Ramen Dissapointment.

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TopRamen

TopRamen

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I took the screen name TopRamen just because it came to mind when I signed up, but it's not like I eat a lot of Ramen Noodles.
When I do partake of them however, I enjoy them greatly and from time to time will have a pack just because they are tasty.
Sometimes I ditch the flavoring packet and use spaghetti sauce, or I add frozen vegetables and chicken or beef bouillon cubes.
Recently, I read about the stuff that goes into them, and it ruins them for me.
I already knew they had Monosodium Glutamate and were a full days worth of Sodium in every flavoring pack, but I could live with that since I only eat them occasionally.
The Article I read did'nt say if the Noodles were full of the bad stuff like the flavor packet.
Now I find out that they also contain Propylene Glycol, and that just kills it for me.:(:cry:
Had I the resources and funding available, I would seize the opportunity that is available right now to cash in on making a healthier Ramen Noodle.
Someone out there is likely working on a recipe as I type this.
I certainly hope they are, because until i can get my hands on an anti-freeze free version of my beloved snack, I'm done with the Noodles.:(
 
I already knew those flavor packs were full of junk. I had no idea the noods were that bad also. Glad I don't eat those anymore. I really didn't eat much of them anyway. I read labels these days. I'm still hoping I can trust those.
 
Ummm,
There are plenty of "healthier" versions out there.
Look for the brand "Koyo" for one - organic flour, sea salt, kombu, various actual real spices and such - no MSG or any other silly garbage.

This is just one brand, there are others.
The thing is, your local mega-chain grocery store probably won't carry them. Just like they don't carry a lot of stuff that is perfectly good food. They do this because they hate you, and they WANT you to be unhealthy (I'm only half joking here). It's more profitable to them, and that's the ONLY thing that matters to them.

Do yourself a favor, and seek out your local health food store. Don't be scared of all the hippies - just ignore them and find what you came for - good food. There's lots of it there. Yes, some of it costs a bit more, but if you shop smart and don't buy a bunch of crap you don't need, it's really not all that expensive. Then tell the big-chain mega grocery store to go hang.

You'll be happier and healthier.

s6
 
Ramen,,, I just notice that now..... all those time I tough it was TopRaven like the raven bird. I found it nice....
 
The Japanese have declared total war on all things natural. They are the inventors of he cube-shaped watermelon.

fa3d92d87a31403589d3ced9a7e75244.jpg


That could be a good screen name --- CubeShapedWatermelon.
 
stealth6 said:
Ummm,
There are plenty of "healthier" versions out there.
Look for the brand "Koyo" for one - organic flour, sea salt, kombu, various actual real spices and such - no MSG or any other silly garbage.

This is just one brand, there are others.
The thing is, your local mega-chain grocery store probably won't carry them. Just like they don't carry a lot of stuff that is perfectly good food. They do this because they hate you, and they WANT you to be unhealthy (I'm only half joking here). It's more profitable to them, and that's the ONLY thing that matters to them.

Do yourself a favor, and seek out your local health food store. Don't be scared of all the hippies - just ignore them and find what you came for - good food. There's lots of it there. Yes, some of it costs a bit more, but if you shop smart and don't buy a bunch of crap you don't need, it's really not all that expensive. Then tell the big-chain mega grocery store to go hang.

You'll be happier and healthier.

s6
Click to expand...

I'll go check out the Montpelier Co-Op. If there is healthy Ramen to be had it will likely be there.
Koyo brand you say? Thanks for the heads up!!!:)
I would'nt mind paying a little more for a quality Ramen Noodle product.
 
When I was a kid in the '60's in Japan we never ate Ramen and it's boiled noodles. They have Yakisoba and it was made by pouring boiling water over the noodles in the bowl, covered, and it's ready in 3 minutes and the flavor is vastly superior. I have in all the years back in the states never found it's like. Even the local Co-op with it's many varieties has never had it. Looks the same but sure don't taste the same...
 
stealth6 said:
The thing is, your local mega-chain grocery store probably won't carry them. Just like they don't carry a lot of stuff that is perfectly good food. They do this because they hate you, and they WANT you to be unhealthy (I'm only half joking here). It's more profitable to them, and that's the ONLY thing that matters to them.

Do yourself a favor, and seek out your local health food store. Don't be scared of all the hippies - just ignore them and find what you came for - good food. There's lots of it there. Yes, some of it costs a bit more, but if you shop smart and don't buy a bunch of crap you don't need, it's really not all that expensive. Then tell the big-chain mega grocery store to go hang.

You'll be happier and healthier.

s6
Click to expand...

