Are there any ramen noodle/soups that AREN'T bad for you?

[brentspeak]

I was recently looking at some Nissin monstrosity in the super-market called the "Souper Meal". This bowl thing contains an extra packet on the outside entitled "the Finishing Touch". Might as well call it "the MSG coup de grace".

Ughh.

[flvegan]

1. The one Wild Oats sells isn't bad.

[Chicken Girl]

2. if loving Maruchan Cheddar Cheese ramen is wrong, I don't wanna be right nt

[Jade Fox]

11. LOL! nt

[brentspeak]

3. kick

:kick:

[TommyO]

4. Rent or buy the movie "Tampopo"

You'll learn more about noodles than you ever wanted to know, and be thoroughly entertained in the process.

The best thing to do is make your own broth, or use a packaged low sodium broth and doctor it to your liking. You'll avoid the sodium and MSG, and have a wonderful ramen meal.

[Generic Brad]

5. I love that movie!

It had the best noodle eating scene I have ever come across in a movie!

[TommyO]

6. What's not to like about it?

I need to dig it out and watch it again.

[Danger Mouse]

7. I hate ramen. As poor as I was in college, ramen was never appealing.

I'd rather lick the inside of my toilet than eat that salt-soaked shit. I might as well as well get a spoon and eat salt right from the container.

[pitohui]

8. MSG is not bad for you, it's a traditional spice

it came from seaweed and has been used for hundreds of years

unless you have a rare MSG allergy, it is not bad for you, it's like saying peanuts are unhealthy because some people have a peanut allergy, or walnuts are unhealthy because some people have a tree nut allergy -- it is not accurate

there used to be a famous essay on the topic of msg, along the lines of food fears we have that just aren't so, but i can't remember the name of it any more

the guy who invented those instant ramen soup cups lived into his 90s in good health and only died recently, or so i heard

the packets can be too high in sodium for me, what i do is use only half of the seasoning package to reduce the level of salt

i think the chicken flavors are the best, myself

[pitohui]

9. "it must have been something i ate" by jeffrey steingarten

the essay doesn't appear to be online any more, get the book at the library

his thesis is that msg does not cause chinese restaurant syndrome and people who flatter themselves that they are too delicate to eat in chinese restaurants somehow don't react when it's an italian restaurant and they're eating parmesan cheese with the same amount or even greater amounts of glutamate

certainly you never hear people who eat soy products (which contain glutamate) complaining that soy gives them a headache

:shrug:

there's nothing wrong w. msg except that there is always someone to be negative if a food is unfamiliar and/or inexpensive

now if you're in a tiny minority that actually has the allergy, okay, otherwise, why worry about it? enjoy what you like and be happy

[brentspeak]

10. You're relying on outdated research

Research published two months ago says that MSG causes obesity:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/uonc-urf081308.php#

[harmonicon]

13. so that's why I'm fat!

I knew that it couldn't be because I eat like a fucking starved hog. Oh, man, do I love MSG. It's my second favourite ingredient, right after xantham gum.

[Nikia]

12. I think that most of them are high in sodium

I think that there are a few soups that are purposely made with less salt. I think that they have "reduced salt" on their lable. A lot of soups now have autolyzed yeast extract. I have heard various things about whether that is "healthy" or not. The company I work for uses it in some things though and having tasted and smelled it as is (as opposed to as an ingredient in something), I personally think that it (or I should say "they" because there are several versions) is disgusting. Now I can taste it in soup and boxed noodle or rice dishes and find myself liking those things less.