Ching's Secret Manchurian Instant Noodles

The micronutrients (Vitamins/Minerals) play an important role by ensuring proper functioning of cells and tissues. 

 

Each vitamin and trace mineral play a specific role in the body. For example,  Vitamin C acts as antioxidant protecting cells from environmental damage, healing wounds and maintaining connective tissue whereas minerals like sodium, potassium and chloride function as electrolytes that assist in communication between cells necessary for nerve impulses and muscle contraction. 

 

Some products mimic the nature by adding artificial vitamins or minerals  which have an identical form and function to those found in nature, but they are manufactured synthetically to meet extremely high standards of processed products.

Product with decent amount of Dietary Fibre (5%-10% of day's recommended intake) is better than a similar one with zero or negligible amount of fibre) - at least it's a start! 

Packaged foods generally do not have Dietary fibre so a product with some amount of dietary fibre is always welcome. 

Fibre is not a nutrient but plays a key role in managing your body regularities - Bowel movement - Keeping constipation at bay, a control on Blood Sugar spike and check on blood cholesterol. 

However, follow the principle of balance and don't go overboard by eating only fibre rich food.

The general consensus is that noodles/pasta is an unhealthy dish, thanks to the extra sauces and cheese added along with the high carbohydrate hype, thus your favourite noodle just won't give you a “healthy plate”. But a few changes to these humble strands will make it healthy.

• Adding more of fibre rich green leafy veggies (spinach, lettuce) and other veggies (carrots, onions, roasted eggplant, peppers) or sprouts is a great start to reducing portion size of just plain pasta.
• Instead of heaping your pasta with white sauce, adding a slice of melted cheese or grated mozzarella will give the flavour required.
• Also, do not throw away the water you boiled the pasta/noodles in. Use it to make sauces as the starch in it helps add more flavour to the dish.
• Adding a little protein in the form of few minced meat or shredded chicken pieces will give good flavour.
• And last but not the least sprinkle some herb mix of (rosemary, thyme, basil, chilli) to make the dish come alive. With these small steps make healthy eating your long term goal.

Additives are added to the packaged foods for different reasons varying from increasing shelf life, to provide flavour and texture, increasing nutrition quality or required to manufacture some types of food. 

One of the ways to determine the degree of Processing is the number of additives you find in the ingredient list. The higher the number of additives greater is the degree of processing. Additives can be identified by looking for ingredients that begin with 'E' and have a number in them. 

It is generally recommended that food that is closer to nature is better hence it is better to choose food products with lesser number of additives.