Is Nissin Ramen Healthy? (5 Tips for Weight Loss)

The iconic red logo and convenient styrofoam cup is a famous food all college students are all too familiar with. To solve the food shortage during WWII, Momofuko Ando focused on finding ways to create convenient food and soon made the famous Instant Cup Noodles (1).

As a popular replicant of daily meals, Nissin Ramen and noodles have been a popular staple food, but you may be wondering, is Nissin Ramen healthy?

Nissin Ramen is not the best food to eat when trying to stay healthy as each serving contains 1,600mg of Sodium, 7 grams of saturated fats, and ingredients such as hydrolyzed corn and soy protein which produce MSG. 

In this article, we will be discussing three great tips that will help you understand more about the nutrition behind Nissin Ramen and how to enjoy this noodle dish while still losing weight:

Tip 1: Understand the Ingredients in Nissin Ramen

Tip 2: Understand the Nutritional Information behind Nissin Top Ramen

Tip 3: Understand which Nissin Ramen is Best to Eat for Weight Loss

Tip 4: Understand how to Fit Nissin Ramen in your Diet

Tip 5: Make sure to Exercise when Eating Nissin Ramen

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Tip 1: Understand the Ingredients in Nissin Ramen

To get a better idea of why Nissin Ramen is not the best food to eat when you are trying to lose weight, it is essential to understand the ingredients that make up the food. 

When looking at any food’s nutrition label, if you see a long list of ingredients with many scientific names that you do not understand, it is most likely not right for you.

Before consuming foods, always check the ingredients list to see what your food is made of. 

In this section, we will be going over some of the main ingredients in Nissin Ramen and what they mean: 

Enriched Flour 

Enriched flour is the most used ingredient in Nissin Ramen, which is not the best ingredient to consume regularly.

What makes enriched flour different from regular flour is that all the nutrients and natural vitamins have been taken out of the flour to produce the enriched version. 

As a result, enriched flour gives your body bursts of energy, but your body breaks it down much more quickly than regular flour, which leaves you hungry and less satiated after eating this meal (1).

Without the healthy and essential nutrients found in flour, this makes this an unbalanced meal and should not be eaten regularly because it may lead to long-term detrimental effects. 

Not only does it potentially cause long-term problems, but enriched flour is also not a great ingredient to consume when your goal is weight loss.

When trying to lose weight, you want to fill your diet with nutrient-dense and fulfilling food to keep you energized when eating less than usual. 

Palm Oil 

Palm oil is used in many of the foods that we eat today, such as ice cream, cakes, and several other processed foods, but is not the best to consume in abundance when we are trying to lose weight. 

Since palm oil is high in saturated fat, we want to reduce the amount we consume to 7reduce the chances of long term consequences from happening.

Oil is one of the most dangerous, hidden ingredients that hinder weight loss. For every tablespoon of oil, there is a total of 120 calories, which can easily add a bunch of extra and unnecessary calories into your meal. 

Be aware of the amount of oil used in your dishes, because foods that have a lot of oil can set you off-track from your weight loss goals. 

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Nissin Ramen doesn’t contain an overwhelming amount of High Fructose Corn Syrup, but this ingredient is definitely found in a majority of the processed foods that we have in America.

This ingredient is very similar to sugar and should be consumed in moderation when trying to lose weight.

The reason why we want to watch the amount of sugar and high fructose corn syrup that we are consuming is because too much can easily add a lot of extra calories to your daily intake (2).

Sugar can also spike your insulin levels, which triggers your hunger signals and can leave you hungrier than before you at the sweet food.  

As you can see, Nissin Ramen contains a lot of ingredients that do not keep you well-satiated, and can possibly leave you even hungrier than before.

Now that you have an idea of the ingredients used in Nissin Ramen, let us go over the nutritional information behind Nissin Top Ramen. 

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Oils

The last thing that stands out within the nutritional info provided by Nissin on their website is an ingredient called Hydrolyzed Corn & Soy Proteins.

This is where you can expect most of the soup to be comprised of.

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Oils breaks down vegetables into amino acids with one notable product being monosodium glutamate or, famously known as, MSG. you can find HVP (hydrolyzed vegetable oils) in many products such as bouillon cubes or pre-made chicken stocks as it is mainly used a flavor enhancer.

