Can eating too much instant noodles cause cancer? Reminder: The real carcinogens are these 4 kinds of food, try to touch them as little as possible
During the 10-year period from 2003 to 2013, the instant noodle market experienced a high-speed golden development period. In 2013 alone, the sales volume of instant noodles nationwide reached 46.22 billion packs. About 8 billion bales were down.
In recent years, with the improvement of public health awareness, there are more and more claims about eating instant noodles as unhealthy:
“Instant noodles have a lot of preservatives”
"Instant noodles are junk food, eating too much can cause cancer"
"The paraffin wax on the wall of the instant noodle cup will melt, and you will be poisoned if you eat it"
“……”
What is the truth?
1. Why are dried noodles straight but instant noodles curved?
Noodles are a common food in life. When buying noodles, many people think that dried noodles are more nutritious than instant noodles. Some people may wonder why the dried noodles are straight, but the instant noodles are indeed curved?
In fact, instant noodles are equivalent to dried noodles with added ingredients. The nutritional content of instant noodles is similar to that of dried noodles, and they can provide a certain amount of carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and proteins for the human body .
Although instant noodles contain higher sodium and fat than dried noodles, dried noodles are just simple ingredients, and seasonings and other ingredients need to be added when cooking, so they eventually contain a lot of salt and fat.
Therefore, whether you eat instant noodles or dried noodles, the nutrition is similar.
When the first instant noodles in chicken soup appeared in 1958, its shape was curved. This was because there was a device called cutting strips and folding flowers in the production process at that time. When the noodles as thin as cicada wings passed through the In time, the noodles will become curved and wavy .
Although the current production process has been greatly improved, instant noodles still maintain a curved shape. Why should instant noodles be curved?
First of all, the unique curved and wavy shape of instant noodles is for good looks, which can make instant noodles stand out among many noodles, and it is easier for consumers to remember the appearance of instant noodles.
Secondly, it is for the convenience of production. After the instant noodles are made into a curved shape, they need to be steamed in a steamer to cook the noodles. If the instant noodles are made straight, they need to be cooked in a longer steamer, and the straight noodles are easy to stick to Together.
The curved shape allows sufficient space between the noodles, allowing water vapor to have enough space to move, so that the noodles can be cooked quickly and not easy to stick, and it is also conducive to dehydration and drying .
Finally, it is for the convenience of transportation. Compared with straight noodles, the length of curved instant noodles can be greatly shortened, which not only reduces packaging costs, but also does not worry about instant noodles being broken into slag during transportation, because the curved structure can enhance the compression resistance of instant noodles .
Second, eating instant noodles frequently is not only poisonous but also carcinogenic?
There are many theories about the health of instant noodles. Some say that instant noodles contain a lot of preservatives, and some say that the layer of paraffin on the instant noodles is poisonous. There is even a saying that eating instant noodles can cause cancer. Are these claims true?
1. Preservatives
Regarding the problem of preservatives in instant noodles, the reason why instant noodles can be preserved for a long time is not because of the addition of a lot of preservatives. Instead, drying and dehydration or frying techniques are used in the production process. The water content is very low, which is not conducive to the survival of microorganisms, so there is no need to add preservatives.
In addition, the vegetable packs and spices in instant noodles also use dehydration technology, coupled with radiation sterilization technology, and do not need to add preservatives. Sauce packets may contain a certain amount of preservatives, but there are strict standards and the dosage is within a safe range.
2. Paraffin
Let’s take a look at the layer of paraffin wax on the convenience bucket. In fact, it is a food-grade polyethylene coating, which is a common food packaging material around the world. Its melting point is about 110°C. Normal boiling water will not melt it .
3. Carcinogenic
It is said that when instant noodles are processed, acrylamide, which may cause cancer, will be produced.
In fact, the content of acrylamide in instant noodles is so small that it cannot reach the carcinogenic dose at all , so eating instant noodles normally does not pose a cancer risk. In addition, the occurrence of cancer is related to many factors, and it cannot be considered that simply eating certain foods will cause cancer.
Of course, if you want to eat instant noodles healthily, you may wish to pay attention to the following 3 points:
One is to choose the right size instant noodles according to your appetite;
Second, it is best to choose non-fried instant noodles, which are low in fat and energy;
The third is that when cooking instant noodles, it is best to mix vegetables and protein to reduce the intake of seasoning packets.
3. What is really not recommended to eat is actually these 4 kinds of food
Rather than worrying about the impact of eating instant noodles on your health, it is better to pay attention to these common foods in your life. It is best to eat less for your health:
1. Pickled food
Such as salted fish, sauerkraut, sea rice, shredded squid, kimchi, etc. These foods contain nitrate and nitrite, which can combine with protein decomposition products to produce nitrosamines, which are first-class carcinogens. The salt content of food is also high, and eating too much is also bad for health.
2. Processed meat products
Such as ham, bacon, hot dogs, smoked meat, bacon, pate, etc., these processed meat products need to use nitrite when pickling. Nitrite, as a potential carcinogen, will produce carcinogen nitroso compounds if it reacts with meat protein.
3. BBQ food
For example, grilled fish, grilled sausages, grilled sausages, etc., need to use charcoal fuel containing benzopyrene when grilling, which will pollute the food with the smoke. Coupled with the fat in the food, a large number of free radicals will be produced at high temperature, and eventually the carcinogen benzopyrene will be produced.
4. High alcohol and alcoholic beverages
The main component of alcohol is ethanol. After ethanol enters the human body, it will produce metabolite acetaldehyde. These substances are all carcinogens. If you drink or drink alcoholic beverages for a long time, it is easy to increase the risk of gastric cancer, oral cancer, esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer and other cancers. Morbidity risk.
It is worth noting that foods containing carcinogens do not have to be inedible.
Because there are many factors that induce cancer, although some substances are classified as a class of carcinogens, which means that exposure to this substance is related to cancer, but it does not mean that eating it will cause cancer, but it is best not to eat it every day.
Extension——Ma La Tang and canned food are not actually junk food
Speaking of junk food, many people first think of malatang and canned food, but these two foods are not " junk food ".
If Malatang is chosen correctly, it is also a nutritionally balanced and healthy food. In essence, Malatang is just a combination of ingredients of various tastes.
If the combination is reasonable, you can eat vegetables, meat, soy products, carbohydrates and other foods , and these foods are not fried. If the quality of the ingredients is guaranteed, Malatang is also a healthy food.
Canned food is actually only slightly less nutritious than fresh food, but it can also better preserve the nutritional content and quality of food. However, it should be noted that some canned food contains more salt and sugar, and it is best to eat less .
It is worth advocating to pay attention to food safety, but some foods are not as unhealthy as we think. We should keep our eyes open and try to reduce the consumption of foods that really affect our health.
References:
[1] "[Quick View] Are instant noodles and canned fruit junk food? Do these things and you may be healthier than you think! ". Yuesui Platform. 2022-06-02
[2] "After eating instant noodles for so many years, I finally know why it is curved...". Popular Science China. 2021-07-14
[3] "Instant Noodles and Malatang Are Not Junk Food!" After reading this article, you can eat with confidence." Tencent Medical Code. 2022-05-20
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