This story has been updated since it was originally posted on 01/28/2022
Unfortunately, it often turns out that many of the foods that are the most convenient to eat can be the most detrimental to our overall health. Especially if you’re trying to lose weight, health experts say it’s a good idea to cut highly processed, salty foods out of your diet, including one popular item: dehydrated noodles. Say it ain’t so!
While many of us lived on processed foods like Top Ramen and other dehydrated pasta meals during our college years and early twenties, health experts warn that these easy foods should be avoided due to their high-sodium, inflammation-causing contents. These factors, as well as others, can lead to bloating and stomach fat. Ah, to be back in our twenties again would be so sweet!
To learn more about why you should kick your Ramen habit to the curb if you want to shrink your waistline, we spoke to Lisa Richards, certified nutritional coach and creator of The Candida Diet, and Nataly Komova, RD and fitness expert. Find all of their insight below!
Prepackaged Ramen
"These meals may have been a good source of calories in your twenties, but after the age of 40 you should reconsider making them a regular part of your diet," Richards tells us. "It is fully understood that these meals are full of sodium, which can cause inflammation, bloating, high blood pressure, abdominal fat, and other health concerns." Yikes!
But that's not all. The quality of the carbohydrates is an important factor to consider as well, she explains, noting that this can lead to digestive issues: "This pasta is highly processed and inflammatory which can lead to gut dysbiosis and bloating." Gut dysbiosis is when the bacteria in your GI tract becomes unbalanced, and the symptoms of which are bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and stomach cramps.
Processed noodles like Top Ramen can contribute to weight gain, too. "This high calorie levels can trigger fat retention or accumulation in the belly as the pancreas tends to store more," Komova points out. "Ramen noodles are also low in essential nutrients like proteins and fiber," she says, noting that "lack of these macronutrients in your body can make you eat more, translating to added calories as proteins and fiber enhance fullness feelings, and lower hunger."
Richards agrees. "Because of their ultra-processed nature, the body will process these carbs quickly and store much of them as fat," she says. "You will also find that you are hungry soon after eating, which will leave you eating again and likely overeating on calories overall." And, unlike in college, you can't get away with that snacking quite as easily anymore!
Luckily, there are plenty of healthy alternatives. "I recommend you replace prepacked processed noodles with better alternatives like spiralized vegetables, cabbage noodles, sob noodles, quinoa pasta, black bean noodles, red lentils noodles and whole-wheat pasta," Komova concludes. Yum!
