[Malachai Constant]

There are a huge number of types of ramen available at a large Japanese supermarket here, many have no msg an come in many flavers and types including buckwheat and green.

[AlpineRose]

[Randito]

[AlpineRose]

Longevity is one of the important criteria the World Health Organization uses to asses a nation's quality of healthcare.

[RumiDude]

As for ramen noodles and health concerns, it should be noted there are a few studies which have documented the health issues with eating the instant noodles. Instant ramen noodles were invented in 1958 but did not start to become popular until the 1970s. The popularity started in Asia and slowly moved around the world. So many of the longevity studies have not seen the full effect of frequent use of ramen in the diet. One study in South Korea did indicate negative health effects, especially among women. It is doubtful that occasional use of ramen will have much of an impact on overall health of backpackers. But that is not the issue really. The real issue with instant ramen noodles is that they are simply a calorie bomb, almost completely devoid of useful nutrients. If you are going to make the effort to boost a freeze dried meal, why not boost it with something that offers real nutrition rather than empty calories? Calories are important but so are the needed nutrients. And it is sooooooooo easy to find things other than instant ramen noodles to give a calorie boost which also have some good nutritional value as well. Rumi

[pula58]

[AlpineRose]

First page of this thread has some ideas. I thought of another one: quick-cooking Farro, available at Trader Joe's. While regular Farro takes 45-50 mins to cook, the quick-cook version takes about 12 mins. So while it would take longer than couscous for sure, I wonder if you could just rehydrate it in about 20-30 minutes with boiling water added. Could experiment at at home first. Keep in mind, anything labeled "instant" will have less nutrition than the regular thing. Anything "instant" and "white", even less so. For example, while brown rice is very nutritious, white rice is less so, and instant white rice is nothing more than a non-nutritious filler. I concede there may be some healthier versions of ramen noodles out there than the cheap instant crap I was thinking of. The advantage of preparing one's own food is that you control exactly what goes into it, may taste better to you, be cheaper and won't give you gas. Some of the ingredients may be more nutritious than MH, because they have been chosen and prepared by you. This is all good. But some of the recipes I see posted here are actually no more nutritious than MH.

[wildernessed]