instant noodles do bring great convenience to people's lives, but there has never been a breakthrough in its nutrition. Eating instant noodles for a long time or too much can easily lead to unbalanced nutrition; In addition, the oil peroxidation, pollution and deterioration of instant noodles are often ignored.
> > Harm of eating too much instant noodles:
● 1. Unbalanced nutrition
The normal life activities of human body need seven elements: protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and cellulose. People who lack any of them for a long time will get sick. The main ingredient of instant noodles is carbohydrates, and the soup contains only a small amount of monosodium glutamate, salt and other condiments. Even various kinds of instant noodles such as chicken juice, beef juice and shrimp juice contain very little gravy, which is far from meeting the nutritional requirements we need every day.
the processing of instant noodles generally goes through the processes of wet noodles → steaming → frying → cooling → adding flavoring agent → packaging. In the process of ultra-high temperature steaming, frying and drying, the nutrients in flour are destroyed a lot, especially the vitamin B group. Studies by nutritionists show that thiamine loss is 29% ~ 6%, riboflavin and nicotinic acid loss is 23% ~ 25%, inorganic minerals loss is 7%, protein loss is 15.7%, fat loss is 42.6%, and carbohydrate loss is 2%. If it is cooked over temperature, the vitamin B family can still be preserved by 51%; If fried, the preservation rate of vitamin B group is almost zero. It can be seen that instant noodles have many conveniences, but because of their special processing technology, the nutrients in grain are greatly destroyed. Although people in the food industry try their best to improve the nutritional value of instant noodles and add ingredients such as egg slices, dried meat granules and dehydrated vegetables to the soup package, the total weight of instant noodle soup is only a few grams, and the nutrients it can provide are very limited. Therefore, from the nutritional analysis, instant noodles can only be used for temporary hunger, and can never be regarded as a staple food. Long-term consumption will cause malnutrition, such as dry skin, anemia, easy to catch a cold, dizziness, fatigue, emaciation, palpitation, listlessness, etc. In severe cases, nutritional deficiency such as weight loss and muscle atrophy may occur. Especially for children, if some effective measures are not taken to make up for its defects, it will inevitably affect their health. According to relevant surveys, among people who eat instant noodles for a long time, 6% are malnourished, 54% suffer from iron deficiency anemia, and 23% suffer from riboflavin (vitamin B2) deficiency. 16% people are short of zinc, and 2% people suffer from various eye diseases due to vitamin A deficiency.
● 2. Oil peroxidation
Although many instant noodles are claimed not to be fried, they will contain edible oil to some extent. Although it is sealed and packaged after drying, it is still not completely isolated from the air, and the micro-space on the plastic film still has certain permeability. If it is left for a long time, the oil in instant noodles will be oxidized and decomposed by air to produce toxic aldehyde peroxides. Acid value and peroxide value are important hygienic indexes of instant noodles. If the acid value is unqualified, it means that the oil in instant noodles has been oxidized and deteriorated, which will not only affect the digestion and absorption of human body, but also greatly reduce the taste and nutritional value. Instant noodles with a serious peroxide value exceeding the standard can cause vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms.
● 3. Contamination and deterioration
Although instant noodles originally have the characteristics of storage resistance, people always overestimate their quality assurance and always think that instant noodles will not have any deterioration problems. In fact, if the packaging of instant noodles is broken, tightly sealed and stored for too long, it may be contaminated by bacteria and poisons, which will also accelerate the oxidation and deterioration of instant noodles. People may get diseases such as acute gastroenteritis if they eat deteriorated instant noodles.
in short, for the sake of health, don't take instant noodles as the main food for dinner; It is harmless to eat instant noodles occasionally, but proper "feeding" can ensure that the body is not harmed.
> > Matters needing attention in purchasing instant noodles:
1. It depends on the manufacturer, and the quality, hygiene and taste can be guaranteed by choosing regular brand products.
2. depending on the date of production, try to buy the freshest products. the storage period of instant noodles should not exceed 6 months, otherwise they can't be eaten.
3. It depends on the ingredient list. On the one hand, it serves as a reference for taste selection; on the other hand, special attention should be paid to food additives in instant noodles.
4. Sensory index of instant noodles:
● A Color: It is the unique color of this variety, and there is no scorching or health phenomenon, and there may be a slight difference in depth between the positive and negative sides.
● B smell: normal smell, no musty smell or other peculiar smell.
● C shape: neat appearance and even pattern. There shall be no foreign bodies and cinders.
