Instant noodles can be super ho jia but also very harmful to health.
Just take a look at this video we’ve done and you might just swear off instant noodles:
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Yes, your mom probably told you a thousand times that cup noodles can’t be eaten every day because you could get cancer or go bald from all the MSG in it.
While these are just myths, eating instant noodles too often is definitely detrimental to anyone’s health.
The Straits Times reported that millions of children in Southeast Asia with diets that mainly consist of cheap, processed food like instant noodles are extremely thin or overweight as a result of the nutrition-less meals they consume.
The problem with instant noodles is that it’s high in sodium but low in fiber and protein. One study found that those who often eat instant noodles had a significantly decreased intake of protein, calcium, vitamin C, phosphorus, iron, niacin, and vitamin A.
It may also increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a condition that increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia are three SEA countries that have a relatively high standard of living but still face the problem of being home to parents who lack the time, effort and money to give their kids healthy balanced meals.
In 2018, statistics from Unicef showed that Malaysia had 2.6 million children under five last year, Indonesia had 24.4 million and the Philippines had 11 million.
Of these children, 40% of them were malnourished.
This could be detrimental to them in the long run as its lack of nutrients such as iron could affect their learning ability as kids and affect them later in life as well.
Why Does This Happen?
Mr Hasbullah Thabrany, a public health expert from Indonesia, mentions that parents don’t really pay close attention to the food that is going into their children’s bodies as filling their stomach is their main priority.
This results in many parents just turning to instant “modern” meals since they are cheap and more convenient to cook, as reported by Ms Mueni Mutanga, Unicef Asia nutrition specialist.
Why Noodles?
Ms Mutanga adds that noodles are a popular choice because it is easy to cook and they are cheap, costing about $0.31 a packet in Manila.
Not to mention, the advertising for instant noodles “is extremely aggressive” said Mr Thabrany.
He adds that it can be found almost everywhere, even in the most ulu places.
Not Just Noodles
While noodles are a popular choice, it is not the only unhealthy food that has crept its way into the diets of low-income household children in these countries.
Malaysia has a big reliance on sweet potato and soya-based products, with many eating these as their main meals.
Also, sugary drinks and snacks alongside fried, oily food serve as another huge problem in SEA.
Why Is This Happening?
While by World Bank standards, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are all middle-income nations, there are still millions of families who struggle to make ends meet.
The reason why so many children are forced to rely on this kind of unhealthy food is because of poverty.
As parents are unable to afford their children nutritious food, they give their kids these unhealthy food items to make them feel full throughout the day.
Solution
As of now, healthy, nutritious food is almost completely gone from the diets of people from rural areas who moved to the city to look for work.
Whether it is by offering the poor welfare or by some other means, the government will most likely have to step in to increase the consumption of foods like vegetables, eggs, fish, and meat in these countries.
Hopefully, the situation for these SEA countries will improve soon and the children in these nations will have more access to food that is actually nutritious for them.
In the meantime, dear reader, you might want to stay away from that tasty cup of noodles.
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