+1 on this note. You can take it a step further if you have the patience. Start making you own s**t! Damned be the quick and easy route. I could preach about all the stuff I make these days instead of mindlessly buying off the shelves. Case and point....I think the cheese in the delis ain't real cheese anymore. Used to be, I could buy a block of Monterrey Pepper Jack, add a little milk and melt it down for a nacho dip. Not anymore. It turns into a big clump. Plastic, petroleum...who knows? It gets worse by the year. If people had 1/2 a clue of what they're missing out on by not eating real food, they'd be shocked. My homemade butter taste like heaven. Store bought taste like, well...nasty? People don't realize what they have gotten used to.
 
I must be weird because I make noodles: flour, water, sodium carbonate.
 
Ethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol (PEG) are entirely different things. PEG is a polymer of ethylene glycol (and a very stable one at that). They are as different as ethylene (gas, explosive), and it's polymer, polyethylene (plastic, not explosive). Ethylene glycol is definitely poisonous, but PEG is decidedly not. In fact, it is so benign that you will be shocked where you find it if you go looking. It is so benign that it is used in medicine formulations for animals and people. In testing and in consumer use. PEG is convenient because it is biologically well tolerated, and tends to solubilize things that wouldn't otherwise be.

I'm not saying I want to drink a bottle of it, but I wouldn't worry about a tiny bit of it in a product. I'm also not trying to talk you out of searching for a less additive laden variety of Ramen, but you don;t have to worry too much about this additive.

If there is a food additive to be wary of (and I am) it's sodium nitrite, I've used that stiff to do all kinds of wacky chemistry, and I want no parts of that kind of reactivity inside my body.
 
There is quite a lot of misinformation on the internet, and a lot of it has to do with food and scare tactics surrounding food. While ramen noodles are not the most nutritious food product ever produced, it is hardly the worst either. Yes, there is a lot of MSG in the flavor packet. But MSG is not an allergen and many people who think they suffer from sensitivity to MSG are a lot like those averse to gluten - there is a lot of hype but not nearly as much substance to those scares (and yes, there is gluten in the noodles - if they are made from wheat, and hold together, they contain wheat gluten). But unless you are either certifiably sensitive to MSG or are on a low sodium diet, it will do you little harm (although there IS a LOT of sodium in that little pack). But then, bullion cubes also contain a lot of MSG, so replacing one with the other is not really any better. A bit about ramen noodles and MSG from Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/ramen.asp

The other chemical you mentioned is propylene glycol. That is NOT the same as ethylene glycol, which is antifreeze. Prop glycol has been used for years in the food industry as a wetting agent and as a method to reduce the freezing point of liquids such as in the manufacture of some ice creams. This is because, unlike ethylene glycol, propylene glycol is relatively non-toxic. I say relatively because anything, including water can be toxic if enough is ingested. But you would have to drink gallons of straight propylene glycol for it to be toxic. Indeed, propylene glycol has been substituted for ethylene glycol in some antifreeze formulas BECAUSE it is non-toxic and will not hurt any animals that should drink any spilled while filling your car's radiator. Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry for propylene glycol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol

Actually, if one is really serious about it, the reconstituted ramen noodles and broth contains enormous amounts of dihydrogen monoxide, which can cause burns, poisoning, asphyxiation, tissue damage and is found in every cancer cell ever examined. Of course, most everyone should know that dihydrogen monoxide is another name for H2O, or water (steam burns, too much water causes water poisoning, asphyxiation by drowning and tissue damage from ice or snow - and all cells whether cancerous of not contain water).

I put that last paragraph in just to demonstrate how chemical terminology can be used to confuse and frighten. But trust me - as a biologist, chemist and food scientist, I can tell you that eating ramen noodles will do you no more harm than any other highly processed food available today. Are all those food additives good for you? Probably not, but they aren't especially harmful either. So, by all means, indulge in the occasional bowl of ramen noodles. I wouldn't eat them for every meal every day, but once in a while won't hurt you. Remember - everything in moderation, because everything is toxic as some level or concentration, even water and oxygen!
 
gpoehlein said:
There is quite a lot of misinformation on the internet, and a lot of it has to do with food and scare tactics surrounding food. While ramen noodles are not the most nutritious food product ever produced, it is hardly the worst either. Yes, there is a lot of MSG in the flavor packet. But MSG is not an allergen and many people who think they suffer from sensitivity to MSG are a lot like those averse to gluten - there is a lot of hype but not nearly as much substance to those scares (and yes, there is gluten in the noodles - if they are made from wheat, and hold together, they contain wheat gluten). But unless you are either certifiably sensitive to MSG or are on a low sodium diet, it will do you little harm (although there IS a LOT of sodium in that little pack). But then, bullion cubes also contain a lot of MSG, so replacing one with the other is not really any better. A bit about ramen noodles and MSG from Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/ramen.asp

