Eating with fruits and vegetables can make instant noodles more nutritious.
Many people classify instant noodles with french fries and hamburgers as "junk food," but at the Sixth China Noodle Products Industry Conference recently held in Zhengzhou, Henan, experts pointed out that instant noodles are not only not "junk food," but also have relatively comprehensive nutritional components, containing all six major nutrients required by the human body.
Professor Hu Xiaosong, a doctoral supervisor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University, told reporters that instant noodles are often criticized and considered unhealthy for frequent consumption, mainly for the following reasons:
First, the high oil content, because most instant noodles use the method of frying to dry the noodle blocks. However, Professor Hu pointed out that compared with french fries and hamburgers, the oil content in instant noodles is not very high, with an average of about 16%-18% per serving, of which 11% is palm oil, a vegetable oil beneficial to human health, while the oil content in a hamburger averages around 30%, nearly double that of instant noodles.
Second, they contain certain additives. Professor Hu said that as soon as people mention additives, they become terrified, thinking they are substances harmful to health, which is a misconception. The food industry cannot do without additives such as thickeners and stabilizers. Currently, all additives permitted for use by the country have been strictly tested and proven to be harmless to the human body, so people can eat them with confidence.
Third, the issue of acrylamide, which has recently attracted much attention. Professor Hu pointed out that all starchy foods will produce this carcinogen during high-temperature cooking (over 120°C), so it is present in french fries and certainly also in instant noodles. However, their experiments have shown that the acrylamide content in instant noodles is very low, averaging 78 micrograms/kilogram, which is far below the World Health Organization's standard of no more than 1 milligram per kilogram of food.
Regarding the common belief that "instant noodles have no nutrition," Professor Hu quite disagrees. He said that as the production technology of instant noodles becomes more and more advanced, their nutritional content has also increased significantly. In the instant noodle block and the seasoning packet, all six major nutrients essential for the human body—water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins—are present, making the nutrition relatively comprehensive. The dehydrated vegetables in the seasoning packet basically retain the original nutritional value of the vegetables, but because the amount is small, the vitamin content in instant noodles is slightly insufficient. However, a balanced diet is based on the premise of reasonable food pairing. As long as you eat more vegetables, fruits, and other foods rich in vitamins when you have instant noodles, it will be fine. He also told reporters that new types of nutritious instant noodles are currently being developed both domestically and internationally, such as iodine or iron-fortified instant noodles, weight-loss instant noodles, and instant noodles suitable for diabetics, which will be able to meet the nutritional needs of different groups in the future.