Momofuku Ando invented the pot noodle in 1958. They are frequently touted as a convenient and simple to prepare snack, consisting of dry noodles with dried veggies and flavorings.
The first thing to know about Pot Noodle – and indeed any meal that you can ‘simply add water to’ – is that the nutrition facts can be incredibly misleading and readily manipulated. Many people don’t try to work their way via the numbers on the pots since they are so perplexing.
The crucial figures inside this snack aren’t the ‘per pot’ data, which offer you a complete picture of what you’re consuming rather than the ‘per 100 g’ numbers. A pot noodle’s dry substance weighs under 100g before being hydrated. Once you add water to a dry item, it hydrates it while simultaneously diminishing the nutritional qualities and contents.
Like a Mars Bar whirled up in a mixer with some water, a Pot Noodle appears to have far fewer calories, sugar, and fat per 100g than it does in its ‘dry’ form.
Are pot noodles healthy?
The simple answer; Yes! They can be. On the other hand, Pot noodles are regarded as a nutritious meal? We looked into the various types of quick noodles to see if they were healthy or not. Here are a few of the most typical noodle pot ingredients:
- Noodles (rice or wheat): Although certain noodle pot brands employ rice noodles, most dehydrated noodles are made from wheat.
- Palm oil: Frequently used as a component in processed meals. It is heavy in saturated fats, although it also contains monounsaturated fats. Also, palm oil has been related to environmental issues due to the method used to harvest it. According to the UK government, adults should not take over 6g of salt each day.
- Maltodextrin: It’s a thickening ingredient used in a range of packaged foods that also serves as a preservative to extend the product’s shelf life. It has a high glycaemic index (GI), which can produce a blood sugar increase. It’s important to be aware of this, particularly if you have diabetes.
- Sugar: Added sugar is present in various foods, especially pot noodles. While it improves the taste of the food, it is bad for your health because it adds more calories and no nutrients to the dish.
- Dried veggies: Noodle pots might include dried peas, mushrooms, sweetcorn, mushrooms, onion, and carrots, depending on the flavor.
- Flavor enhancers: Herbs like chive, sage, cayenne pepper, and cumin are used to improve the flavor of the pot noodles. It also includes monosodium glutamate (MSG), which can be toxic in high doses. MSG has been associated with obesity, though more research is needed.
Are pot noodles fattening?
Pot noodles are heavy in fat as well. It’s due to vegetable oil, which serves as a binder and enhances the product’s mouthfeel.’ Corn or sunflower oil, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, is used in most manufactured meals. Omega-6 toxicity has been connected to cancer, stroke, immune system impairment, hormonal imbalance, and heart disease.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) classifies a high-fat product as having 20 grams of fat per 100 grams, and a glance at the ‘per pot’ statistics reveals that a pot includes 13.7 grams of fat, which is about a fifth of the daily recommended consumption for women and a seventh for men. That might not appear to be a big deal, though it’s worth considering how many calories in a Pot Noodle derive from fat.
To start, 1 g of fat contains 9 calories. The Pot Noodle has a total fat calorie count of 123. It suggests that fat makes up around 33% of the total calories. For a low-fat meal, fat amounts to roughly 20% of calories. If consuming a high-fat meal, this percentage rises to 40%. Moreover, saturated fats can make up 8-10 % of a balanced diet’s calories. Saturated fats make up about 16 percent of the calories in the Pot Noodle.
These values may not be significant if the individual consuming the Pot Noodle is a well-nourished healthy eater who only takes low-fat or salt dishes most of the time. But what are the chances that this is true?
Are pot noodles bad for you?
They’re not horrible if you only eat them once in a while; they’re just heavy in sodium and empty of nutrients, though as long as you’re eating largely good fats, vegetables, and clean protein sources, some few pot noodles won’t hurt. On the other hand, Pot Noodles have a surprisingly high-fat content due to oil usage as a binding material.
In the original Chicken and Mushroom type, one pot has 43 percent of the recommended daily saturated fat consumption for an adult person, with 8.5gout of the recommended 20g a day. Pot noodles could also raise your risk of metabolic syndrome, an illness that puts you at risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Every Pot Noodle (depending the flavor) contains 0.80g sodium and is in the center (1.99g salt). Despite this, the recommended daily sodium intake is 6 g, which indicates that every pot provides 33% of your normal salt intake. High blood pressure, a major cause of stroke and coronary heart disease, can be caused by a high salt diet. All of the pot noodle companies have great ratings.
High blood pressure can be caused by eating too much salt, which increases your risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke. In 2007, Pot Noodle’s manufacturers lowered the amount of sodium in all products by half, yet the salt levels remain excessive.
Pot noodles nutritional facts
| Nutrition facts | Original curry | King chicken & mushroom | Piri piri chicken |
|---|---|---|---|
| Units | 100g | 100g | 100g |
| Calories | 145 | 142 | 135 |
| Total Fat | 5.4g | 5.4g | 5.4g |
| Salt | 0.48g | 0.63g | 0.51g |
| Carbohydrates | 21g | 19g | 18g |
| Protein | 2.8g | 3.2g | 3.1g |
| Sugars | 2g | 1.2g | 0.9g |
| Fibre | 1.2g | 1.2g | 0.7g |
Pot noodles flavors
As their official website says, the Pot noodles flavord available are:
- Pot noodle king bombay bad boy
- Pot noodle king chow mein
- Pot noodle king chicken & mushroom
- Pot noodle king beef & tomato
- Pot noodle king original curry
- Pot noodle king sticky rib
- Pot noodle korma
- Pot noodle sweet & sour
- Pot noodle pulled pork
- Pot noodle piri piri chicken
- Lost the pot cheese & tomato
- And more….
How many calories are in a pot noodle?
Calories and nutrients in a single serving of pot noodles (1 serving=1 pot/300g)
But no one thinks they’re eating a nutritious meal when they glance down at such floating bits of dry, vegetable-like flakes. Pot Noodles, however, remain, and you all assume will continue to stay, a celebrated dish for less than a pound for each pot, and with a cooking procedure, you could probably train a very attentive dog to perfect. It’s a great staple for lazy people worldwide.