Shirataki Noodles - zero calories!!!

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blackcoffeeandcherrypie
blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay so probably most of you already know about these amazing noodles and I'm just the last person to hear about them because I never watch TV...

But still, if I can let one person know about this unbelievable food, then my work here is done.

Shirataki noodles are made from some icky fibre stuff that you probably don't want to think about. They're vegan, gluten free, look and taste almost exactly like noodles (to my untutored palate) and, best of all, they have ZERO calories.

Just let that sink in for a minute. Zero calories. Well, 4 calories, actually, for a whole bag, but still.

We had them in a stir fry last night for dinner and I just can't get over the fact that they were so good and no calories! I was so full, and on this diet I often don't feel that full. My 300 calorie dinner took me two goes to eat, it was so filling. Calorie free carbs?! I could have cried.

It's stuff like this that makes me think that maybe there is a God after all ;-)

Anyway, does anyone else use shirataki noodles in their cooking and, if so, how? Also, has anyone tried the penne or fettucini versions and, if so, were they any good?
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Replies

  • KaneNLN
    KaneNLN Posts: 39 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Cant find these in uk;

    nevermind i can haha
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
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    I am in the UK lol, I found them here. Holland and Barrett sell them.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    There's a rice version too, it's pretty decent as a 'fried rice' thing.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Why would you want to eat a food with zero calories, so zero nutrition value? Do they provide other things like vitamins etc? Or is it just a way to fill you up and make you not want to eat more, like an appetite suppressant but more natural?
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
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    Ooh, is it good? I saw the rice version, but I thought it might be like the time I tried to make courgette rice all over again...
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
    edited August 2015
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    aggelikik wrote: »
    Why would you want to eat a food with zero calories, so zero nutrition value? Do they provide other things like vitamins etc? Or is it just a way to fill you up and make you not want to eat more, like an appetite suppressant but more natural?

    Well, most carbs don't give you a whole lot of nutrition anyway - pasta and rice are not particularly nutritious as far as I know - the main nutrition part is often the meat or vegetable addition (protein, vitamins etc). for me, having a zero calorie carb still let me have that traditional dish without all the calories it brings. It tastes good, for a start, yes it is filling, and it made me feel like I was having a proper meal.

  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    edited August 2015
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    blackcoffeeandcherrypie wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    Why would you want to eat a food with zero calories, so zero nutrition value? Do they provide other things like vitamins etc? Or is it just a way to fill you up and make you not want to eat more, like an appetite suppressant but more natural?

    Well, most carbs don't give you a whole lot of nutrition anyway - pasta and rice are not particularly nutritious as far as I know - the main nutrition part is often the meat or vegetable addition (protein, vitamins etc). for me, having a zero calorie carb still let you have that traditional dish without all the calories it brings. It tastes good, for a start, yes it is filling, and it made me feel like I was having a proper meal.

    Uhm, no? carbs = 4 calories per grams so definitely not zero nutrition value.
  • harlequin0318
    harlequin0318 Posts: 415 Member
    edited August 2015
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    aggelikik wrote: »
    Why would you want to eat a food with zero calories, so zero nutrition value? Do they provide other things like vitamins etc? Or is it just a way to fill you up and make you not want to eat more, like an appetite suppressant but more natural?

    Yes it's basically just pure fiber to fill you up. I bought a trial of the fettucini, rice, and spaghetti from Amazon and I absolutely love the stuff because it allows me to have more cheese/sauces/meats with my "pasta" :D

  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
    edited August 2015
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    aggelikik wrote: »
    Uhm, no? carbs = 4 calories per grams so definitely not zero nutrition value.

    It's 4 calories per 200g, not 4 calories per gram.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    blackcoffeeandcherrypie wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    Why would you want to eat a food with zero calories, so zero nutrition value? Do they provide other things like vitamins etc? Or is it just a way to fill you up and make you not want to eat more, like an appetite suppressant but more natural?

    Well, most carbs don't give you a whole lot of nutrition anyway - pasta and rice are not particularly nutritious as far as I know - the main nutrition part is often the meat or vegetable addition (protein, vitamins etc). for me, having a zero calorie carb still let me have that traditional dish without all the calories it brings. It tastes good, for a start, yes it is filling, and it made me feel like I was having a proper meal.
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie wrote: »
    aggelikik wrote: »
    Uhm, no? carbs = 4 calories per grams so definitely not zero nutrition value.

    It's 4 calories per 200g, not 4 calories per gram.

    @aggelikik is referring to the calories each gram of carbohydrates has (not your 'zero calorie' noodles).

