Are Cup Noodles and Ramen Bad for You? Origins and Fun Facts.

Will the Noodles or Cup Noodles make you fat? Its make bad? Does it give you Cancer? Are Cup Noodles healthy or full of calories? In this article, we are going to talk a little about this traditional Japanese instant noodles, some curiosities and their dangers.

Cup noodles and instant noodles is one of Japan's greatest inventions that has spread all over the world. In Japan there are thousands of different flavors and they are much more filling compared to the ones sold in Brazil.

It is consumed by a large part of the Japanese population, due to its low price and short preparation time. It is mostly consumed by busy people or Neets.

Some people mistakenly think that instant ramen is healthy just because it is made in Japan and is full of vegetables. Like most industrialized products, Cup noodles and Japanese instant noodles also have their dangers.

History of Cup Noodles and Instant Noodles

Instant noodles were invented in 1958 by Momofuku Ando (1910–2007), a Taiwanese-Japanese businessman, founder of the Nissin company. Ando has developed some pre-cooked and dehydrated noodles with chicken flavors.

On September 18, 1970, Ando opened a subsidiary company to sell his instant noodles in the United States, as in that country they were not used to the traditional packaging of this food.

Ando created a large reusable polystyrene cup that just needed hot water and waiting. The product's acceptance prompted Ando to create a subsidiary company called Cup Noodles to sell instant noodles abroad.

Cup noodles

Dangers of Cup Noodles

Why are Cup Noodles dangerous? All due to their manufacturing process. The goal of the factories is to create a dehydrated, long-lasting noodle that cooks in just a few minutes.

To meet these requirements, it is fried in oil and its dehydrated soup has much more fat and sodium in addition to monosodium glutamate (MSG) and several other preservatives and chemical components.

The real danger lies in the high sodium content, having more than 1060mg and 13g of fat. A Cup Noodle has about 380 calories, with 126 just fat and the rest white flour. The seasoning and instant noodle soup is largely responsible.

I think everyone should know the danger of sodium that causes pressure and ulcer problems. Monosodium Glutamate, used to mask and enhance the flavor of ingredients, can cause headaches, nausea and burning in some people.

After 20 years this can even help to develop cancer. We don't even need to talk about fat. That is, eating Cup Noodles once in a while will not kill you, only if you eat too much. Who will be eating non-stop for 20 years?

You don't have to be afraid to eat Cup Noodles , it's probably much healthier than having a hamburger or pizza every week, as many have done today. The dangers of instant ramen are the same as any medicine on its label.

The dangers of eating instant ramen and cup noodles

Alternatives to Cup Noodles

Just like we can't stop drinking sodas, eating snacks or meat, CUP Noodles don't need to be avoided 100%, just have balance. Among all Cup Noodles, one of the healthiest is the chicken with vegetables that has only 290 calories.

You can also resort to other types of instant noodles without seasoning and ingredients. You can season and stuff it yourself in a natural way with products you buy. You can buy, for example, a miso or shoyo paste to season it.

Also note that instant products take longer to prepare, the longer they take the healthier they should be. Also buy other noodles that are not fried in oil.

If you live in Japan, it's much better to go to a ramen, soba or original udon restaurant instead of eating instant and industrialized products. 

The dangers of eating instant ramen and cup noodles

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The Cup Noodles Museum

Of course, we're not just going to talk about bad things here, everything is bad these days, it's okay to eat once in a while. If you're visiting Japan in Tokyo, we recommend heading to nearby Yokohama to visit the Cup Noodles Museum.

The Cup Noodles Museum is located in Yokohama. Minato Mirai It is quite popular among children and families. The museum tells the whole story of Nissin and its creations. Momofuku Ando, founder of Nissin, drastically changed the Japanese diet.

Instant noodles are now a worldwide sensation. It was considered the most important Japanese invention of the 20th century. The museum showcases all inventions from the year 1958 to the present.

Cup noodles and miojo - is it bad for you? Origin and curiosities

Create your own noodles

The museum allows visitors to create their own noodle cup, choosing the seasoning, ingredients, etc. Imagine how wonderful it must be to invent your own flavor and fill it with ingredients? The best part is that you can take it home, no need to consume it right away. The video below shows a great adventure in the museum:

The entrance fee is 500 yen for adults and free for children, you can use the ticket for reentry throughout the day. To create your own Cup Noodles you pay 300 yen. The museum also has a restaurant on the top floor, where you can taste different noodles from various countries.

