By Harriet Mallinson | Published on May 30, 2017
Instant noodles are a foodie’s worst nightmare. They are notoriously unhealthy and, for many people, synonymous with both laziness and frugality.
These days they’re considered a student staple, but the original concept behind instant noodles and the now-famous brand, Pot Noodles, was to counteract food shortages in Japan following the Second World War. A Taiwanese man, Momofuku Ando, first came up with the idea and the first instant noodle product, Chicken Ramen was launched in 1958 after years of development.
The Cup Noodle came about in 1971, consisting of a polystyrene cup containing a slab of pre-cooked noodles to which hot water and a flavor packet needed to be added by the consumer.
The cheap and easy meal exploded in popularity and today the factory that produces the snack in Wales churns out 175 million pots annually.
Indeed, Pot Noodles’ popularity is so pronounced that last year it was revealed that the Leicestershire Police force in England has handed out 30, 845 pots since 2011 to prisoners in their cells, as those detained for 24 hours are entitled to snacks as well as a Âsubstantial meal.
Unfortunately, though, this doesn’t help the brand’s reputation as “the slag of all snacksâ€. Although the recipe was changed in 2006 to make Pot Noodles healthier, they are still far from nutritious, due to their high salt and fat content.
To tackle the perception of instant noodles being unhealthy, a company called Mr Lee’s Noodles has burst onto the scene and created six clean, gluten free, oriental flavoured noodle soups.
Damien Lee, the Founder and CEO of Mr Lee’s Noodles told MACROS: “To keep the noodles as healthy as possible, we decided to use premium quality, freeze-dried ingredients that, unlike dehydrated ingredients used by other instant noodle brands, are able to maintain the physical and, most importantly, the nutritional integrity of the product. That makes a big difference to the taste and the quality of our nosh.
“Freeze drying locks more of the goodness in, so they taste fresher and yummier, and are healthier. Being a pure cup noodle, free of any ‘nasties’, we tested different substitutes for artificial food additives, such as honey instead of added sugar, and lime-zest for that salty taste, and the product slowly came together.
“Our salt levels are way below our competitors and in line with UK Government recommendations. On the top of that all our noodles are officially certified gluten free by Coeliac UK and low in sugar by Sugarwise, so you can chomp away totally guilt-free. And they’re low in saturated fats and calories too!â€
– RELATED: 6 Foods To Curb Your Cravings –
Damien was first inspired to create something that was just as convenient as existing Pot Noodles, but without any of the nasties, following a spell in hospital when he began craving the snack.
He was diagnosed with late stage four cancer and told he had a few weeks to live. As a single dad of two young boys, accepting defeat was simply not an option. Damien went raw and clean with his diet as well as 16 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy. Twelve months later, defying the odds, he was in remission.
Damien longed for instant noodles when undergoing treatment but it was not allowed to be a part of his diet due to a multitude of unnatural and unhealthy ingredients. Ever the entrepreneur, when he recovered, Damien decided to capitalise on this gap in the market and create an instant noodle that wasn’t bad for you, but in fact, really rather good!
Exciting flavors now include: Hong Kong Street Beef, with chilli, ginger, star anise and beef; Dragon Fire Mushroom with porcini mushroom, orange peel, pepper and garlic; and Warrior Fighting Shrimp, with seaweed, spring onion, shrimp and lime zest.
Nearly 100 billion instant noodle meals are consumed globally each year and Mr Lee’s products aim to disrupt a market that has traditionally been littered and associated with brands full of poor nutrition value.
So, you no longer need to feel guilty when tucking into an instant noodle meal. Parents frazzled after an evening with fractious children, office workers unable to leave to the office and of course, hungover students can now all join in the noodle fun without sacrificing their healthy eating goals.
Harriet is Editor of MACROS and perfectly capable of eating an entire log of goat’s cheese in one sitting.
