Is Eating Ramen Bad for You?

When you eat a brick of ramen noodles, you’re getting a wallop of carbohydrates, fat, and salt. But there are things you can do to make this meal healthier.

Here’s something you probably didn’t know about ramen, the popular go-to meal for college students, people with limited time, and those on a tight budget:

That brick of dried noodles is supposed to be two servings.

Many versions and brands of ramen noodles are available. Some come in the familiar brick with the little seasoning packet. Some come in a Styrofoam cup — just add hot water and, voila, you have an instant meal. There’s also the version that cooks in a plastic, “convenient microwavable tray” and comes with “hearty vegetables and seasonings.”

Most ramen meals score between 8 and 10 on the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG’s) Food Scores website. EWG’s Food Scores is a database created to help consumers make healthier, greener food choices. It has ratings for more than 80,000 products based on nutrition, ingredient concerns, and processing. A rating of 1 is best, 10 is worst.

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What’s wrong with ramen?

What’s so bad about these unassuming packages of noodles that come in brightly colored wrappers with an array of flavors? Let’s start with the ingredients list. Without exception, the first ingredient is wheat flour, and the second is vegetable oil. For the most part, these so-called meals are nearly devoid of nutritional value.

They are also high in total fat and saturated fat, and their sodium content is over the top. Often, salt is the third ingredient. Many have 33 percent of the recommended daily intake of sodium per serving. If you’re like most people, you eat the entire package and, if you use the whole seasoning packet, you’re getting a whopping 66 percent of the recommended upper limit for sodium intake in one sitting.

Ramen is highly processed

Ramen is also a highly processed food. By now, most everyone has heard the advice to stay away from manufactured foods as much as possible. Highly processed foods require very little digestion, resulting in a rapid rise in blood sugar, typically followed by a brain-numbing crash.

Additionally, highly processed foods are loaded with fake flavors from chemicals along with preservatives, anti-caking agents, and artificial colors.

Not a complete meal

Some ramen kits advertise themselves as “meals” because they contain a few bits of dehydrated vegetables and maybe some powered chicken meat. But, when it comes down to it, a meal of ramen is not much more than a dose of highly processed carbohydrates, fat, and salt. Plus, if you’re eating the whole two-serving package, you may be consuming nearly 400 calories with almost no nutritional benefit.

If you’re going to consume those calories, why not make sure you’re getting the recommended amount of protein (ramen contains a little), fiber so you stay full, vitamins and other nutrients that come from fresh fruits and vegetables, and some healthy fat rather than the saturated variety found in instant noodles?

A note about packaging

One study of instant noodle consumption in South Korea showed that women who ate ramen more than twice a week had a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome and obesity. That was not true for men who ate the same amount. South Koreans ate 4.13 billion servings of ramen in 2020.

More research is needed, but investigators think the effects in women may be partly caused by chemicals in the Styrofoam packaging in which ramen often comes. Styrofoam is known to contain bisphenol A (BPA), which has been shown to mimic estrogen and interfere with the body’s natural ability to regulate weight.

Some other brands of ramen come in microwavable plastic containers. Research is ongoing, but some has shown that just storing food in plastic containers increases exposure to harmful chemicals. Other research has indicated that cooking food in plastic causes it to leach chemicals into food.

On the other hand, food packaging is approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for specific uses. If a package indicates it’s safe for microwave use, it has been approved by the USDA for that use, and any chemicals that are leached are at or below USDA’s acceptable levels.

Some better alternatives

If you just can’t give up your noodle fix, you can at least make it better for you. Start by cutting back, eating instant noodles less often. Consider it a treat rather than a staple. When you do eat ramen, just use half of the seasoning packet to reduce your sodium consumption.

Switch to a healthier version. There are brands of instant noodles that are organic and have reasonable amounts of sodium and no fat. If you don’t find a healthier variety in your store, search online for “organic ramen noodles.” They’re a little more expensive, but, at around $2 a package, they’re still a pretty good value.

Organic varieties are still high in carbohydrates, however, and they don’t really have any more nutritional value than the less healthy varieties. You can improve this by adding some protein, maybe a little leftover chicken or pork, and fresh or frozen vegetables to the noodles and broth.

If instant noodles are a regular part of your diet, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by finding a healthier option for your go-to meal.

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