Here’s The Truth In Two Minutes About Your Favourite Instant Noodles

Preparing a healthy meal for your family- that is both healthy and tasty is quite an art. And as parents, striving to get the healthiest food on our child’s plates, we at KSP know exactly what it means. With more than 51 weekly meal plans and various recipes for picky eaters and toddlers, we help you win the meal battle at home. But there are days, we all give in to temptations and make ourselves a packet of instant noodles- just because we are too stressed and tired after a long day at work.

But did you really know why instant noodles that taste so good aren’t quite so on the health front? We tell you today.

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What goes into the making of instant noodles? 

Instant noodles that use wheat flour and wheat gluten as their main ingredients. Also, the process involved in making your favourite instant noodles is something parents of young kids must know about. After the sheeting, slitting, randomizing and cutting of the noodles to the desired texture, there is a step involved where the noodles are fried, before they are cooled and packed. The next time- you say no to your child for a packet of deep fried potato chips, take a minute to think what you are saying yes to.

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Deep fried vs Vacuum Dried vs Air Dried Noodles 

The difference in the noodles available in the market is mainly by the method in which they are dried and cooled before packaging. The method employed also determines the shelf life and the percentage of fat content in the noodles. Here are some interesting statistics about the various instant noodles from Asian Noodles – Science, technology, and Processing by Gary G. Hou and Asian Noodle Technology by Guoquan Hou.

The percentage of fat content in deep fried noodles is a staggering 15-24% (varies as per the brand). While vacuum dried noodles have a fat content of 6-8%, air dried noodles have a fat content of 1-2% and have much longer shelf lives.

If you are the type who notes the label contents before buying products off the shelf, you might need to take a look at this, the next time you shop.

So why are instant noodles not preferred?

As much as you would love to have it as a snack or a backup option on a tiring day, try not to put instant noodles on your child’s plate or tiffin box too often. The high gluten and fat content and the fact that they are low in fibre- is something parents need to remind themselves more often. Take a look at KSPMealPlans for a vast collection of recipes from breakfast to dinner- ideas to please everyone in the family.

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Here’s what you can do instead:

• Opt in for more healthier options for your child’s school tiffin and evening snack.
• Introduce healthy fruits and vegetables and present them in a manner your child can’t say no to.
• Try a bowl of healthy and nutritious oats- that’s loaded with the goodness of fibre for everyone in the family.
• Start the day on a healthy note with a steaming bowl of fresh oats, or try to have a bowl of overnight and chilled oats to give your diet a nutritious twist.

This post is written in association with Saffola Oats

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