What’s so bad about 2 minute noodles and what to eat instead
This article was prompted because my son was introduced to those 2 minute noodle bowls (in styrofoam) at a school camp a few months ago. He came home and bought one from the corner shop as a quick snack. He knows they are not that great (without me having to tell him), but convenience and taste were winning out. On this occasion I did stop him from pouring boiling water into the styrofoam, I made him put it into a bowl!
It’s a whole other article about my teenagers and how their independence has influenced their eating habits so I will tell you about that another time!! Once I started really looking at what was in these noodles though, I was shocked. I knew they were bad but this was particular food was something I really didn’t want to compromise on. We found some alternatives they were happy with and that I would provide with my money, not theirs and now everyone is happy!
So today, I thought I would share with you what I discovered about those 2 minute noodles and let you know about some better alternatives.
Okay so what is wrong with 2 minute noodles?
Well, here is an ingredient list for just one type of these noodles, Maggi 2 minute noodles as sold in Australia (you can find all the products and ingredients on their website).
Noodle Cake: Wheat flour, vegetable oil (antioxidant 319), salt, mineral salts (508, 451, 501, 500), vegetable gum (412).
Flavour Mix Sachet: Iodised Salt, Maltodextrin (Contains Sulphites), Flavour Enhancers (621, 635), Flavours (contains Wheat, Soy, Celery, and Sulphites), Mineral Salt (508), Onion Powder (contains Sulphites), Vegetable Fat (antioxidant (320)), Colours (Tumeric, Caramel III) (Contains Sulphites), Parsley Flakes, Spices.
What I am not loving:
♦ Vegetable oil – this could be anything from GMO canola to unsustainable palm oil and the noodle cake is deep fried in it, so it’s been heated to a toxic level.
♦ Antioxidant 319 – also known as butylhydroquinone. The Chemical Maze by Bill Statham (seriously, everyone needs this book) gives this a sad face. It’s recommended to be avoided because: carcinogenic in high doses, may be associated with birth defects, acute neuro-toxic effects in animals, prohibited in food for infants.
♦ Salt (this isn’t going to be a healthy salt, but a heavily processed white salt)
♦ The mineral salts and vegetable gum are not too bad, but they can cause abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea if consumed in large amounts.
♦ Iodised salt is a refined salt with added iodine (probably synthetic)
♦ Maltodextrin may be GMO and contains sulphites. Sue Dengate, author of Fed Up says “Sulphites have been associated with the full range of food intolerance symptoms including headaches, irritable bowel symptoms, behaviour disturbance and skin rashes but are best known for their effects on asthmatics.”
♦ Flavour Enhancers. The number 621 is MSG. This gets a sad face from The Chemical Maze. The range of problems is extensive! Heart palpitations, pins and needles in the upper limbs, bronchospasm in asthmatics, restlessness, irritability, dizziness, migraine, depression, nausea, tingling and numbness. Prohibited in food for infants. Number 635 is also a sad face and should be avoided by people with asthma. Other problems include unbearably itchy rash, swelling of the lips and tongue, headache, allergic reactions, behavioural problems, heart palpitations, sleep disturbance. Prohibited in food for infants.
♦ Antioxidant 320 is also known as butylated hydroxyanisole – it is banned in some countries and is petroleum derived. The Chemical Maze has two sad faces on this one. It’s problems include suspected respiratory, endocrine, skin, liver, immuno and neuro-toxicity, headache, DNA damage, recognized carcinogen, wheezing, asthma, insomnia, fatigue, depression, chronic urticaria, wild life and enviro toxicity. Prohibited in foods for infants.
♦ Caramel 111 (or 150c) is also given a sad face by The Chemical Maze. It is also referred to as ‘ammonia caramel’ and may affect the liver, may cause gastrointestinal problems and is prohibited in food for infants.
Wow, are you shocked? That’s a chemical cocktail right there in a noodle packet!
The other issues to consider are the interactions of consuming all these toxins together and also the cumulative effect in the body. The Maggi brand is also owned by Nestle, a company I try to avoid supporting due to their unethical practices. A few months ago, Maggi noodles in India were also found to have excess quantities of lead and msg.
Okay, so what are the alternatives?
I know that 2 minute noodles are a quick and easy option, very cheap and kids generally love them. However, in light of the above information and depending on how often your family eat 2 minute noodles, you may want to start swapping over to something better.
Now, I am not saying that these options are necessarily super healthy – they are still processed to some extent, but they are a way better choice. They have either no additives or safer additives. You may need to try a few to get one that your kids like the taste and texture of.
Here are some you might like to try:
♥ Alb-Gold Mie Noodles
These are the closest in looks to 2 minute noodles. Made with just organic spelt or wheat (choose from either variety) and salt, these noodles cook in 6 minutes. Find them here.
