Making a meal of noodles

After reading the article on instant noodles in the Feb. 11 The Jakarta Post, I was interested in the idea that consuming instant noodles as part of our daily dietary menu "will be good for us not only because of its convenience, price and taste, but also because eating outside of the house is usually prohibitively costly for those who always have to tighten their belts". Instead, food stalls selling instant noodles are probably the best place for them to frequent.

I have some comments on this from the health point of view. First, instant noodles are high in carbohydrates, although not as rich as rice. Indeed, rice is only next to sugar in terms of glucose. This means eating too much rice, especially for sedentary people, will only invite diabetes.

Why then do we strive for rice as our main course every day?

Second, in her book Trim the Fat off Your Tummy and Tush, Lynn Allison points out: "A gram of fat has a whopping nine calories, while protein and carbohydrates only have four calories per gram." Since noodles are high in carbohydrates and less in fat (compared to eating rice along with meat or eggs), consuming two cups of instant noodles a day may not send us into the realm of obesity, particularly when we exercise regularly.

Finally, buying instant noodles in my view will not bite too much into our pocketbooks compared to beef or chicken whose prices are huge. Besides, consuming instant noodles in moderation may help us stay slim and reduce body fat. Given all these aspects, it would be wise to think instant noodles are among the best alternatives to rice.

ODO FADLOELI

Cimahi, West Java