Ramen is a Japanese invention with roots in China. It’s an extremely popular dish in both countries and is found in pretty much all major American grocery stores as well. But how good is ramen for prepping or as doomsday food?
Ramen is good for prepping, as it can remain unspoiled for a long time. Also, making a cup of ramen is quite simple—you just need the noodles pack and some boiling water. When you have nothing to eat and no energy to cook, ramen noodles could be ideal. Just don’t count on it for nutrition.
Continue reading to find out the reasons why ramen is great prepping food and to learn how to best store ramen, besides a host of other things.
Why Is Ramen Good for Prepping?
A food item should meet certain prerequisites to be considered “doomsday-ready.” Those include spoilage, weight, volume, preparation, and nutrition. Though ramen isn’t the most nutritious food globally, it certainly scores pretty high on most other parameters, especially when compared to other prepping foods.
Here are some of the reasons why ramen is good for prepping:
Convenient and Time-Saving
Ramen noodles are the instant kind, packaged noodle type made with wheat flour, various flavorings, and vegetable oils. They’ve been already steamed and later fried or air-dried to shorten its cooking duration. These come in packages with small seasoning packets or in cups that you could add water to and later microwave.
Making the noodles entails adding the ramen noodles to boiling water. You may also cook the noodles in a microwave, making instant noodles quite a staple for most college students or people who do not have the time or inclination to cook. There’s certainly no doubt that making ramen noodles is quite easy and time-saving.
Great Price
Perhaps the most underrated aspect of ramen is its price. The average packet’s price is only 13 cents. If you were to survive on ramen noodles alone, you would end up spending just $143 a year. When compared to the approximately $6,300 the average American spends on food alone in a year, ramen cost is just 3% of it.
Can Be Eaten Raw
Since ramen noodles are pre-cooked, eating them dry is certainly possible. It’s, in fact, not uncommon to see people snacking on ramen like chips or sprinkling it on their salads. The weird taste, however, may not be to everyone’s liking.
To eat ramen raw, try these hacks:
- Crush the noodles before opening its package. The more time you spend crushing, the smaller the noodle pieces would be.
- If you would like some seasoning, cut open the small seasoning packets and add it to the crushed noodles. Give it a good jig and snack on.
Kindly note eating raw ramen noodles is not recommended. Eat the brick of pre-cooked noodles only if you’re totally famished and have no strength to cook.
How Long Does Ramen Noodles Last?
Before being packaged, ramen noodles undergo extensive dehydration, making it almost impossible for the food to spoil or pose food poisoning concerns. The dehydration process ensures all moisture is taken out of the food so that the chances of microorganisms spoiling the food are completely ruled out.
Moreover, in pretty much all types of ramen noodles, there are certain preservatives that ensure certain shelf life. Thanks to the additives, the noodles keep their flavor and texture and also remain safe for ingestion. However, to a great extent, these preservatives are the reason why ramen is no pleasure food for a lot of people.
Generally, instant ramen noodles have a shelf life of up to a year. However, it’s recommended the noodles are consumed within a month or two from the date of manufacturing. This is provided you are particular about the texture and flavor of the noodles.
Can You Eat Expired Ramen Noodles?
Eating expired ramen noodles is fine if you need something more than just edible. The noodles could have gone slightly stale in taste, and the typical long strands may have been broken into small pieces. The flavoring might be a bit different too. However, the stale taste, broken down pieces, etc. won’t matter during starvation or when survival is a question.
Having said that, some people may have extremely sensitive taste buds, and ramen that has surpassed its expiration date may not go down their throats well, especially if they are very familiar with ramen and quite particular about its taste.
How to Properly Store Ramen Noodles?
Storing ramen noodles is no rocket science. Thanks to its longer shelf life and the ability to remain edible even months after expiration, no special storage requirements are needed for ramen noodles. However, a few basic things or measures could go a long way in helping keep the noodles remain fresh and flavor-rich for longer.
Ensure there are zero holes in the noodles packet so that moisture doesn’t accumulate within and around the packet. Storing the packet in a moisture-controlled, sealed-off environment or a pantry would help maximize your noodles’ shelf life. You may also use airtight containers such as these Dwellza Kitchen Airtight Food Storage Containers for the purpose.
As far as quantity goes, you could store as many noodle packets as you possibly can. Storing noodles that come good for a week is usually the norm. If you’re storing food for a couple of people, 48 packets of noodles are considered ideal.
Ramen Noodles: Health Concerns
Ramen noodles would perhaps be the last food of choice for health-conscious people or those who like to eat nutrient-rich foods. The following are the reasons why:
Lacks Essential Nutrients
Ramen noodles typically lack several important nutrients, such as fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Also, unlike fresh, whole foods, instant ramen noodles, and all other packaged foods don’t have the phytochemicals and antioxidants needed for good health.
These wheat-made noodles are usually fortified with synthetic variants of certain nutrients such as B vitamins and iron to give the noodles a more nutritional twist. To increase the noodle’s nutrition profile, you may add ingredients such as canned vegetables, meat, or beans to it. These ingredients will also mask your expired ramen’s stale taste.
Sodium-Loaded
Ramen noodles are extremely high in sodium. A single pack of ramen noodles could contain approximately 1,700 mg of sodium, which is almost 90% of the 2-gram daily sodium recommendation by WHO.
Sodium, in limited quantities, is an essential mineral and great for proper body functioning. However, when sodium intake spikes, it could lead to multiple health issues, including increased risks of heart disease, stomach cancer, and stroke.
Here’s a video explaining why consuming too much salt is bad:
Salt-sensitive people may develop blood pressure issues upon consuming high levels of sodium. Moreover, the increased pressure could negatively impact their kidney and heart health.
Contains Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Instant ramen noodles have monosodium glutamate (MSG), a controversial ingredient typically used to enhance the flavor of instant noodles and similar foods.
Ingestion of 0.5 mg MSG a day is considered safe by the FDA. If the intake increases, adverse effects such as numbness, headache, tingling, flushing, drowsiness, and heart palpitations are likely. Consuming multiple packets of ramen a day will definitely tip the scale above 0.5mg.
The Calories Accumulate
Perhaps the worst attribute of ramen noodles is the number of calories it packs in without offering anything pro-health.
A single serving (43 grams) of ramen noodles has 188 calories. That’s not a lot of calories. But since most people do not stop with one serving, the calories build up. Most people consume a couple of servings, which means 371 calories per meal. And if ramen noodles were to be consumed three times a day, that’s 1,100 calories in total.
Related: Is Evaporated Milk a Good Survival Food?
Conclusion
Ramen is, no doubt, an excellent food option when food supplies are limited, and cooking is out of the question. It’s also quite affordable, making it accessible to people from various walks of life. However, instant noodles are high in sodium and almost have zero beneficial nutrients, making it not an ideal everyday food.
Kindly go ahead and stock on ramen noodles for the apocalypse, since they can last for almost forever. Just do not treat it as regular food replacement, and certainly do not consume it if you are bed-ridden and/or have been advised to eat healthily.