♥ Organic Noodle Kitchen
You can get these organic noodles in a few different varieties made with just wheat flour, buckwheat flour and salt. Get them online here.
♥ Nutritionist’s Choice Brown Rice Instant Noodles Miso Flavour
Healthy and tasty miso & brown rice instant noodles that are wheat free, oil free and instant, prepared in two minutes.
The ingredients are: Noodles: 100% organic brown rice mushroom soup base: miso, vegetable powder (seaweed, carrot, corn, cabbage, mushroom), salt vegetable sachet: wakame, cabbage, carrot, tofu. You can get them online here (also in mushroom flavour).
There are other noodles you can try, like kelp and mung bean, but that might be stretching the friendship a little with the kids!! Have a browse in your local health food store and see what they’ve got.
Flavourings:
Okay, so the flavouring sachet is arguably the biggest problem in terms of additives, so what can you use instead? My kids usually just use a knob of butter and a sprinkle of Herbamare (sea salt with veggies and herbs) or sometimes just fresh parmesan cheese.
You might want to provide a few options and see which ones the kids like best. Add in some cooked veges, meat or egg to make your noodles a complete meal!
You can also use:
♥ Dehydrated Bone Broth powder(yummo)
♥ Miso paste
♥ Vital Vege Power (dehydrated organic vegetables and fruit)
Do your kids like 2 minute noodles? Do you have alternatives to share with us?
ooh might have to get some noodles now! We don’t have 2min noodles at all, but do use butter and her a,ere so with some of those spelt ones, my kids would ink I was best mum ever!
You are the best mum ever already! xx
My hubby loves 2 minute noodles and raman noodles but I refuse to buy them because I know they are junk food.
I didn’t realise until I read this article just how bad they are.
Why do companies make food that can make people so sick?
It’s unethical and it should be illegal.
There should be stricter laws pertaining to what companies can put in our “food” and it should start with “Primum non nocere” – first do no harm.
I totally agree with you Jacinta. As usual, Australia seems to be way behind other countries in banning some of this stuff too.
Great post Sonia! I’m surprised these are still on the market. Great timing that I happen to read this too. My daughter reacted yesterday after having a couple of those chicken cup a soups – despite my warnings! She broke out in eczema all over her hands. So your words were the added confirmation that maybe Mum knows something 🙂
Thanks Sonya! Yes I can imagine they would be just as bad!
So nasty and cheap! I haven’t eaten or bought 2 minute noodles in 15+ years. I’m a big fan of the Soba noodles for the family. I was so shocked when Hubby said he bought a packet at work the other day. I have all the books – chemical maze, additive alert, read the label. It seems I’ll have to send him this post as a reminder:)
Soba noodles are yummo!!
Great you covered this, thanks for taking the time. Nestle is a company I avoid too. They are known for many devious and unsustainable practices, all to make the mighty dollar.
I am happy to say my son has never had a Maggi 2 minute noodle. There are many alternatives and quick noodle packs around these days and organic ones too. My son prefers grated apple mixed with frozen banana as a quick treat or makes his own muffins and biscuits for a snack.
Nestle really are evil. It makes me so sad.
thanks for all the suggested alternatives 🙂 it can be hard finding replacements for things
My pleasure Liz!! I have to do a lot of that with teenagers!
We use the mie noodles and just cook them in stock. The kids love it and it looks like what their friends are having.
Very important when you are camping and all the kids are having 2 minute noodles from styrofoam cups…we just pop ours in cups, too!
Oh they are so much better options Sandy – great tips!! 🙂
not styrofoam cups…enamel camping cups!!
So many “probablies” and “maybes” in this article for me to take it serious.
Hello Ilya, that is entirely your prerogative. For me, there is enough science based evidence for me to avoid them. 🙂
Unfortunately none of those options is nearly as cheap nor as instant as those horrible two minute noodles. And at the point where suggesting doing actual work to create a snack (adding in chopped up vegetables or measuring out sauces) happens there is significant eye rolling, sighing at my house. Perhaps your teenage boys are a little more enthusiastic than mine. Until then I will continue to buy baked not fried 2 minute noodles in limited numbers for emergency “I’m starving” moments and try to ensure that dinner at least is a meal that i can catch up on nutritional success.
Hey Tali, these are merely suggestions on healthier options. I guess it depends if health is a priority over time and budget as well. The baked ones may be slightly better but a lot of the nasties are in the sachets! You certainly have to pick your battles with the kids hey!
I’ve done my homework for over a month now just to reply to this article. The nestle Maggi we have is South Africa are different to the ones you found out about that’s in India. Maggi is a safe and tested over 200,000 packs where submitted and tested and is safe for babies aswel. So where you found your infomation I don’t know but this is all India not RSA
Hi Val, yes it is in India where they had issues. I did not say there was a problem anywhere else with lead. However, I think it is a poor reflection on the company that they have exposed the Indian population to high amounts of lead in their products.
