimately, what you put into it comes out.
It is of course true that what goes in comes out, but to say that sooner or later you may develop health problems from eating that junk, as you call it, and then you should not complain is also a bit simplistic.
We live in a very unhealthy environment with particulate matter in the air and medicine, micro plastics and toxic residues in both food and drinking water. The radiation is also free during flights and I certainly don't want to know what real junk was in the cigarette smoke that you inhaled as a young person in a smoke-infested living room during a birthday party and the beautiful colored sweets were probably not really healthy either. otherwise stricter legislation would not have been introduced.
I don't care what kind of oil goes into my car as long as it isn't all hyped up and unnecessarily expensive. It's just a car and a body (or life) has to endure much more while the latter dies later and later.
Happiness with good DNA is a blessing and the liver also knows what needs to be done and that's why I can't worry about it and I'm sure many others do. The traffic is also unpredictable just to name a side street.
Instant noodles are not on my menu, but is it really worse than a few slices of white bread with slices of ham or the breakfast cereal? Who hasn't grown up with it in the Netherlands?
https://www.consumentenbond.nl/voedingstests/ontbijtgranen
Dear Eric,
I certainly agree with your comment. Today, almost all food has indeed been processed, manipulated or sprayed. I don't want to know what I'm putting in my mouth. If you have to worry about that, we won't eat anything anymore.
What is much more important is to avoid excess. Feel free to eat your packet of noodles every now and then, feel free to drink your beer every now and then, but don't overdo it. This combined with the necessary exercise can do wonders for your body.
The concern about what you put in your mouth every day, with the associated mental anguish, may be much more harmful than those few milligrams of Monosodium Glutamate 😉
I have not read it in such detail yet, but I have known for many years that these types of noodles are unhealthy. And right here in Thailand, thousands eat this every day. If you see the shelves in the supermarkets, they are selling well.
You don't have to worry about it, just don't eat it. There is a department in the supermarket called the “vegetable department”. In addition to vegetables, you can also buy fruit there.
They will also have their disadvantages here in Thailand (sprayed?), but they are still much better than a bag of completely nutritionally worthless junk.
And then, like Eric, you can name a whole list of things that are also unhealthy, so according to his logic that can still be added, or not? No. Not with me.
Precisely BECAUSE there is already so much junk in the environment, a conscious choice of your diet is essential. I'm not saying that I know what is healthy and I certainly eat things that are not good. But when I walk into a supermarket or a Seven Eleven there is very little that I buy, because about 90% (7/11) is simply rubbish. And you can live well on what's left – in a supermarket or outside the regular market, not from a 7/11. If you had to live solely on what these stores offered, I think you would have a problem getting enough healthy food.
On the other hand, Eric is also right: my father was 91 when he died and I'm sure he never really lived a healthy lifestyle: he smoked, drank alcohol and didn't exactly eat healthily. But who knows, he might have lived to be 100 if he had lived a healthier life...
I know Thai people who eat this every day and also give it to their children. It is usually laziness and having little money for other food. Then try to explain that this is really rubbish and that you should avoid it. They are quite stubborn and often think that it is okay because it is for sale in the supermarket.
If it were really bad they wouldn't sell it anyway, I often get a refund.
You have to be able to read Thai to read the ingredients.
I sometimes eat them and am regularly told by my Thai friends that it is unhealthy.
So people know best. They don't eat those friends too often themselves. They say