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Meals with instant noodles are very popular. They are often the first choice for people with a lack of time and money, for example among students. You may now think that, among other fast foods, they are not the best choice compared to hamburgers or fries. After reading this article, however, you may see it differently.
Medical experiment
Doctor Braden Kuo from the General Hospital in Massachusetts conducted several experiments to find out what happens in the digestive tract after consuming instant noodles. For this he used a small camera the size of a pill. And it is no surprise that the results were shocking. In the video published by the doctor, we see noodles in the stomach absolutely unchanged two hours after the meal. And that is disturbing for several reasons. Food that is digested for such a long time creates enormous pressure on our stomach. It is ironic, because foods that do not contain fiber are usually digested very quickly.
5 grams of the toxic Tert-Butylhydroquinone
Instant noodles contain very few nutrients and, on the contrary, a lot of additives. One of them is the toxic preservative abbreviated as TBHQ. This preservative remains in the digestive system for a long time and can seriously harm our health. TBHQ is an aromatic compound with antioxidant properties, but unfortunately it is not natural. It is added to many artificially produced foods, for example to potato chips, peanut butter, frozen pizzas, to extend their shelf life. This additive also contains pesticide residues and artificial fragrance components. Health agencies state that a safe amount of TBHQ for humans is 0.5 mg per 1 kg of body weight. There is also the maximum permitted amount of added chemicals in food, namely 100–400 mg per kilo. Thus 5 g per kilo, contained in noodles, can be a truly toxic dose.
Induced problems and metabolic syndrome
- It can cause vomiting, nausea, delirium, ringing in the ears, shortness of breath and collapse. The good news is that our clever bodies can usually eliminate this toxin quickly.
- However, you are at risk if you are exposed to it often. It can have a negative effect on the liver, cause cellular damage, and at higher doses it also threatens the reproductive system.
- Long-term exposure of the body to this toxin can cause metabolic syndrome. This involves weight gain, increased blood sugar, high blood pressure and cholesterol problems. This increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
What else can we find in a packet of instant noodles?
Another noodle scare is, for example, monosodium glutamate, which destroys nerve cells and can even cause brain damage and dysfunction, such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease. It also causes chronic inflammation.
Don’t worry, of course you can occasionally indulge and enjoy unhealthy food. However, be careful that industrially produced and unhealthy foods do not completely fill your diet.
