Let's face it: at various points in our lives, we have to trim the budget and that means the tasty dishes are on the chopping block. So has anyone here subsided on nothing but cheap 'n trusty ramen noodle for weeks or even months on end? How did it go? Did you develop any health related problem? How was your mood during the ordeal?
Great question! haha I think the longest we ever went was three days. That may not seem like a lot but it feels that way if you don't dress it up a bit. There are a surprisingly large number of recipes for Ramen noodles on the internet. My favorite is from this site:Log In Once you look at these pictures you'll think you are eating authentic Thai or Indian cuisine and not your garden variety Dollar Store food that most of us buy in desperate states. Of course the ingredients for the recipes vary; egg will make your meal more expensive. But if you have an herb garden, then some of the leaves that you add as well as the spices really don't increase the price of the meal that much and it sure changes the taste. To answer your question, after 3 days of just using the little packets which I'm pretty sure are filled with MSG, I began to feel headachy. So I prefer to the packets that separate some of the flavorings and then using my own. But there is something tasty about the packets too so it just depends how much of a rush I am in.
I love ramen noodles, but I have had weeks where I have been on a noodle diet. I still choose to have them every now and then. Rather than use the sachets I use soya sauce to flavor or some chilli flakes I don't see it as an ordeal or suffer from any health issues. If you vary your diet and have it as breakfast one day or as dinner another, alternating seems less daunting. I add an egg or stir fry them with some vegetables. The trick is not to overcook them, like pasta you can get bloated if they are too soggy. I always carry a pack with me when I travel as an emergency snack.
I never really understood how Ramen Noodles became so popular when there are plenty of regular pasta dishes you can make just as cheaply which taste much better and are relatively speaking a lot better for you than that processed stuff. I would take some angel hair pasta simply dressed in olive oil with some crushed garlic, Parmesan and fresh parsley any day of the week over Ramen noodles. Pasta is comfort food to me, so I don't really feel like I'm being deprived if I eat a lot of it on a regular basis, and if I am saving money in the process, even better. Even some egg noodles, with some butter and Parmesan/Romano is a super cheap meal, that you can easily dress up with something simple like some leftover fresh or frozen vegetables. Got a couple of slices of bacon and a couple of eggs? Pasta carbonara. Got a can of crushed tomatoes? Make it into a sauce with a little olive oil, onions, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
I think it's because it became the "go-to" college cheap food. It's all inclusive in a single package and only takes 3 minutes to make. And while other pasta prices are comparable now, it used to feel even cheaper to get ramen instead.
Probably three days. Usually, when I am broke, I try to make a big spot of spaghetti. Noodles, sauce and meat are cheap. You can make a meal that lasts a few days for $10. The other foods I turn too are bread, eggs and peanut butter. They all are filling and most people like them. So, if you have kids, they won't be that upset about eating these types of foods because they taste delicious and curb hunger.
I must admit, I've hit rocky hard times financially and have resorted to eating Ramen noodles. However, to eat these solely will result in dangerous high blood pressure and unwanted health problems. Ramen noodles are loaded with mono sodium glutamate which is a very bad sodium. The best alternative is to eat other things that are just as cheap like canned fruits and vegetable is a better non-tasty choice.
Luckily, I have never experienced that yet since I still live with my parents, but when I move out, I don't think I would want to go to the ramen route if I want to save or if I'm on a budget. I would just buy canned goods instead, some can be quite cheap already since I'm not a fan of instant noodles.
Luckily I have never had to do this. If I did I think I would pass and just make a large pot of pasta and tomato sauce and survive off of that. I really think I could last quite some time eating only pasta. I think I would get bored and it probably isn't very good for me, but in terms of sticking it out I definitely think I could.
Just another fun fact of why you shouldn't eat them regularly. They deep fry them into those little bricks. They are actually fried until there is no water left in them dried and packages. That's how they can cook so fast compared to regular pasta. You're pretty much just re-hydrating them. I've definitely gone a few days in my broke times though!
I'm a big fan of Ramen Noodles, but I'm proud to say that I've never tried to survive on just that... They can really mess you up... The salt and chemical levels must be through the roof! I'm guessing the dudes who hold the Guiness record already have died of diabetes. Here's a label for you:
Fortunately I have not had to try and live off of noodles only for days. We do have the noodles in the house for the kids as a quick something to eat but they do not eat it often. There is too much salt in the noodles which can cause serious problems to a persons health. If I do not have a lot of money for food I would go for the peanut butter and jelly before I would go for noodles.
I remember when I was in college. There were times that I ran out of money because I spent them already eating in fast-food restaurants. When there was still a week in left in the month but my monthly budget had already been spent, I decided to go to grocery and buy me some noodles. They are not all necessarily Ramen. I bought some biscuits too. Anyway, there was only week left before I can receive my monthly allowance again. Funny, right? But it really happened to me in college.
I don't think I've ever gone just eating ramen noodles, fortunately, but I have had some phases that I ate it a lot, both by choice and necessity alike. I guess those phases usually have lasted me a few weeks or maybe even a month or so, but I usually eat it alongside something else it never got too tiring. I also interchange between many brands and flavors during these times so that helps too.
I was living in a bachelor apartment as a youngin and working as I could so I ate this often since all I had was a microwave and hot plate. Though it was okay and I lost weight, I had another issue that my medical billing teacher said could happen. She said my body became too accustomed to bland food. I once went out to celebrate with hot wings at a Mexican restaurant. I'd had these before with no problem but this time I got very sick. As in green with a burning bum sick and it lasted two days. There was nothing the Dr. could do but "let it run". Since then, I have not touched ramen noodles or any hot wings from a Mexican restaurant.
It was around two whole days for me. Ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner when it was flooded in our area and it was impossible to go out and buy food.
