Is eating wonton noodles a balanced and refreshing way to lose weight? Nutritionist: Avoid these three landmines and eat healthy noodles at a noodle stall

I believe that every time many office workers enter a noodle shop and look at the options on the menu, the following little drama often emerges in their minds: "Yangchun noodles and Danzai noodles are too monotonous without any ingredients, but dry noodles, sesame paste noodles, and mixed sauce noodles are too oily...ah, then the wonton noodles are better, with noodles and meat, it feels more cost-effective and balanced..." But is this really the case? Let’s listen to the advice from professional nutritionists to friends who want to lose weight on how to eat in a balanced and healthy way at noodle stalls!

Are wonton noodles more balanced than soup noodles and dry noodles? Nutritionist explains the nutritional content of wontons

Nutritionist Sun Yuming said that affordable noodle stalls and snack bars are often the favorite choice for busy office workers to fill their stomachs after work. However, if we carefully observe the above noodle options from a nutritionist's perspective, we will find that if people go to a noodle shop and only eat noodles as the staple food without choosing other side dishes in moderation, it is actually very easy to have nutritional imbalance problems.

Take soup noodles and dan zai noodles for example. Although they have the advantages of being boiled in water and low in fat, their disadvantage is that they contain very little vegetables, usually only a few leaves and bean sprouts, beans, fish, eggs and meat (protein) are also relatively insufficient. As for dry noodles, sesame noodles, mixed noodles, etc., in addition to the lack of vegetables, beans, fish eggs and meat like soup noodles, the sauce is often mixed with a large amount of oil and various seasonings. Not only is the calorie content much higher than soup noodles, but eating a bowl of it often also consumes a lot of sodium, which can easily cause a metabolic burden on the body.

Although wonton noodles are more balanced than soup noodles and dry noodles, the fillings of commercially available wontons are usually made with fatty meat to enhance the taste, so in fact the calorie and fat content of wontons is not low at all.

Although wonton noodles are more balanced than soup noodles and dry noodles, the fillings of commercially available wontons are usually made with fatty meat to enhance the taste, so in fact the calorie and fat content of wontons is not low at all.

Nutritionist Sun Yuming pointed out that according to data from the Taiwan Food Composition Database of the Food and Drug Administration, every 100 grams of vegetable and meat wontons has 236 kcal and 16.3 grams of fat, accounting for about 62% of the total calories; pork wontons have 227 kcal and 10.1 grams of fat, accounting for about 40% of the total calories; and winter vegetable and shrimp wontons have only 191 kcal and 6.3 grams of fat, accounting for about 30% of the total calories. Therefore, based on the above data, if people really want to order wonton noodles, shrimp wontons would be a more ideal option.

Comparison of nutritional content of shrimp wontons, pork wontons, and vegetable and meat wontons. (Information provided by nutritionist Sun Yuming; illustration by Hong Yuqi)

It is also worth noting that in addition to the problem of high fat content in wontons, the wonton wrappers made from flour are also a staple food. According to the Taiwan Food Composition Database, the calories per 100 grams of wonton wrappers are 271kcal. If calculated based on 6 wonton wrappers, it is equivalent to about 70kcal. In addition, some snack stalls provide a lot of noodles. If you eat a big bowl of wonton noodles in one go, it is easy to have the problem of excessive starch intake. People who are trying to lose weight should not consume too much.

Nutritionists teach you how to avoid three landmines and choose the right combination of snack stands so that you can eat healthily without NG

In this case, then, for friends who are on a diet, how should they eat at noodle stalls in a relatively balanced and healthy way? Nutritionist Sun Yuming pointed out that in fact, snack stalls that mainly serve pasta are not really that unhealthy. As long as you follow the basic dietary principles of staple food + protein + vegetables, carefully choose the combination, pay attention to precautions when eating, and avoid the three major landmines, you can still eat in a balanced, nutritious and burden-free manner.

Noodle stall combinations recommended by nutritionist Sun Yuming. (Information provided by nutritionist Sun Yuming; illustration by Hong Yuqi)

Landmine behavior 1 / Don’t finish the soup:

Many people tend to drink up all the soup when they order noodle soup, but from a nutritionist's point of view, unless it is a clear soup made from vegetables, it is recommended that you drink in moderation. In particular, the sodium content of a bowl of braised beef noodle soup is as high as 1,600 to 3,000 mg. If you drink the whole bowl at once, it will exceed the WHO recommended upper limit of 2,400 mg daily sodium intake for adults, which may increase the body's metabolic burden and increase the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

There are many friends who love strong flavors. Every time they eat at noodle stalls, they often add a lot of chili oil, chili sauce, and soy sauce to enhance the flavor. However, condiments such as chili oil, soy sauce paste, and bean paste can easily increase the intake of fat and sodium.

Mine Behavior 2/Choose Noodle Types Carefully:

Pay special attention to shredded chicken noodles, pot-fried pasta and fried noodles, as they are deep-fried or mixed with oil during the production process, so they are high in calories. Just a bowl of noodles has 450 to 500 kcal. Vermicelli also has a high sodium content because a large amount of salt is often added during the production process. Therefore, it is recommended that friends who want to lose weight and are prone to edema should avoid eating the above-mentioned noodles as much as possible when ordering food.

As for plain noodles, vermicelli, rice noodles, and spaghetti, considering the same bowl volume, there is not much difference in calories, all around 140kcal, so it is fine for people who are trying to lose weight to eat them in moderation. However, nutritionist Sun Yuying still recommends that since the protein content of vermicelli and rice noodles is lower than other staple foods, friends who need to restrict protein in their diet, for example, those with acute/chronic renal failure, renal insufficiency and other diseases, can choose to eat more of these two types of noodles.

Landmine 3/Reduce processed sauces:

In addition, there are many friends who love strong flavors, and they often add a lot of chili oil, chili sauce, and soy sauce paste to enhance the flavor every time they eat at noodle stalls. However, condiments such as chili oil, soy sauce paste, and bean paste can easily increase the intake of fat and sodium. Friends who want to lose weight and stay healthy but like heavy flavors are advised to try changing the above sauces to add minced garlic, raw chili slices, chopped green onions, coriander, shredded ginger and other spices. In addition to being low in calories, they are also rich in antioxidants, which would be a better choice.

In fact, snack stalls that mainly serve pasta are not really that unhealthy. As long as you follow the basic dietary principles of staple food + protein + vegetables and carefully choose the combination, you can eat balanced, nutritious and burden-free.

[Nutritionist's Tips]:

In addition to the above-mentioned "food selection" techniques, nutritionist Sun Yuming also shared that if netizens want to lose weight successfully, they might as well try to weigh themselves every day and start by recording the food they eat. Paying more attention to problems in your diet, eating more foods that are close to their original state, and reducing the intake of overly processed foods are good ways to help reduce excessive fat and calorie intake and change improper eating habits accumulated in the past.

If your body shape has not improved after using the above methods for a period of time, don't panic. You can also consider seeking help from a professional nutritionist to further clarify the reasons and design a suitable weight loss prescription based on your personal physique and lifestyle habits. This is a good choice to help you regain a healthy and slim body shape.