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Writer's pictureFelicia Koh

Singapore Instant Noodles, Salt and Sodium. What's in the Hypertension Packet?

Updated: 5 days ago

sodium salt instant noodles

As part of our exploration into salt, sodium and hypertension, we have touched on hidden salt, found within foods we consume and we might not be aware of. One popular and salty item enjoyed by many is instant noodles, for some an emergency supper, for other a daily snack. So, we browsed the local supermarket shelves to see how much is in a packet or serving.

We know that instant noodles are high salt, we were shocked by some of the products.

As ever, please talk to your doctor, or medical practitioner most familiar with your medical history before implementing any changes in diet, exercise or lifestyle; especially if you are under treatment.

 
instant noodles salt sodium
A useful skill is to read Nutrition Information Panels

We researched a selection of noodles, instant and 'plain' - as used for cooking. For reference, the daily maximum sodium allowance, as recommended by the Singapore health authorities is 2,000mg; 2,300mg in the US and UK.

Item

Brand

Type

Flavour

Serving (mg)

100g (mg)

1

Nongshim

Instant, packet

Korean Clay Pot Ramyun

2290

1910

2

Nongshim

Instant, packet

Shi Ramyun Noodle Soup

2077

1731

3

Nissin

Instant, packet

Cup Noodles, Spicy Tonkotsu

2070

1800

4

Myojo

Instant, packet

Chicken Tanmen

1850

2280

5

Fair Price

Instant, packet

Nonya Curry Laksa

1840

1472

6

Nissin

Instant, packet

Cup Noodles, Mushroom Chicken

1660

2270

7

Prima

Instant, packet

Prawn Soup Wholegrain

1634

908

8

Myojo

Instant, packet

Chicken Abalone

1620

2030

9

Fair Price

Plain Noodle, white

Mee Suah

568

1032

10

Sun Brand

Plain Noodle, yellow

Egg Noodle

342

342

11

My Noodle

Plain Noodle, yellow

Hong Kong Fine Noodle

212

170

12

Megah Mee

Plain Noodle, yellow

Clay Pot Yee Mee

90

120

13

Tai Sun

Plain Noodle, white

Bee Hoon

11

11

14

Fair Price

Plain Noodle, white

Rice Vermicelli

3

3

15

Farmer Brand

Plain Noodle, yellow

Ban Mee (natural)

0

0

Many of us probably know that instant noodles are loaded with salt. Note that the first 3 items have more sodium than the Singapore daily recommended allowance. And the other instant noodles are not far behind. Just in 1 packet of instant noodles.

 

Now it would be easy to dismiss instant noodles out of hand. But there is one category of people who might benefit from this food... endurance athletes. As a source of easily digestible carbohydrates with a salty soup, these could be used as a pre-workout snack to provide easy to digest energy and support electrolyte hydration.

For the rest of us... yes, do add some veggies if you eat them - because we all need to eat more veggies. But, for most, perhaps best to avoid.


For most people, improving health is about finding motivation and prioritising self-care with an ultimate goal of taking action. If you want to take effective and targeted steps that fit into your unique lifestyle, The Whole Health Practice is here to help. Whether your interest is healthspan and longevity, to beat chronic illness or enhance your overall well-being, our consultations and programs deliver results that are tailored to your needs.


Stay Healthy,


Alastair


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noodles sodium salt hypertension

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Related Studies


Gan L, Zhao B, Inoue-Choi M, Liao LM, Graubard BI, Weinstein SJ, Albanes D, Huang J. Sex-specific associations between sodium and potassium intake and overall and cause-specific mortality: a large prospective U.S. cohort study, systematic review, and updated meta-analysis of cohort studies. BMC Med. 2024 Mar 22;22(1):132. doi: 10.1186/s12916-024-03350-x. PMID: 38519925; PMCID: PMC10960470.


Aliasgharzadeh S, Tabrizi JS, Nikniaz L, Ebrahimi-Mameghani M, Lotfi Yagin N. Effect of salt reduction interventions in lowering blood pressure: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials. PLoS One. 2022 Dec 7;17(12):e0277929. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277929. PMID: 36477548; PMCID: PMC9728935.


Tan CH, Chow ZY, Ching SM, Devaraj NK, He FJ, MacGregor GA, Chia YC. Salt content of instant noodles in Malaysia: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2019 May 1;9(4):e024702. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024702. Erratum in: BMJ Open. 2019 Jul 31;9(7):e024702corr1. PMID: 31048428; PMCID: PMC6501963.


Farrand C, Charlton K, Crino M, Santos J, Rodriguez-Fernandez R, Ni Mhurchu C, Webster J. Know Your Noodles! Assessing Variations in Sodium Content of Instant Noodles across Countries. Nutrients. 2017 Jun 16;9(6):612. doi: 10.3390/nu9060612. PMID: 28621720; PMCID: PMC5490591.


Eyles H, Shields E, Webster J, Ni Mhurchu C. Achieving the WHO sodium target: estimation of reductions required in the sodium content of packaged foods and other sources of dietary sodium. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016 Aug;104(2):470-9. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.115.125146. Epub 2016 Jul 6. PMID: 27385612.



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