ramen noodles for carbs?

[cococody]

how bad are noodles for your carbs?

[king henry viii]

ramen noodles. HELL NO.

whole wheat pasta
brown rice
100% all natural whole wheat bread

[cococody]

those are the only goods carbs ?

[king henry viii]

well you've got your fruits and vegetables also. oatmeal is good. healthy cereal.

[scskowron]

Yeah ramen noodles suck. Bad carbs, plus they're full of salt and fat.

[Courtenay]

Yeah ramen noodles suck. Bad carbs, plus they're full of salt and fat.

I think the sodium content is the big negative with ramen noodles.

You need carbs as a foundation to your meals to enjoy high energy, stamina and endurance. Only carbs are stored in the muscles as glycogen and depleted muscle glycogen stores are associated with fatigue.
Eat pasta, rice, bread, and don't worry about it unless you have an issue with being over-weight. You NEED it!

Here's a good suggestion on getting the right foods at fast-food places. Since most of you guys are young and probably eat out a lot, this may be helpful.

Fast Food Tips For Athletes
Sports Medicine Center,
Hospital for Special Surgery

Fast food restaurants provide a quick, cheap and filling meal. However, many fast food menu items are high in fat, calories and sugar. They’re also low in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Here are some tips to help you eat a healthy fast food meal.

Fast foods are often FAT foods! Too many fat calories get in the way of eating enough carbohydrates. If you eat too few carbohydrates, you lose energy for sports performance. Carbohydrate foods include bread, rice, pasta, fruits, vegetables and beans. Fat takes longer to digest than carbohydrate, which means you should cut down on high-fat pre-game snacks or meals. You don’t want to be sluggish, throw up or have stomach cramps during sports.

What’s good?

Thick crust pizza tastes great and provides lots of carbohydrate. The cheese also gives you calcium. Pepperoni or other greasy meats add fat, so try veggie varieties, meatballs or plain cheese.
Order burgers with extra tomatoes and lettuce. Hold the sauce. If you’re in the mood for fries, choose the small size.
Roasted or grilled chicken dinners are definitely better than fried chicken. But there’s still a lot of fat in the skin. So remove the skin before you start munching.
Pasta (spaghetti or noodles with meat/poultry/veggies), chili, hearty soups are mmm good!
Salad bars can offer healthy high carbohydrate meals. Ask for extra broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, beans or other colorful veggies on top of your salad. Go easy on the salad dressing; you may add nearly 400 calories of fat! Or try diet dressing. Enjoy whole grain rolls or pasta salads. Be careful of cream sauce.
When ordering deli sandwiches, emphasize the bread and veggies. Go light on the spread. Choose whole grain breads to add fiber.
Wraps and pita sandwiches are a new trend in fast foods and they can be low or high in fat calories depending on the ingredients. Choose wraps that are filled with lots of fresh vegetables, as well as meat or cheese. Watch out for high fat toppings which soak the wrap with calories.


MORE TIPS…

DON’T supersize it! Supersize means more high-fat food and extra calories! Don’t get sucked into the trap of ordering food you don’t want or need, even if it seems like a bargain. Let a teammate supersize while you order a simple sandwich. Then you can both share the fries.
Soft drinks are high in sugar, but do provide energy. Diet drinks supply fluid, but no nutritional value. Better choices are juices, seltzer, low-fat milk, hot cocoa, or just plain water! As an athlete, it’s important to keep well-hydrated. If you like soda pop, caffeine-free (non-cola) types are best. Ask about low-fat shakes; if it doesn’t say milkshake, there’s no milk in it!
Order things"your way". Ask for salad dressing on the side, extra veggies and bread, or "hold the sauce". This will lower your fat intake and guarantee the freshness of your meal. Why? Because a special order must always be made on the spot.
Everyone knows fresh fruits and vegetables are good for you. But it’s hard to find them at fast food restaurants. Baked potatoes are great, but can be sabotaged with gobs of sour cream, bacon or other high-fat spreads. Go light on the toppings (just enough to add flavor or try hot sauce/salsa, mustard, veggies or light cheese on top). Don’t be afraid to bring fruits or juices with you to the restaurant.
Don’t scarf the meal down! If you take your time, your stomach will holler "I’m full!" before you overeat.
Fast foods are often high in salt (sodium), which may cause you to retain fluid. This can temporarily increase your weight, making you feel bloated. The carbonation in soft drinks can make you feel bloated too! Balance fast food meals with healthier, fresher food choices.
What about breakfast? Pancakes with syrup or hot/cold cereal are great breakfast choices. Eggs and toast/ biscuits are good too; just limit the fatty bacon or sausage.
If you go to a certain fast food place all the time, ask for a nutrition breakdown of their food, so you can make smart choices. Sometimes you’ll find a chart posted on the wall. If you eat an overall healthy diet and only occasionally go to fast food restaurants, eat whatever you want and ENJOY IT!

