MIracle Noodles? A little research.

annieemmons
annieemmons Posts: 16 Member
edited September 27 in Health and Weight Loss
So I saw an add on this website about miracle noodles, and I was wondering about them, I watched the news story and read information off their own website. Noodles at are supposed to be calorie free. Sounds like a great way to get my noodle fix in without having to exercise 2-3x's as much as normal. Decided to do a little reasearch on my own about the main ingredient Glucomannan. I found some helpful information at the below links including information done by studies in US and Australia.

The overall gist is that there have been shown some improvements in patients w/DM for insulin control, IBS, and cholesterol levels, but these studies were all using dietary supplements using only 1-13g daily. Adverse side effects have been rare but do inlclude esophogeal and lower GI obstruction with the supplements, and supplements have actually been banned in Australia due to that risk. No real information about the noodles. Given the benefits vs risks and the low dosage tested I might be willing to try the miracle noodles on occasion, but I doubt I would use this as a regular staple in my diet. Hooray for research, because now I know, "And knowing is half the battle."

http://www.drugs.com/npp/glucomannan.html

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-205-GLUCOMANNAN.aspx?activeIngredientId=205&activeIngredientName=GLUCOMANNAN

Replies

  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    Thanks for the info. These 2 sites are go-to's when I have questions about drugs or ingredients that sound like drugs. :flowerforyou:
  • ceschwartz
    ceschwartz Posts: 240 Member
    Wow! Thanks so much for looking into that. I was curious too. Think I'll just stick to the whole grain kind and put the time in at the gym.
  • bflicker11
    bflicker11 Posts: 296
    I saw the noodles discussed on Dr. Oz. Thanks for the additional info!
  • dmaster555
    dmaster555 Posts: 73
    Can stupid can people be?
  • heniko
    heniko Posts: 796 Member
    And what Dr Oz say?
  • Mtsidad
    Mtsidad Posts: 242 Member
    Anything you eat and digest has calories, right? Essentially, you "burn" it and so it generates heat calories.

    If you can't digest it, then it passes through you (like some of the polysaccharides used as a substitute for oil).

    I guess I don't understand how something you eat and use (digest) has no nutritional value in the way of calories. I suppose some "pure" things such as a pure non-fat vitamin (such as Vitamin C) might have no calories, or salt, or water - but anything else that's organic (meaning, made from a carbon-based plant or animal) is going to be broken down by your digestive system OR by the bacteria in your digestive system OR will pass through unchanged. If it's digestible, then it has calories, whether it's protein, fat, or carbohydrate. If it's broken down by bacteria (such as long-chain polysaccharides in beans), then the initial product doesn't add "calories," but if the bacteria break it down into something you *can* digest, then there are calories, and if it's not digestible, then it's under the third category & passes through you (this includes the methane gas produced by bacteria breaking down long-chain polysaccharides). That's also the case with indigestible fiber (which is, if I'm not mistaken, another kind of polysaccharide). (I'm not sure whether fiber means "non-digestible" or simply "from hard to impossible to digest.")

    I might be wrong, but I just can't imagine how a "food" has no calories. The essence of changing your diet to low-calorie foods is to pick foods with less nutrients, so instead of a slice of cake at 100g you have an apple at 100g. The "food" in the apple is more complex, contains more things that don't digest, and contains much more water as a filler, so it's less nutrient-dense. Instead of something high in fat, at 9cal per gm or alcohol at 7cal/gm, you go with something higher in carbohydrates or protein at 4cal/gm.

    I'm looking at this site:
    http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_gram.php

    Now, I might be missing something, but anything that you can digest into digestible "bits" gets into your body as nutrition and then is used for energy, so it's calories. So if you want noodles, you can have them. You just have to count them as food, and count them as calories.

    In my opinion, you shouldn't tell yourself you can't "have" certain foods. You can have anything you want. You just have to have it in portions that make sense for your body. For me, I was using food for comfort and satisfaction. I can see that I need that - comfort and satisfaction - but food isn't really the best choice in the long run, unless I plan to dive into a vat of ice cream to cool off on a hot day.
  • ColoradoRobin
    ColoradoRobin Posts: 510 Member
    The noodles are made with a type of soluble fiber. Fiber does just pass through you, helping keep you regular and all that. They have no protein, fat, or digestible carbs, hence no calories. They can cause the usual side effects of high fiber foods such as mild bloating or gas, but you can reduce that with Beano. I've tried them, and while they do have a somewhat chewy texture and no intrinsic lavor, they do round out a pad thai syle dish nicely.

    They are not some laboratory creation, but are made from a root native to Asia. People have been eating them there for many years, the Japanese name is shiritaki noodles. You can also find a shiritaki soy blend noodle at health food stores. If the supplements can cause issues, perhaps they contain more glucomannate than you would normally consume by eating shiritaki noodles a couple times a week.
  • Peep_chic
    Peep_chic Posts: 369 Member
    Thanks for the post. I just started using Shirataki noodles (recomended by hungry girl) which is made of tofu and has 20 cals per serving. 40 cals a whole package. This works for me. I was wondering about those miracle noodles. Maybe someday I'll try them. But so far I can spare 40 calories.
  • annieemmons
    annieemmons Posts: 16 Member
    Wow, I'm surprised at the large response the post got. Thanks for all the responses! Glad to see I wasn't the only one out there wondering about these. Good points all around. :)
  • Rubie81
    Rubie81 Posts: 720 Member
    Anything you eat and digest has calories, right? Essentially, you "burn" it and so it generates heat calories.

    If you can't digest it, then it passes through you (like some of the polysaccharides used as a substitute for oil).

    I guess I don't understand how something you eat and use (digest) has no nutritional value in the way of calories. I suppose some "pure" things such as a pure non-fat vitamin (such as Vitamin C) might have no calories, or salt, or water - but anything else that's organic (meaning, made from a carbon-based plant or animal) is going to be broken down by your digestive system OR by the bacteria in your digestive system OR will pass through unchanged. If it's digestible, then it has calories, whether it's protein, fat, or carbohydrate. If it's broken down by bacteria (such as long-chain polysaccharides in beans), then the initial product doesn't add "calories," but if the bacteria break it down into something you *can* digest, then there are calories, and if it's not digestible, then it's under the third category & passes through you (this includes the methane gas produced by bacteria breaking down long-chain polysaccharides). That's also the case with indigestible fiber (which is, if I'm not mistaken, another kind of polysaccharide). (I'm not sure whether fiber means "non-digestible" or simply "from hard to impossible to digest.")

    I might be wrong, but I just can't imagine how a "food" has no calories. The essence of changing your diet to low-calorie foods is to pick foods with less nutrients, so instead of a slice of cake at 100g you have an apple at 100g. The "food" in the apple is more complex, contains more things that don't digest, and contains much more water as a filler, so it's less nutrient-dense. Instead of something high in fat, at 9cal per gm or alcohol at 7cal/gm, you go with something higher in carbohydrates or protein at 4cal/gm.

    I'm looking at this site:
    http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_gram.php

    Now, I might be missing something, but anything that you can digest into digestible "bits" gets into your body as nutrition and then is used for energy, so it's calories. So if you want noodles, you can have them. You just have to count them as food, and count them as calories.

    In my opinion, you shouldn't tell yourself you can't "have" certain foods. You can have anything you want. You just have to have it in portions that make sense for your body. For me, I was using food for comfort and satisfaction. I can see that I need that - comfort and satisfaction - but food isn't really the best choice in the long run, unless I plan to dive into a vat of ice cream to cool off on a hot day.
    What a great thought out post. Thank you.
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