The other chemical you mentioned is propylene glycol. That is NOT the same as ethylene glycol, which is antifreeze. Prop glycol has been used for years in the food industry as a wetting agent and as a method to reduce the freezing point of liquids such as in the manufacture of some ice creams. This is because, unlike ethylene glycol, propylene glycol is relatively non-toxic. I say relatively because anything, including water can be toxic if enough is ingested. But you would have to drink gallons of straight propylene glycol for it to be toxic. Indeed, propylene glycol has been substituted for ethylene glycol in some antifreeze formulas BECAUSE it is non-toxic and will not hurt any animals that should drink any spilled while filling your car's radiator. Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry for propylene glycol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol

Actually, if one is really serious about it, the reconstituted ramen noodles and broth contains enormous amounts of dihydrogen monoxide, which can cause burns, poisoning, asphyxiation, tissue damage and is found in every cancer cell ever examined. Of course, most everyone should know that dihydrogen monoxide is another name for H2O, or water (steam burns, too much water causes water poisoning, asphyxiation by drowning and tissue damage from ice or snow - and all cells whether cancerous of not contain water).

I put that last paragraph in just to demonstrate how chemical terminology can be used to confuse and frighten. But trust me - as a biologist, chemist and food scientist, I can tell you that eating ramen noodles will do you no more harm than any other highly processed food available today. Are all those food additives good for you? Probably not, but they aren't especially harmful either. So, by all means, indulge in the occasional bowl of ramen noodles. I wouldn't eat them for every meal every day, but once in a while won't hurt you. Remember - everything in moderation, because everything is toxic as some level or concentration, even water and oxygen!
Click to expand...

You speak as if chems are a norm. That disturbs me.
 
Either way, I normally eat mostly healthy stuff without lots of Chemicals, so for now I'm done with the Ramen til' I can find a healthier Ramen.
I don't eat Junkfood stuff, so for me the Ramen was about as unhealthy as it got, only I did'nt realize HOW unhealthy until today.
 
For me, MSG triggers migraines. When dining out or even at a party, I scrupulously avoid anything with dry seasoning. That includes not only the certain Asian dishes, but dry soup mixes, meat rubs, seasoned snacks, seasoned fries, etc. In addition, I must also avoid cream-based soups, anything that looks like it contains bouillon, and canned tuna fish.

I can check the labels on everything I buy, but even still, I get an accidental dosage. The companies know that MSG has a bad reputation, so now they often disguise it on their labels as "flavorings"
 
Manmade chemicals and natural chemicals are all made of the same atoms. There is nothing magical about man made chemicals or natural ones. So many people toss around this natural versus unnatural chemicals thing without a recognition that there are plenty of beneficial "man made chemicals," ibuprofin for instance is pretty handy, and lots of unspeakably nasty natural chemicals, cicutoxin (hemlock), tetrodotoxin (blowfish), I could literally go on for pages. Mercury is "natural" if you want to follow the train of thought.

i'm not saying their aren't some heinous man made chemicals, there are, and I've worked with quite a few compounds and classes of compounds that my labmates and I have given fun and descriptive nicknames to, such as, "liver-explodicater," "death-anes," "kill-o-toxins," "liquid fire," "insta-blind," "nerve solidifier," "rat-seizure dust," (and no I'm not naming specifics).

My point is man made does not necessarily equal bad, and natural does not necessarily equal good, like EVERYTHING it just isn't that simple.

I think the idea of chemicals and health was best summed up by the very first toxicologist, Paracelsus (1493-1541), when he said: "Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy."
 
Here ya go, history of Ramen. Will you change your name to "Momofuku"? I read this a few weeks ago as I am a lover of Ramen also.

Just the other night made Mussels & Shrimp, sautéed in butter, olive oil, garlic basil sauce over Ramen noodles, they absorb flavors much better than pasta. It's all in there.

History of Ramen
https://luckypeach.com/mankind-is-noodlekind-momofuku-ando-and-the-invention-of-instant-ramen/

This link has ratings of all Ramen brands. Also recipes with 2 minute videos showing how to make. I've been doing some . Warning : chef is funny, but uses some pretty risqué verbiage.

https://luckypeach.com/?s=instant ramen

https://luckypeach.com/?s=ramen
 
Last edited:
Cl(VII) said:
Manmade chemicals and natural chemicals are all made of the same atoms. There is nothing magical about man made chemicals or natural ones. So many people toss around this natural versus unnatural chemicals thing without a recognition that there are plenty of beneficial "man made chemicals," ibuprofin for instance is pretty handy, and lots of unspeakably nasty natural chemicals, cicutoxin (hemlock), tetrodotoxin (blowfish), I could literally go on for pages. Mercury is "natural" if you want to follow the train of thought.

i'm not saying their aren't some heinous man made chemicals, there are, and I've worked with quite a few compounds and classes of compounds that my labmates and I have given fun and descriptive nicknames to, such as, "liver-explodicater," "death-anes," "kill-o-toxins," "liquid fire," "insta-blind," "nerve solidifier," "rat-seizure dust," (and no I'm not naming specifics).

