The best food to eat when hiking is first and foremost your favorite food, after hours of arduous trekking.
Ideally, this backpack food should also have a good balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat, as well as plenty of vitamins and minerals.
Because of its easy carrying, cooking and affordable price, instant noodles are an essential food for many hiking, mountaineering, camping, and adventure enthusiasts, but eating instant noodles in large quantities for a long time may bring you serious health risks.
I. Introduction to Instant Noodles:
Instant noodles were born in Japan in 1958, and the world's first package of instant noodles was invented by The Japanese Momofuku Ando, and has since been loved by hundreds of millions of consumers around the world.
Instant noodles are actually pre-cooked noodles that are steamed and then air-dried or fried to shorten the cooking time.
To extend shelf life, preservatives, additives, artificial colors, powders or oils are used for processing.
The main ingredients for making instant noodles are usually wheat flour, palm oil and salt, and the seasoning powder contains salt, monosodium glutamate, seasonings and sugar.
Since the birth of instant noodles in the 1950s, the production process of instant noodles has remained basically unchanged.
Mix all the seasonings together to make a seasoning packet, then roll out the dough and cut it into noodles with a machine.
The noodles are steamed, dried, fried, dehydrated, cooled and then individually packaged.
Second, what is the nutritional value of instant noodles?
The nutritional content of instant noodles varies slightly depending on the type or flavor of instant noodles.
Before choosing a convenient choice, you should carefully review the ingredient list and serving size, since nutritional information is based on a specific portion size, and the better you can use them as a tool for planning a healthy and balanced diet.
Most instant noodles are made from refined wheat flour, which is highly processed and contains a lot of calories but is missing a lot of nutrients.
To give you an intuitive statistic, here's a nutritional factsheet of instant noodles in a 43-gram package of pasta:
- Calories: 385kcal
- Carbohydrate: 55.7 g
- Total fat: 14.5 g
- Saturated fat: 6.5 g
- Protein: 7.9 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Sodium: 986 mg
- Thiamine: 0.6 mg
- Niacin: 4.6 mg
- Riboflavin: 0.4 mg
The vast majority of instant noodles are low in calories and low in fiber and protein.
They are also controversial for their high levels of fat, carbohydrates and sodium.
While you can get some micronutrients from instant noodles, they lack important nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B12, and more.
Third, the health hazards of instant noodles:
Although people love to eat instant noodles because of convenience, affordability, and taste, many people are unaware of the potential health risks.
Consuming instant noodles every day can have many very serious consequences for your health, and here are a few of the main reasons why it is convenient to face health disadvantages:
1, high sodium content:
While sodium is an essential mineral for your body to function properly, too much sodium is very bad for your health, with sodium levels between 1,000 and sometimes even more per 100 grams of instant noodles.
A high-sodium diet has been linked to the development of diseases such as stomach cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
For those who are considered sensitive to salt, a high-sodium diet may increase the risk of high blood pressure, which in turn can negatively affect heart and kidney health.
The World Health Organization's recommended daily intake of 2 grams of sodium makes it difficult to keep the sodium intake within the recommended range even if you eat only one packet of instant noodles.
Therefore, people who consume more than one packet of instant noodles every day will undoubtedly lead to a large intake of sodium.
2. Instant noodles contain harmful preservatives:
Butyl hydroxyanisole (BHA) and tert-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), chemical preservatives derived from the petroleum industry, are often added to instant noodles to extend their shelf life.
Regular intake of these chemicals can lead to serious health problems.
Long-term, persistent exposure to TBHQ can cause cancer, and it can also cause asthma, anxiety, diarrhea, and adverse effects on the liver and reproductive organs.
BHA is included in the list of chemicals that may interfere with endocrine, and changes in the endocrine system can lead to some adverse developmental, immune, neurological, and reproductive system effects.
3. High saturated fatty acid content:
Most processed foods contain saturated fatty acids or trans fatty acids.
Monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids are beneficial fatty acids.
Instant noodles contain saturated fatty acids that raise blood cholesterol levels if consumed in excess or regularly, and high cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Instant noodles are usually processed with palm oil, which is the oil of choice in the instant noodle industry because it is cheap, can withstand high temperatures, and it has a longer shelf life than other oils, but palm oil has a high content of saturated fatty acids.
Palm oil has a saturated fat content of 49%, which is higher than both lard (40%) and soybean oil (14%).
Seasonings also tend to contain oils and fats with a high content of saturated fatty acids.
4, low fiber and protein content:
Despite being a low-calorie food, instant noodles are low in fiber and protein.
Protein has been shown to increase satiety, while fiber moves slowly through the digestive tract, reducing hunger pangs.
Given the low protein and fiber content in instant noodles, regular consumption of them may not satisfy your hunger or will not make you feel full at all.
In addition, a low-fiber diet has been linked to an increased risk of constipation and many digestive disorders, as well as a reduction in healthy gut bacteria.
Fourth, backpackers should not bring instant noodles:
First of all, backpacking is a complex and integrated sport, and being able to get a clear picture of your nutritional needs on a hiking day is a difficult task in itself.
When estimating the needs of the body when estimating the upcoming hike, the following factors will play an important role, therefore,
- The length of the hike
- Time for hiking
- Altitude gain
- Terrain type
- The weight of the backpack
- Ambient temperature
Given these different variables, the total calorie requirement per hike can vary greatly, but with planning and preparation (and some trial and error), determining your own nutritional needs will become more accurate.
Although instant noodles are a lot of adverse factors for health, for backpackers, instant noodles will continue to be in their backpack food.
Instant noodles are affordable and easy to replenish, and traditionally packaged instant noodles, each containing about 500 calories, only takes about 10 yuan to get nearly 2,000 calories.
Instant noodles are high in carbohydrates and can quickly replenish carbohydrates.
Compared with other air-dried freeze-dried foods, instant noodles are more delicious, light in weight, high in calories, and easy to carry and cook.
You can throw away the seasoning packet to reduce the intake of unhealthy ingredients and then add your favorite, more nutritious ingredients (eggs, bacon, vegetables, cheese, nuts, etc.), which can completely change the lack of nutrients in instant noodles.
Instant noodles made with rice, millet, or organic buckwheat can now be used as a healthier alternative to instant noodles.
Therefore, instant noodles are the cheapest, most convenient and lightweight essential food for hiking enthusiasts and outdoor enthusiasts around the world.
Summary:
According to a report released by the World Instant Noodles Association, the world consumes 102.7 billion servings of instant noodles a year, With China topping the list with 44.4 billion servings of instant noodles per year, and India ranking fourth in the global list of instant noodles with 5.5 billion servings per year.
In one medical study, people who consumed instant noodles for a long time were compared to people who didn't.
People who have been chronically consuming instant noodles have significantly reduced their intake of protein, calcium, vitamin C, phosphorus, iron, niacin, and vitamin A, while their sodium and calorie intake has increased.
Although, long-term consumption of instant noodles has also been found to increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
However, as a backpacker, instant noodles are easy to carry and easy to cook, delicious and cheap, and after a tough day of trekking, a bowl of hot instant noodles is sure to make people drool.
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