Differences between ramen and noodles

Noodles is an industrial instant noodle that promises to bring the taste of ramen to your home. Despite the attempts, the Noodles will never even get close to a ramen handmade and original.

The ramen handmade takes hours and hours to be ready, while the noodles are made in just 5 minutes. just one sauce ramen it can take up to 20 hours to get ready. not even the Cup Noodles comes close to one ramen.

Ramen - curiosities and recipe

The ramen it has a totally different texture, aroma and flavor, a completely unique sauce and not that sachet of seasoning that comes with instant noodles. It takes a lot to make a ramen.

If you want to make a natural ramen, we recommend knowing the course Gourmet Ramen clicking here. This course teaches you step by step how to create a perfect ramen. There are more than 5 types of ramen that you will learn.

Types of Korean Ramen

Do you know Cup Noodles or Korean ramen? They are much superior to the national ones, with a unique flavor and great cost/benefit. This type of noodle is very easy to prepare and delicious.

The national ramens do not have the same texture and flavor as the Korean Lamens, for this reason, Korean Lamens are becoming increasingly successful in Brazil.

The most famous Korean brand in the world is Nong Shim that has lamens well spiced that are very popular such as: Shin Ramyun, Shin Cup, Kimchi Ramyun, Yuguejang and others. Some noodles from the brand Paldo have a special packaging that allows you to prepare your Ramen in minutes in your Microwave.

Korean lamens and promotion at konbini store

One of the best known is the Shin Ramyeon, where the word shin means spicy, but it's not as spicy as it seems. Other spicy flavors are jin ramen, Paldo Rabokki, Nongshim Jinjja Jinjja... Other interesting flavors are jalapeno with chicken.

Apart from the super spicy ones, there are flavors no pepper which is the case of Oolongmen with flavors of Chicken, Meat and Seafood. Another popular flavor is Chajanmen which is not spicy and is made with black beans and has a sweeter taste, it is very popular in South Korea.

In addition, it has the traditional cup-shaped lamens, very practical for preparation, as you already have the correct container to prepare your Ramen, Chicken and Shrimp Lamens are great options with almost no pepper. Other interesting and popular flavors are udon, neoguri, champ pong, shrimp and others. There are even vegetarian options.

Korean lamens and promotion at konbini store

Flavors of Cup Noodles IN Japan

To finish the article we will leave a complete list of Cup Noodles flavors below:

  • Pumpkin
  • Cooked shrimp oil
  • China Furong Crab
  • Pot meat;
  • chile with tomato
  • Chowder
  • chicken barbecue
  • Spicy Pork Ribs
  • Ribs grilled in black soy sauce;
  • Brazilian Cup Noodle (in celebration of the cup, seafood flavor)
  • Cup Noodle China (Oyster Taste with Soy Sauce)
  • Miso Cup Noodle
  • Italian Cup Noodle
  • Cup Noodle X (secret flavor)
  • Italian Curry
  • Ebichiri (a shrimp sauce);
  • bolognese style
  • Singapore Laksa Style (Coconut Milk + Soup)
  • Spicy chicken curry
  • soft creamy chicken
  • Seafood
  • Hayashi
  • Hot Chili Pepper
  • Rice noodle;
  • Shellfish
  • Mie goreng (Indonesian dish)
  • Soy sauce
  • Japanese cod roe;
  • dry red pepper
  • Italian pizza
  • Roast pork and soy sauce
  • cheese with garlic
  • Risotto
  • Chizukare Flavor (Cheese with Curry)
  • Curry flavor;
  • Hong Kong flavor;
  • Brazilian chicken flavor
  • Ratatouille flavor
  • Salt Flavor (various types)
  • vegetable flavor
  • Wasabi Flavor and Mayonnaise;
  • Yakisoba flavor
  • Shark fin soup;
  • turtle soup
  • Tofu
  • tomato only
  • Tonkatsu
  • Tonkotsu
  • Bacon with soy sauce
  • Vongole (molluscs)
  • Yum Goong

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