HYP is back with another blog covering the calorie count of foods that we consume often, but seldom have access to the nutritional information about. In today’s blog, we’ll be covering one of the most popular foods; Hakka noodles that are served in restaurants and roadside eateries.
The ingredients:
The noodles themselves are made using refined flour and as discussed in our previous blogs, refined flour has a glycemic index higher than that of refined table sugar. The dish does contain a fair amount of vegetables, but since they’re overcooked, most of the nutrients are lost. In fact, the noodles that are served in restaurants are prepared using high amounts of oil, which may add to the taste, but also add to the calories as well.
Carbohydrates:
A single serving of Hakka noodles comes at a whopping 85 grams of carbohydrates, all of which are from the refined flour used. Not only does this spike your insulin levels, but can result in weight gain. Also, most fast food joints and restaurants use MSG and high levels of salt and soy sauce to make the dish tasty and flavorful, which can result in water retention in your body.
Fats:
Just like any other unhealthy dish, most of the oil found in the dish is either refined vegetable or palm oil, all of which are unhealthy fats. Moreover, restaurants are known to reuse oil multiple times and since Chinese foods are cooked on high flame, the oil is heated beyond its smoking point, making it a potential carcinogen.
Protein:
The most important macronutrient protein is sadly found in the least quantity at a mere 16 grams. If you order chicken Hakka noodles, then the protein content will increase a bit, but even then, you may get 24-25 grams of protein at almost 850 calories. Of the grams of protein that we have calculated, most of it comes from refined flour, which again, is an incomplete source of protein.
No doubt that Hakka noodles are delicious and are hard to resist, but if you must indulge in this unhealthy meal, then save it for special occasions.
Questions?