Loved by cash-strapped students and a guilty pleasure for many others, the humble instant noodle pot is now undergoing something of a healthy makeover — so could it be considered a virtuous choice?
Mandy Francis asked Ruth Kander, a dietitian at Fleet Street Clinic in London, to assess some of the latest offerings. We then rated them.
Itsu Protein Noodles Mega Miso63g, £2, ocado.com
Per 100g: Calories, 59; saturated fat, 0.2g; protein, 8g; fibre, 2.5g; sugar, 1.4g; salt, 0.52g
Claim: ‘Over 20g vegan protein. High in fibre. Low in fat and 186 calories per cup.’
Expert verdict: This provides a filling 25.1g of protein (per cup), the equivalent of four large eggs. The noodles are made with soya beans — a good source of plant protein, fibre and essential fatty acids (vital for healthy cell function) — and a range of vitamins and minerals.
This product has a comparatively short list of mostly natural ingredients, meaning it’s less processed. It is also lower in salt and sugar than many of the others here. There’s 26 per cent of your daily fibre intake, too. This would make a satisfying snack — or you could add to some stir-fried vegetables for a more complete meal.
Taste: Nice broth but rubbery noodles.
4/10
Itsu Protein Noodles Mega Miso
345g, £3, sainsburys.com
Per 100g: Calories, 116; saturated fat, 1.2g; protein, 3.2g; fibre, 1.5g; sugar, 4.1g; salt, 0.5g
Claim: ‘Contains at least one of your five-a-day. Activated charcoal has toxin-clearing properties. Low in saturated fat and sugar.’
Expert verdict: The black, wheat-based noodles here contain activated charcoal. While this is used medically to treat poisoning, charcoal won’t help you ‘detox’.
The vegetables — including broccoli, cabbage and edamame beans — in a Thai curry sauce would count as one of your five-a-day. They will supply some gut-friendly fibre and protective antioxidant vitamins, too.
But there’s almost three teaspoons of sugar, despite the ‘low’ sugar claim.
At 400 calories, this is more of a meal than a snack, even though it only provides 11.2g protein.
Taste: Delicious Thai flavour.
9/10
Bol Posh Noodles Aromatic Thai Charcoal Ramen
60g, £1.50, tesco.com Per 100g: Calories, 69; saturated fat, 0.2g; protein, 3g; fibre, 2.4g; sugar, 3.7g; salt, 0.57g
Claim: ‘One of your five-a-day. Plant based. Nutritious and delicious.’
Expert verdict: This pot contains wheat noodles and is 21 per cent dried vegetables, including carrot, red pepper, green bean, spring onion and sweetcorn, which add up to one of your five-a-day.
Although fresh vegetables have the highest levels of nutrients, studies suggest that dried vegetables retain fibre and offer reasonable amounts of important nutrients, including some B vitamins.
This is quite sweet — with just over two teaspoons, coming from the veg and some added sugar — and there’s nearly a third of your daily salt limit here, too. There are also quite a few highly processed ingredients.
Taste: Sweet, with a hot chilli kick.
6/10
Naked Korean Style BBQ Ramen Veg Pot
80g, £1.75, ocado.com
Per 100g: Calories, 101; saturated fat, 0.1g; protein, 5.1g; fibre, 2.6g; sugar, 2.7g; salt, 0.78g
Claim: ‘High in protein. A good source of fibre. Packed with tasty vegetables.’
Expert verdict: The thick, shocking pink, beetrootflavoured wheat noodles in this take up to seven minutes to ‘cook’ once boiling water is added.
On the plus side, it has a fairly short, natural ingredients list. There’s also 7g of gut-friendly fibre in a pot — 23 per cent of the recommended daily amount.
The limited filling protein here — just over two eggs’ worth — comes from the wheat, cabbage and beetroot. And with its 78 per cent noodle content and tiny amounts of dried cabbage, sweet potato and onion, this isn’t ‘packed with vegetables’.
Taste: Smells good but tastes bland.
5/10
Noodl Heavenly Harissa
284g, £2.80, morrisons.com Per 100g: Calories, 98; saturated fat, 0.4g; protein, 4.6g; fibre, 3.1g; sugar,
