Is Ramen bad for you?

[rumguy]

Or is it just empy carbs?

Or is it good for you?

[supernova]

1. Empty carbs and salt

is mostly what Ramen is.... but it's so goooood. :9

[CatWoman]

6. and lots and lots of fat

I used to eat that stuff like crazy, until a friend, who is a nutritionist, told me what's in it.

But it is cheap.

And good.

[bucknaked]

8. Ain't it though?

I spike mine up with garlic, hot sauce, cilantro and a dash of either lemon or vinegar (sour it up).

[Book Lover]

2. At 10 cents a pop

I figure you get what you pay for...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. You'd get more nutrients from eating dog shit

[Spinzonner]

7. And you know this how?

[Spinzonner]

4. Exactly what are empty carbs ?

Things your body cant use may be empty but then I suppose they wouldnt be considered carbs.

If they provide energy you can use, they are not empty.

[Dogmudgeon]

9. It's slang

"Empty carbs" is slang for "any starchy or sugary food with very little nutrient other than carbohydrate".

What "very little" is likewise fuzzy. If a food delivers, say, 10% of the day's calories but less than 5% of all the day's nutrients, I look at it as "empty". But that's just a rule of thumb I use.

I've also heard people complain that pork rinds were "pure fat" when in reality they are 40% fat, 60% protein. So a lot of these slangy rules of thumb are based more on "food morality" than anything else.

Pork rinds are usually high in salt like ramen, and too much salt isn't a good thing for most people.

--bkl

[bucknaked]

5. Massive amounts of sodium!

I used to try cutting the "flavor packet" in half. But man! I'd still be looking for a jug of water to quench my thirst afterwards.

[Delano]

10. If there is a Japantown in your area...

Go there and try the various real ramen dishes. They are nothing like the instant crud.

There is Tonkotsu (pork-bone broth) Shoyu (soy) , Miso, and Shio (salty)

They are all great. Another great one, but rare in the US is Nagasaki-style Chanpon. Kind of like a tonkotsu ramen, but with a steaming pile of sautéed vegetables and seafood on top.

"CUP NOODLES" is not ramen. In fact, I don't think they even claim it on the label (although other presumptuous brands do"

And to all you harping on carbs - Feh on you for being Atkins-bots! :spank:

I'd be more worried about the witch's brew of chemicals and full day's RDA of sodium in a bowl of cup noodles than I would be about the carbs.

[AlCzervik]

11. I lived on that

stuff through college, that and $3.00 for 2 hot dogs and a pitcher of beer at The Cask and Flag.

[amazona]

12. sorry trans fats

This is the worse thing you can eat. I'm sorry too. I find the chicken ramen addictive so I just won't buy it and bring it into the home. Trans fats are what caused all the heart disease, etc. we used to blame eggs, milk, and other natural foods for...it was the trans fats not the butter all along.

[sir_captain]

13. trans fats are certainly bad things

but i would be remiss in my job at a heart disease study if i let this generalization slide. to be honest, we don't really know what causes heart disease. there are a lot of things, trans fats in diet included, that seem to have a correlation.

anyway, sorry, didn't mean to jump all over you--just couldn't resist ;-)