[bigv123]

If you need to burn off fat, stay away from Ramen. The carbs in those noodles are high glycemic index, and you need to stay away from that if you need to burn off fat.

If you don't, then make sure you're drinking enough water to balance the sodium and watch the fat content. Frankly, there are a lot better choices out there than ramen. Try some whole wheat pasta.

V

[thepho]

think about it, ramen is really freeze dried.

[millerc]

There's a reason that it's only 25 cents for a bag of those noodles... Stay away from em' codeman

Great post Court, I learned some good stuff in there.

[mikev]

http://www.crossfit.com/journal/library/cfjissue21_May04.pdf

People with diet questions please check this out.

[mrrojas]

Oatmeal is really good for you

[ki55ofdawn]

This is about as close as the search function got me so I'll just ask here... Courtenay mentioned Soda in her Fast Food Tips for Athletes. I don't drink soda's on a normal basis but I do drink them, and when I do drink them they aren't caffiene free nor fat free. I was just wondering if anyone here was a soda drinker in the past and had noticed any differences after quitting or cutting back a substantial amount. Just curious if it would be a good idea to completely stop or if a soda here and there is alright.

[jabadiah]

Haha so pizza is good for you after all. I wok at a pizza place. And i only get a chance to eat at the pizza place. I make it full of vegies and pinnapples so its pretty healthy.

thanks for the post.

[determined91]

Frosted Mini Wheats!!!!!

I've been basically living purely on Whole wheat turkey sandwiches, bananas, and frosted mini wheats.
Theyre fillling, and low in calories, good for losing weight if thats the goal.

[jjrjr]

Ki55... I quit drinking soda almost entirely a couple months ago and with little other change to my diet or exercise routine I lost 10 or so pounds in a couple weeks. While I'm certainly no nutritionist and can't say with all certainty that it was simply giving up soda that helped, it sure seems to have helped me and has had similar effects for other people I have spoken too.

Also, if you really get that urge for caffeine (it is an addicting drug just like any other) just have tea or even coffee, neither is as bad for you and tea, IMHO, tastes better.

-jr

[deadly nedly]

The worst thing about sodas, it seems to me, is the gigantic insulin spike you get. I haven't quite drunk the Zone Diet kool-aid yet, but insulin spikes are no bueno. Current research is very anti-carb, but it has worked for many endurance athletes over the years. Try it and do what works. There is so much contradictory research out there, it renders the whole lot of it useless, and we're left to figure nutrition out for ourselves.

I'm a crossfit junkie, and they recommend zone and/or paleo, but a diet of moderation works well enough for me so far. Maybe when I plateau hard I'll change up my eating, but I'm still making great progress.

[bigv123]

One of the big things that gets overlooked about carbonated beverages is the CO2. The carbonic acid (H2CO3) in the drink is very weakly bonded and thus breaks down easily...hence the fizz in your drink.

CO2 + H2O ⇌ H2CO3

The issue for us is what happens to that CO2 when it gets into the digestive tract. You guessed it, once in the digestive tract is goes into the blood stream. Now, most of that CO2 is converted into bicarbonate ions and used by the body. Some gets dissolved in the plasma, and about 10% gets bound to the hemoglobin. As a reminder, hemoglobin is the MAJOR oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells. Now, despite the fact that the CO2 binds to a different site than the O2 your muscles need, it still causes a down-regulation of O2 because of its allosteric effect on the hemoglobin. What this means to athletes and those in training is that you get less oxygen to your muscles. I think everyone here can understand why this isn't desirable.

Personally, I notice a dramatic difference in my cardiovascular capacity with I either stop or start drinking sodas. I haven't read any studies that attempted to measure this delta, but, I think it's safe to say that if I can see and feel it without measurement, then it's well above the "noise" level in significance.

V

[jffay]

I quit drinking soda a year and half ago for lent. Amazing decision. I lost a lot of weight and just feel all around better. The best part is it's not something that requires any additional effort on your part and you get results. Just order a water, be better hydrated and save money.

[guerrillawolf]

As far as the noodles go eat half the block without the seasoning and you will be just fine especially if you don't eat it every day. However, it is more cost effective if you buy some type of whole wheat pasta and cook it and eat about a cup to a cup and a half in place of the ramen and better for you. Moderation is key as Stew Smith says and I agree. Also if you can keep from it cut the sodas out completely. If you have trouble doing so switch slowly to gatorade then the option then just water. Get rid of the caffeine and high concentrated amounts of sugar where you can. Sugar is in everything you eat and you get enough of it. Think every time before you put food/beverages in your mouth how it will benefit you and you will think twice.