● D Cookability: After the noodles are rehydrated, there should be no obvious broken or drawn strips, and the taste is not raw or sticky.
> > Precautions for eating instant noodles:
1. Instant noodles are only suitable for emergencies, such as when it is inconvenient to eat temporarily or when you can't eat because of conditions. Eat it once a day at most, and you can't eat it every day.
2. If you like instant noodles or really need to eat instant noodles for a long time due to conditions, you should add some non-staple foods as appropriate to supplement the nutritional deficiency. Such as eating some sausages, beef jerky, preserved meat, floss, boiled eggs (about 1 grams), braised pork and so on.
you can also add some sesame oil or lard (about 25g) to the instant noodles, or use some raw fruits and vegetables, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, sweet potatoes, water chestnuts, lotus roots, bananas, pears, oranges, etc., in a quantity of about 25g to 3g.
3. The seasoning package of instant noodles is usually high in oil, salt, monosodium glutamate and other ingredients, so it is best not to put all of it. Just put half of it and add some healthier condiments, which will not only have a better flavor, but also make you feel more at ease.
4. People with gastrointestinal diseases, poor appetite and malabsorption had better not eat instant noodles. In a word, instant noodles, as a kind of convenient food, are not harmful to health if eaten occasionally, but will be harmful to health if eaten frequently.
5. In summer, the preservation of instant noodles is generally suitable for one month; It can be stored for three months in winter. During storage, it should be placed in a cool and low humidity place to avoid direct sunlight to avoid oxidation of oil. After the instant noodles are opened, it is best to eat them all at once, so as to avoid the oxidation deterioration of the noodles in the air or the pollution caused by cockroaches.
> > Food additives in instant noodles:
● Salt: A packet of instant noodles contains about 6 grams of salt. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the daily salt should not exceed 6 grams, and a packet has already reached this figure. The salt content of instant noodles is obviously high, and eating too much salt is prone to hypertension and aggravates the burden on the kidneys.
● Phosphate: It is widely used to improve the taste of instant noodles. However, too much phosphorus intake will make the calcium in the body unable to be fully utilized and accelerate its excretion, which will easily lead to osteoporosis, tooth loss, bone deformation and even fractures.
● Grease: Most instant noodles are fried, which can reduce the moisture in the noodles and prolong the shelf life. However, these oils become "lipid peroxide" after oxidation, which accumulates in blood vessels or other organs, accelerates the aging of people, and causes atherosclerosis, easily leading to cerebral hemorrhage, coronary heart disease, kidney disease and so on.
● Antioxidant: Instant noodles are made to consumers for a short period of one or two months, and for a long time of one or two years. Antioxidants and other chemicals added in the instant noodles are slowly deteriorating, which is harmful to human body.
It should be said that qualified convenience is harmless to human body, but experts suggest that it is better to eat less or not to eat instant noodles. In case of eating, don't exceed two packs a week. In order to prevent and reduce the harm to the human body, when eating instant noodles, you can pour out the soup in the bubble and add boiled water or other soup to reduce the salt and other harmful substances. Furthermore, when eating instant noodles, you can add some colorful vegetables rich in vitamins such as spinach and green peppers to the noodles in order to reduce the harm of various additives to the human body. Especially in special circumstances (such as busy work, trouble cooking in hot weather, etc.), when you need to eat instant noodles for a long time, you should pay attention to supplementing nutritious foods such as fruits, fresh eggs, vegetables and aquatic products; In addition, it is best to buy instant noodles as you eat, and the storage time should not be too long. Buy them home and put them in a cool and dry place to avoid oil oxidation.
> > Classification of instant noodles
Instant noodles are flour food with wheat flour, buckwheat flour, mung bean flour, rice flour, etc. as main raw materials, adding salt or flour improver, adding appropriate amount of water, concocting, calendering, molding, steaming, frying or drying to reach a certain maturity. According to different production processes, it can be divided into two categories.
● 1. Fried instant noodles: instant noodles fried and dehydrated by edible oil. The noodles of fried instant noodles are made by frying with palm oil or other edible oil. The noodles are golden in color and crispy. After being brewed with hot water, the flavor is rich and attractive. Its disadvantages are large oil absorption and short storage period, and generally it begins to produce rancidity after more than 3 months.
● 2. Non-fried instant noodles: instant noodles dried by quick freezing, microwave drying and vacuum drying (short for non-fried noodles). Non-fried instant noodles refer to instant noodles dried by hot air, also called corrugated noodles, which must be boiled before eating.