Ramen noodles are a staple for many college students and busy professionals. They’re quick, easy, and relatively cheap. But how long do they take to digest? We answer that question and more in this blog post.
How Long Does It Take Instant Ramen Noodles To Digest
How long does it take ramen noodles to digest? Noodles digest like any other food, anywhere from 2 to 8 hours for the average person. Noodles will take about a day (24 hours) to travel through your digestive system.
The time it takes for ramen noodles to digest will depend on your body and whether the noodles are homemade or instant. Homemade ramen noodles will generally be digested quicker than instant ramen noodles.
Instant noodles are highly processed and can take up to two hours to break down in your stomach, interrupting normal digestion.
Simple carbohydrates, such as plain rice, pasta, or simple sugars, average between 30 and 60 minutes in the stomach
Why Do Instant ramen noodles take a long time to digest
It is debatable how long it takes to digest ramen noodles, as it depends on your body and whether the noodles are homemade or instant.
Instant noodles are often laden with preservatives and other additives, making them more difficult for the body to break down.
This is because noodles are high in carbohydrates and need to be broken down by the body before they can be absorbed.
Instant noodles are especially difficult to digest because they contain preservatives that prevent them from breaking down.
How are instant noodles made?
The main ingredients in instant noodles are flour, starch, water, salt, and kansui (alkaline mineral water containing sodium carbonate and usually potassium carbonate). Instant noodles are made by mixing the ingredients, rolling out the dough, cutting it into noodles, steaming them, drying them, frying them for a minute or two to remove moisture (dehydration), and then cooling them.
What’s in Instant Ramen noodles?
- Propylene Glycol: a liquid alcohol used to keep instant ramen’s texture. It’s also found in some cigarette products and antifreeze.
- Tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ): TBHQ is used as a preservative in the primary components of ramen noodles (wheat, flour, salt, and vegetable oil). It can also be found in fragrances, resins, lacquers, and biodiesel.
- MSG (monosodium glutamate): A sodium salt of glutamic acid imparts a savory flavor to meals. It can produce nausea, headaches, flushing, sweating, and heart palpitations as adverse effects.
- Sodium: One packet of instant ramen has 1,875 milligrams of sodium, much more than the daily recommended intake of 1500 mg!
- Canola, cottonseed, or palm oil can be used in instant ramen. While canola and cottonseed oils are both unsaturated, palm oil contains a much of saturated fat.
- BPA: Many instant ramen noodles are packaged in Styrofoam containers containing BPA, an endocrine disruptor. The BPA in the cup might leach into the noodles.BPA can destroy your metabolism.
- Corn Syrup: Corn syrup is a sweetener added to instant ramen to keep the noodles’ texture. It’s practically the same as adding sugar.
Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health discovered in 2014 that women who ate instant ramen noodles at least twice a week had a 68 percent higher risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that include high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar; obesity; and other risk factors for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
What happens to your body when you eat ramen noodles
When you eat ramen noodles, your body is bombarded with a lot of sodium. This can cause temporary water weight gain, leaving you feeling bloated and sluggish. But while you may feel bloated, chances are you won’t retain that much water weight.
The main preservative in Instant noodles is Tertiary-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), which can cause sickness and weaken organs if eaten in large amounts.
Instant ramen is a tasty, time-saving, and affordable meal option, but it’s not the healthiest.
Doctors believe that the processed components in ramen, as well as the high salt content and significant quantity of saturated fats, lead to high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, and an elevated risk of stroke, diabetes, and heart disease.
Along with increasing your risk for metabolic syndrome, weight gain, and heart failure, everyone’s favorite noodles can also lead to liver damage.
How To Make Ramen Noodles More Digestible
Drinking fluids, especially water or tea, during or after a meal aids digestion. Fluids help your body break down food, and water can help move food through your digestive system. It’s debatable how long it takes to digest ramen noodles, as it depends on your body and whether the noodles are homemade or instant.
I was able to consume both dishes fairly quickly, and apart from a slight, I found that attempting to prepare the Probiotic-friendly kimchi and tofu. Kimchi, a fermented Korean side dish, helps feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut for better digestion.
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