So, this begs the question, “is this safe to eat?” well, for most people, yes. It is totally safe to eat as MSG is relatively harmless and is actually a naturally occurring product.

If you are, however, sensitive to the effects of MSG, then HVP can be something you should definitely avoid.

Tip 2: Understand the Nutritional Information behind Nissin Top Ramen

Served either in a bowl or bought in a package, Nissin Top Ramen is a convenient travel food that comes with a variety of flavors.

Whether you want a beefy noodle soup or a shrimp seafood flavored one, Nissin Top Ramen has a range of options for you to choose from. 

In this section, we will be going over the nutritional information behind Nissin Ramen and why it is important to understand when you are trying to lose weight.

For every package of Nissin Top Ramen, there are 380 calories with 14 grams of fat, 53 grams of carbohydrates, and 9 grams of protein.

With barely any protein in this dish, this high calorie bowl of noodles will most likely not keep you full and energized throughout the day. 

Higher in fat and carbohydrates, Nissin Top Ramen lacks a lot of basic nutrients, like fiber and vitamins, which is why you should not eat it on a regular basis.

380 calories is actually a relatively low in calories for a meal, so it won’t actually be a huge detriment to your weight loss goals as long as you don’t eat anything along with the instant ramen. 

The most important way to lose weight is to make sure you are in a calorie deficit or burn more calories than your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or TDEE.

That means that eating “healthy” or “clean” food while remaining in a calorie surplus will ultimately lead to weight gain.

We should avoid unhealthy junk food because they tend to be higher in calories and often don’t make you extraordinarily full or energized.

You may now be wondering, how do you figure out your TDEE?

This is very simple! All you have to do is go onto any credible fitness website, like Bodybuilding.com or NASM, and find their calorie calculator.

By putting in your sex, height, weight, and activity level, this calculator can help you generate an approximate number that is your TDEE. 

Once you know your TDEE, to be in a calorie deficit, aim to eat around 300-500 calories less than your TDEE every single day.

Although you may not see results in the first couple of days, or maybe even the first week, it’s essential to trust the process and stay consistent.

Weigh yourself every single day, at the same time to get the most accurate results. 

My favorite way to track how many calories I am eating every day is by using MyFitnessPal, which allows you to easily input your food into a journal and help you calculate how many calories you are eating throughout the day. 

Remember that everyone’s body is unique, and the TDEE calculator is simply an estimate.

If you still do not see any results within around two weeks, try lowering your calorie intake by around 100-200 calories and observe the results.

Drink plenty of water throughout the process, and fill your diet with low-calorie options and high protein foods! 

Tip 3: Understand which Nissin Ramen is Best to Eat for Weight Loss

Now that you have an idea of the nutritional information that goes behind the classic Nissin Top Ramen, let us compare the nutritional information to the other products that Nissin has.

In this section, we will cover some of the basic products and which one is the best for weight loss. 

Nissin Chow Mein

Nissin Chow Mein is a delicious savory instant noodle dish that only takes five minutes to make.

With flavors like Teriyaki Beef, Kung Pao Chicken, and even Pad Thai, Nissin Chow Mein has several options that you can choose from. 

For every package of Nissin Chow Mein, there are 510 calories with 24 grams of fat, 63 grams of carbohydrates, and 10 grams of protein.

This high calorie instant noodle that is very high in carbohydrates and low in protein is not the ideal food to consume. 

The reason why we want to consume foods high in protein is because protein is the essential macronutrient that helps you build and maintain lean muscle mass.

Muscle retention is important because this helps build a nice and lean body composition.

The more muscle that we have on our body, the higher our Resting Metabolic Rate, which means we burn more calories at rest! 

This is why we don’t want to consume Nissin Chow Mein on a regular basis because it lacks adequate protein.

Ideally, you want to eat around 1.4-1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. 

Nissin Hot & Spicy Ramen

If you are looking for something spicy that will get you drinking tons of water, Nissin Hot & Spicy Ramen is a great option.

Chili-flavored and a noodle dish that will definitely test your spice tolerance, Nissin Hot & Spicy comes in different flavors like chicken, shrimp, and fiery beef.  

For every package of Hot and Spicy Ramen, there are 420 calories with 19 grams of fat, 54 grams of carbohydrates and 9 grams of protein.

