Eating instant noodles by themselves can be quite bland. People have tried various pairings, with eggs, vegetables, and ham seeming to be the most common additions.
An associate professor from the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University stated that pairing instant noodles with vegetables is a very reasonable choice. Instant noodles are low in protein, so pairing them with eggs is also a good option. However, pairing instant noodles with ham sausage is not a wise choice. Both instant noodles and ham sausage contain a large amount of sodium. If consumed together, the sodium intake can become severely excessive. Regular consumption can easily lead to high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and can also make one more susceptible to colds and accelerate bone calcium loss. When pairing with eggs, it's best to avoid fried eggs, as instant noodles themselves are very high in oil, and one should try to avoid consuming even more oil.
Instant noodles, of course, come with seasonings. Most people choose to use all three of the included packets. However, the sauce packet that comes with instant noodles contains a large amount of oil, and the powder packet contains a large amount of salt. Fan Zhihong notes that the amount of oil and salt in one pack of instant noodles is equal to the total daily requirement for an average person. Therefore, it's best to use only 1/3 of the seasoning packets, or at most 1/2 if the flavor is too bland. It's also best not to drink the soup, as this can significantly reduce the intake of salt and oil. If you're concerned about the oil in the noodle cake, you can first rinse it with hot water, discard the water, and then add more hot water and the seasoning packets.
Health Tips
The daily salt intake for healthy adults should not exceed 6g. It is recommended to practice total control during cooking; if soy sauce is used (generally, 20ml of soy sauce contains 3g of salt), the amount of salt should be reduced proportionally. Add salt when the dish is almost cooked or just before serving, so that the dish will be flavorful even with less salt.