INSTANT NOODLE, IS IT HARMFUL?

Who does not know what instant noodle is? (Ramen in Japan and mie in Asia). Since it was invented by Momofoku Ando, the boss of Nissin Japan, it has aroused controversy, a food which is considered suitable with the bustling era, delicious, fast served, but on the other side is harmful for the body.

You are a young man and living far from your parents as a boarder. Studying in the college makes you busy and do not have time to prepare your meal. Then, you take the overcome by the practical and cheap way. Instant noodle is the choice. It’s so simple to be prepared and provide various delicious tastes. Within just 3 minutes preparation you can enjoy the delicacy and still your hunger. Sounds’ nice!

Most of collegians in Indonesia ever tasted instant noodles. Not only collegians but also young children are given the instant foods. Unluckily, they like it. Our life styles have been changed to the instant style and it also affects our meals. It can be seen that the fast-food restaurant are always crowded by visitors. But, how big are the disadvantages of instant foods for our health?

In 2006, HealthDayNews.com, release that in United States, 27000 people dead because of intestine cancer. The majority are over 40 years old. Although, it was undetected exactly in Indonesia, the hospital of Cipto Mangunkusumo (RSCM) Jakarta reported that about 50 patient of intestine cancer are received every year. Most of the risk of the cancer is because the mal nutrient and low of fiber that provided by instant foods.

For the Instant noodle mania, ensure that you have 3 days pause until you consume the food again. Don’t you know? A medical report stated that instant noodles are coated by wax. That is why the noodles are not stuck each other while cooked. It is different with the usual noodles that need flour or margarine to avoid the stickiness. Our body needs about 3-5 days to excrete the wax after taking the delicious food.

The other fact is that the noodles are made from white flour, the main source of carbohydrate that needed by our body. Isn’t that good? Not so good. A health journal in America reported that the flour provides too much carbohydrate so that suggested to be consumed with another source of proteins, minerals, and vitamins. The biggest component is fat, and this the rather problematic one. According to Prof. Harold Corke from University of Hongkong, in the process of production, instant noodles are dried by deep-frying system in which only 3%-4% steam is dried. The process makes most of instant noodles contain about 18% of fat, and that is the saturated fat. Imagine, with the high amount of carbohydrate, no other addition of nutrient, plus fat.

The main components that make the noodles taste delicious are the additive substances. Potassium carbonates (salt) and monosodium glutamate (MSG) give delicacy to the noodles. The materials are considered as causing headache, stiff, and many others dangerous illness to the allergic people. Another additive material is the preservative which considered as carcinogen substance.

Normally, how we cook the instant noodles is to put the noodles into a pot with water, throw in the powder and let it cook for 3 minutes around and then ready to eat. I found a report that this is the wrong method of cooking the instant noodles. By doing this, when we actually boil the ingredients in the powder, normally with MSG, it will change the molecular structures of the MSG causing it to be toxic. The other thing is what stated before, the noodles are coated with wax and it will take around 4 to 5 days for the body to excrete the wax after you have taken the noodles. So the correct method, which you may or may not know, is to cook the noodles this way:

1. Boil the noodles in a pot with water.
2. Once the noodles are cooked, take out the noodles, and throw away the water which contains wax.
3. Boil another pot of water till boiling and put the noodles into the hot boiling water and then shut the fire.
4. Only at this stage when the fire is off, and while the water is very hot, put the ingredient with the powder into the water, to make noodle soup.
5. However, if you need dry noodles, take out the noodles and add the ingredient with the powder and toss it to get dry noodles.

Back to the question about how dangerous instant noodle is. Base on the facts and the believable explanations, I can say that instant noodle is harmful “if” you eat it uncontrolled, you consume it every time, every day. You may eat the noodle “but” do not eat too much. Eat variable nutritious foods. Nevertheless, a survey said that Indonesia is in the second rank, Korea is the first, in the world as the consumer of instant noodle. And base on profession, the majority of consumers are collegians. (Reef)