This is around 100 calories less than the Nissin Chow Mein, but is still relatively high in fat and carbohydrates. 

Nissin Cup Noodles

Finally, we have the classic Cup Noodles served in the white styrofoam cup that can give you a quick snack in just three minutes.

With seven different flavors, Cup Noodles has become an iconic instant ramen that is popular in several countries throughout the world. 

For every package of Nissin Cup Noodles, there are 290 calories with 11 grams of fat, 41 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of protein.

Out of all the options, Cup Noodles is the best dish because it is the lowest in calories and fat. 

Tip 4: Understand how to Fit Nissin Ramen in your Diet

If you are really craving Nissin Ramen, you definitely can as long as you make smart choices throughout the day.

In this section, we will go over a couple of tips that will help you fit Nissin Ramen into your diet while still meeting your weight loss goals.

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Since Nissin Ramen is high in calories, by portion sizing and only eating half a bowl, you can save a lot of extra calories and instead pair it with some healthier foods.

Rather than consuming the entire bowl by yourself, split the bowl in half and pair it with a lean source of protein. 

Eat Higher Protein Foods Throughout the Day

Nissin Ramen is very low in protein and you most likely will be far from your protein target if you only consume this instant noodle for a meal.

If you are choosing to eat instant ramen for lunch, then I highly recommend eating a breakfast and dinner that is protein-rich.

Filling up your diet with egg whites, turkey breast, seafood, or any lean source of protein will help you easily hit your protein goals for the day. 

Eat More Vegetables

Finally, add some boiled vegetables into your Nissin Ramen to give your noodles some extra fiber, nutrients, and protein.

Not only are vegetables low in calories, they add a lot of volume in your dish, which gives you the illusion that you are eating more than what you are actually eating.

Try to add in at least one source of vegetable, like broccoli, zucchini, or bok choy into every one of your meals to hit your fiber and make you feel more energized throughout the day.

By making these conscious and smart decisions, you can enjoy your Nissin Ramen while still reaching your weight loss goals.

Don’t let one cheat meal completely deter you from achieving your goals!

Tip 5: Make sure to Exercise when Eating Nissin Ramen

Remember, although nutrition is a huge factor that influences weight loss, it is important to pair this journey with exercise as well.

Especially strength training.

Several years of research on the benefits of weight training have shown that individuals that do some sort of consistent resistance training at least 3-5 times a week have shown not only a great amount of weight loss but are also able to keep the weight off! 

By filling up your daily life with nutritious food and exercise, occasionally eating your cravings, like Nissin Ramen, will not put you off your journey towards weight loss.

It is all about balancing your life and following the 80/20 rule, where you fill up 80% of your life with healthy and nutritious foods and the other 20% with the foods that you enjoy eating. 

The secret to this phenomena is that strength training leads to a build-up of muscle.

Not only does your body recomposition into a more fitting and athletic-looking aesthetic, but having more muscle also increases your resting metabolic rate which essentially means you burn more calories at rest! 

Now that we know the importance of muscle we need to make sure we stay on track with our workouts.

Consistency and longevity are the two key factors when building muscle so there will be some commitment involved. 

We understand that not everyone has access to a gym membership or feels comfortable starting off in such an intimidating environment.

Although I would strongly recommend that everyone should get a gym membership, don’t worry we got your back!

You can either go to the gym or build one for yourself. It really just comes down to 3 pieces of equipment that you need to do most workouts. These three are the workout bench, dumbbells, and gym flooring.

Check out our recommended gear page to see our best picks for these pieces of equipment here. 

https://www.aspirefitnesswalnut.com/home-workout-equipment

If a home gym is not for you then getting a membership somewhere works too. As long as you are starting your muscle-building journey, we’re happy! 

Conclusion

Now that you understand the importance of understanding the ingredients and the nutritional information that goes behind Nissin ramen, which Nissin ramen is best for weight loss, and the importance of exercising and strength training, you can enjoy this delicious noodle dish while still meeting your goals! 

Weight loss does not need to be a painful and restrictive process, but more so about making smart decisions, planning ahead of time, and portion sizing.

By creating a sustainable, but challenging plan, you will more likely reach your goals while still enjoying the process!