    Brown rice, pretty nutritious.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    edited August 2015
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    When you say that they taste "almost exactly like" noodles, what does that mean?

    I'm doing okay on staying full with fruits and veggies, so I don't really need a zero or four calorie noodle replacement, but actual food with next to no calories is intriguing.

    It's the "almost" like noodles part that sounds iffy. If it tastes like something else, but not really...I don't know. Things that are almost like other things are rarely as good.

    Are they good on their own, as their own thing or are they good because they're "almost" like something else, so almost good?
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
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    IsaackGMOON wrote: »

    @aggelikik is referring to the calories each gram of carbohydrates has (not your 'zero calorie' noodles).

    Ah, I wasn't aware that carbs had 4 calories per gram. Is that a standard formula or something? I learn something new every day!
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    Brown rice, pretty nutritious.

    Yeah, also pretty calorific, unfortunately. A 70g (dry weight) serving of brown rice has over 250 calories. And considering what nutrients you can get from it (Manganese and Selenium) are also found in much lower calorie foods, I'm not too worried about skipping the brown rice. I think I can get more 'bang for my buck' in other foods. But, your mileage may vary :-)

  • enkiemonkey
    enkiemonkey Posts: 82 Member
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    Is it filled with chemicals? Haha you just blew my mind
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    I thought it was the stuff that tasted like fish? It's been mentioned a few times... some people find them nasty.

    I can't imagine that it would taste 'almost like pasta'. I've seen my share of 'it tastes almost like x' stuff on MFP and my conclusion, after attempting a few, is that people losing weight must be really desperate to convince themselves that the stuff they eat is as good as what they're missing out.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    blackcoffeeandcherrypie wrote: »
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »

    @aggelikik is referring to the calories each gram of carbohydrates has (not your 'zero calorie' noodles).

    Ah, I wasn't aware that carbs had 4 calories per gram. Is that a standard formula or something? I learn something new every day!
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    Brown rice, pretty nutritious.

    Yeah, also pretty calorific, unfortunately. A 70g (dry weight) serving of brown rice has over 250 calories. And considering what nutrients you can get from it (Manganese and Selenium) are also found in much lower calorie foods, I'm not too worried about skipping the brown rice. I think I can get more 'bang for my buck' in other foods. But, your mileage may vary :-)

    1 gram of carbs = 4 calories
    1 gram of protein = 4 calories
    1 gram of fat = 9 calories.

    Brown rice is far from calorific lmfao.
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    When you say that they taste "almost exactly like" noodles, what does that mean?

    I'm doing okay on staying full with fruits and veggies, so I don't really need a zero or four calorie noodle replacement, but actual food with next to no calories is intriguing.

    It's the "almost" like noodles part that sounds iffy. If it tastes like something else, but not really...I don't know. Things that are almost like other things are rarely as good.

    Are they good on their own, as their own thing or are they good because they're "almost" like something else, so almost good?

    I, personally, didn't notice any difference in taste at all but from reading reviews online, other people say they have a slightly different taste. My husband said he thought the texture was different but I did not notice any difference in texture. I always have noodles with spicy dishes, I don't eat them on their own. If you eat noodles on their own, or with a very mildly flavoured dish, it's entirely feasible that you might come back and say you could taste some difference. But for me, they were exactly like ordinary noodles. It wasn't like diet coke vs. ordinary coke. For me it was just like ordinary coke, I didn't notice any difference at all.
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
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    IsaackGMOON wrote: »

    Brown rice is far from calorific lmfao.

    250 calories may not be a big part of your daily intake. I'm 4'11, 250 calories is a big deal to me!
  • KaneNLN
    KaneNLN Posts: 39 Member
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    blackcoffeeandcherrypie wrote: »
    I am in the UK lol, I found them here. Holland and Barrett sell them.

    how much were they per pack like 200g for 2 pound or?

    just purchased some online for a different retailer, just curious. thanks!
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    blackcoffeeandcherrypie wrote: »
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »

    Brown rice is far from calorific lmfao.

    250 calories may not be a big part of your daily intake. I'm 4'11, 250 calories is a big deal to me!

    But you still do have to eat something, no? If you cannot afford something like a bowl of brown rice, what can you possibly afford? Honestly curious, since this is rather different than the usual "should I fit pizza and oreos in my daily calories" debate.
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    I thought it was the stuff that tasted like fish? It's been mentioned a few times... some people find them nasty.

    Yeah, I have read that some people think they taste fishy, and I was preparing myself to not like them (I usually hate diet foods) but.... nothing. They were fine. Perhaps it depends on your palate, or what you serve them with?

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