My point is man made does not necessarily equal bad, and natural does not necessarily equal good, like EVERYTHING it just isn't that simple.

I think the idea of chemicals and health was best summed up by the very first toxicologist, Paracelsus (1493-1541), when he said: "Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy."
Click to expand...

The idea that because they are both made of atoms, there is no difference between natural and unnatural, is not true.

The fact that one type occurs in nature means that we've had millions of years of coexistence to adapt to it physically or learn to avoid it.

Unnatural chemicals are not something we've necessarily adapted to physically, and many of them are too new for us to have learned if they are dangerous and should be avoided. In addition, often we are not aware artificial chemicals have been added to our food, so it's not always easy to avoid them if we want to.

I'd agree that some artificial chemicals are very useful in medicine, but I don't think the really useful or healthy ones are being used to make ramen.
 
TopRamen, I always thought you took your name from a book series I am reading right now. (It's my second time for the first six books) It's called "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever". The Ramen are an important and noble people in the books. You could always Google it, see if it fits, and delete this thread. :wink:
Anyway, good luck in your efforts to find a healthier Ramen.
 
<sigh> - this is exactly what CI and I are talking about. This is the Food Babe's tactic (if you don't know who she is, you can google her, but in this case I think ignorance is bliss) - if it has a chemical name, it has to be bad for you. This is not the case, and natural is not better in every case. Trust me, our cells can not tell the difference between a molecule that is man-made and an identical one purified from "natural" sources. A great example of this is vanillin. This is the primary flavor compound of vanilla, and is what is in artificial vanilla. It is made from a chemical process rather than extracted from vanilla beans. The molecule is the same - our cells cannot tell them apart. Does real vanilla taste better than artificial vanilla? Of course - because there are other flavor components that add to the complexity and enhance the flavor. But vanillin is not harmful to you just because it was made from coal tar.

As I said before, some people do have a sensitivity to MSG. But there are also a lot of people who think they do that are simply suffering from the placebo effect - when they know it's in there, they have symptoms. For what it is worth, MSG is a flavor enhancer - it doesn't add flavor so much as make the other flavors taste bolder. Salt does the same thing, but MSG doesn't make the food taste saltier. That's'so why MSG is in so many snack foods - it just makes them taste better. This is why there is salt in sweet foods like chocolate cake - believe it or not, up to a certain point, salt will actually make the chocolate/sugar combination taste sweeter. I have done this in the lab - it does work.

Bottom line here is that no chemical is being added to your food "just because" or for some nefarious purpose. Everything that is there has a reason for being there, whether as an anti-caking ingredient (keeps the powder from balling up and clogging the system, and from settling in the package into a solid lump), and a preservative, food coloring, or whatever. If there wasn't a good reason for something being there, it wouldn't be - more ingredients just drives up the cost of the ingredients and hurts profits. So no company is going to be adding any more of anything than they need to.

Don't just buy into Internet hype - and don't mistake cause and effect. Just because you ate that McDonalds hamburger two hours ago then got sick doesn't mean it was the "chemical laden" hamburger that did it. And remember that, a lot of the time, if someone is trying to tell you that something is bad for you, it's because they have some sort of alternative to sell you.
 
blackjack2564 said:
Here ya go, history of Ramen. Will you change your name to "Momofuku"? I read this a few weeks ago as I am a lover of Ramen also.

Just the other night made Mussels & Shrimp, sautéed in butter, olive oil, garlic basil sauce over Ramen noodles, they absorb flavors much better than pasta. It's all in there.

History of Ramen
https://luckypeach.com/mankind-is-noodlekind-momofuku-ando-and-the-invention-of-instant-ramen/

This link has ratings of all Ramen brands. Also recipes with 2 minute videos showing how to make. I've been doing some . Warning : chef is funny, but uses some pretty risqué verbiage.

https://luckypeach.com/?s=instant ramen

https://luckypeach.com/?s=ramen
Click to expand...


Thanks for the History Lesson and Links!
 
Len B said:
TopRamen, I always thought you took your name from a book series I am reading right now. (It's my second time for the first six books) It's called "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever". The Ramen are an important and noble people in the books. You could always Google it, see if it fits, and delete this thread. :wink:
Anyway, good luck in your efforts to find a healthier Ramen.
Click to expand...

I'm not ashamed of my Screen Name in the least, and this is a fun and informative Thread, so it's all good.
 

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