I am in Australia so I am not sure if your ingredients are similar but I still don’t think it’s a great product to be eating regularly for good health.
I am 10yrs old I now know how bad noodles are for me.Thanks for the great info.☺☺☺☺☺
You are a legend Lacey! Hopefully more kids will learn about food and what is good for them. 🙂
I am 11 and I love noodles but since reading this I am not to sure anymore
Hey London, it’s something to think about! If some of the other options taste good to you, they are better for your health! 🙂
Iodised salt is a good thing. It prevents iodine deficiency which can cause goiters. If a mother has iodine deficiency it can lead to mental retardation in her children. In my country, salt is iodised by law to prevent this. Also a lot of so-called “healthy” foods may cause health problems in large quantities. Almonds. for example, contain cyanide, but we don’t see people using them to commit suicide. In large quantities is very vague and can mean anything from 2 packets of noodles to the equivalent of thousands of packets to do harm. Finally, I would like to add that “organic” is not always better . GMOs are made to increase shelf life, be more nutritious and taste better.
Great article I actually came here looking for an alternative for the noodle cake. I make my own powdered chicken stock using a recipe from the themomix website and my dehydrator. It still has quiet alot of salt but I use good salt and all other organic ingredients. Makes for a snack as easy as the original.
Thanks ,,i live off only 7 foods ,, i love the texture of 2 minnoodles ,,but want be having them again now,Thanks for the info
Let me know how you go Vanessa.
Hi Daniel,
You are making a lot of assumptions about me and my life considering you don’t know me. Are you trying to say that people on a low income don’t care about chemical and additives or eating a healthy diet? Perhaps if you have never had any health problems, you would not care about a few additives. Those of use who do have significant health problems do have to be concerned about everything we eat and the cumulative effect that these can have on the body. I am simply providing information and alternatives (which by the way are not expensive) for those that want it.
Rats. I think we lived off cheap noodles while we were in New Zealand – the saver version of Mie Goreng was an amazing taste – I confess though, we always paired it with brocolli, carrot and whatever other vegetables we could find to throw in and throw togther. So Im hoping that the veggies countered the problems with the chems..
Geez. Shocking what I’m reading. But surely such food would not be able to pass certain standards. Can someone enlighten me on this kind of “bad food “ thing. Surely everything in moderation is acceptable. Hey! Don’t judge me. Just asking. And I’d like an answer from the manufacturers. Regards and caring. Linda
Hi Linda. Unfortunately our food standards in this country are quite bad! As mentioned in the article, if you have two minute noodles every now and again, it’s not such a big deal compared to eating it every day. However, even small quantities can cause problems for some people. So, it’s a personal decision to make.
Regarding the manufacturers, best to email them directly with a query. Unfortunately, these things are cheap to make and many companies put profits before their customer’s health.
I wish I had actually known this before today. For weeks I have been feeling really bad and have been coughing like crazy. I thought I had an allergic reaction to something in the house.
I was feeling okay this morning and was surprised that I was feeling good. Being hungry I decided to have some 2 min noodles and as soon as I ate the noodles I got a bad reaction. I decided to look up 2 min noodles and came to this page. I am not amused! From feeling good this morning and after having noodles, I now feel disgusting.
I wish I had known this before.
I noticed my breathing is dreadful and I have a bad pain in my stomach, I had heart palpitations. My chest is hurting and as time goes by I am feeling worse.
Thanks for the warning but I wish I had seen it before so I didn’t eat in the first place.
I am going to warn people about this.
It now makes sense as to why I feel bad.
I thought my cancer had caused this but I had chemotherapy which worked, followed by an operation, radiation and me trying to recover. Recovering has been hard because of fatigue, sleepless nights, headaches and more. The fatigue and pain has been really bad.
I refuse to finish the rest of the packets because I just worked out the problem. I find this hard to believe but it makes sense considering when I got cancer my daughter bought me 2 min noodles to eat. Yes I ate them a lot but never again. The pain is far too great and I have put up with this for a while.
Someone should sue these pigs!
Thanks for the article, previous I didn’t know how bad was it. I recently got massive hive breakout from it, I never had such symptoms before so all these chemicals cocktail might be the one that’s trigger it
Yep, would not surprise me Amy!
Don’t take life so seriously, it’s not permanent. 2 minute noodles are delicious, go stress about something else.
It’s easy to say that Rob if you have never had health issues or kids that have behavioural issues due to additives!! In that case, you do have to worry about things that compromise your health and happiness.
I like to make Vermicili or Thai noodles.Make my own sauce to serve or just sprinkle fresh herbs and salt over.Easy for kids to make too.And a lot healthier than the quick instant noodles.
They are great too!