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Foods with instant noodles are very popular. They are often the first choice for people with limited time and money, for example among students. You may now think that among other fast foods they are not the best option 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 that he used a small camera the size of a pill. And it is no surprise that the results were shocking. In the video that the doctor published, we see noodles in the stomach absolutely unchanged two hours after the meal. And that is worrying for several reasons. Food that is digested for such a long time creates enormous pressure on our stomach. It is almost ironic, because foods that do not contain fiber are usually digested very quickly.
5 grams of 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 do great harm to our health. TBHQ is an aromatic compound with antioxidant properties, 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 pesticides and artificial fragrance components. Health agencies state that the safe amount of TBHQ for a human is 0.5 mg per 1 kg of body weight. There is also the maximum permitted amount of added chemical substances 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 smart 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 in higher doses it also endangers the reproductive system.
- Long-term exposure of the body to this toxin can cause metabolic syndrome. This consists of 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 its dysfunctions, such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease. It also causes chronic inflammation.
Don’t worry, of course you can indulge occasionally and enjoy unhealthy food. However, be careful that industrially produced and unhealthy foods do not completely fill your diet.
