Could Ramen Make You Sick? Study Says Energy-Dense Foods Up Risk For Chronic Diseases

An Australian study has found that poor nutritional habits in college students could have lasting effects.

According to the New York Daily News, students exacerbate their risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer by consuming energy-dense foods.

One scientist behind the survey says the danger of these foods lies in their widespread cultural approval on campuses.

"There seems to be an acceptance out there that getting by on less nutritious food is a typical part of being a university student," said Dr. Danielle Gallegos, who along with Kai Wen Ong surveyed more than 800 university students in Brisbane, Australia. "But a diet of baked beans and instant noodles is not good enough when health and academic results are at stake."

The study also discovered that many students who were defined as food-insecure had less than two servings per fruit during a normal week.

What's your dorm-room diet like? Do you depend on convenience foods for meals?

Comments

[Anti-Panoptic]

02:22 AM on 06/01/2010

Eh...I stayed home during college just so that I could have a healthy meal, and i could tell an extreme difference between my behavior versus that of my peers who stayed on campus, also the weight gain was noticable as well.

[wellingtonian]

01:23 AM on 05/30/2010

We all live on thai green curry or stew, i'm getting a bit sick of it now though. It's so cheap!

[FewL4no1]

02:57 PM on 05/29/2010

The best health tip I have ever heard: If it has a label on it, you probably shouldn't eat it.

As someone who is trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle while in college, I have to say that it is very difficult. On top of the processed food, you have the alcohol, poor sleeping habits, lack of structure and cafeteria food that has diuretics in it (since it is mass produced, it has to have them) so all your nutrients that you may obtain are being flushed out. Not to mention all the soda, coffee, energy drinks, etc people drink to cram for tests and write 20 page papers in one day.

[jcd8822]

10:31 AM on 05/29/2010

It makes sense to me. If we are what we eat then it stands to reason that we become what we have eaten. My parents and grandparents grew up eating good nutritional food, no junk food or fast food. To me that contributed to their being healthy and living so long.

[Tulka2]

07:17 PM on 05/28/2010

Children, children, an apple a day keeps the doctor away..... and apples are easy to keep in a dorm room.

[deridaa]

02:56 PM on 05/29/2010

buy vegetables you like cut them up microwave them and then add the cooked ramen to it-

[Tulka2]

03:36 PM on 05/29/2010

Doctoring up microwavable food is a good way to up the nutritional content.

[Beegood]

03:09 PM on 06/01/2010

It really is best to skip ramen altogether. It's not food.

[jenkneefur]

05:25 PM on 05/28/2010

haha of course ramen is bad for you if you eat it everyday. But I have to say that I love ramen. When I crave ramen I add about 3/4 the packet but just 'cause its too spicy. Plus, I usually add carrots, scallions, mushrooms, seafood or whatever. And always an egg :]

[cirrus9]

11:50 PM on 05/28/2010

Ditch the "flavor packet". It contains MSG an who knows what else that is not natural or good for for humans and other living things.

[SpikeC]

11:39 PM on 05/31/2010

I make a batch of stock and freeze it in serving size, then cook up chukasoba noodles with it. Home made ramen!

[BreastFed]

12:24 PM on 05/28/2010

I don't understand this article at all. When I was in Japan, I couldn't get enough of the ramen! Japanese eat this stuff all the time, and their food is rated as the most nutritious in the entire world. I wish I could get a nice bowl in the US!

[mizutofu]

12:43 PM on 05/28/2010

lots of Ramen noodles contain food preservatives and/or trans-fat.

[lungfish]

02:21 PM on 05/28/2010

big difference between ramen and the packs of three minute dehydrated noodles with artificial flavoring, preservatives etc...
No nori, no egg, no tofu, no meat, no chopped veggies, no home made broth, no homemade noodles.. just isnt the same thing...

[mizutofu]

02:46 PM on 05/28/2010

well, this articles talks about the cheap, packaged, instant ramen; not the kind you eat in restaurants.

[poetcetera]

11:48 AM on 05/28/2010

Just as ramen contains little nutrition, this article contains little information and few details.

[mizutofu]

12:52 PM on 05/28/2010

It's not ramen's lack of nutrition that is of concern, it's the high amount of saturated/trans-fat in the Ramen that damages your health.

[cirrus9]

11:51 PM on 05/28/2010

And bleached white carbs.

[DredLockRasta]

11:45 AM on 05/28/2010

Oh no! That's all I eat when the mrs. doesn't want to cook for me, which is often.

[trutheau]

11:37 AM on 05/28/2010

Please don't call that dried out donkey dung ramen. Proper ramen is the shizznat.

However it does remind me of my snowboarding days in Whistler, when this one dude would only eat Kraft Dinner. He ended up getting scurvy. SCURVY! Jeebus man, drink some OJ.

[Nathan Soliz]

11:07 AM on 05/28/2010

I always feel horrible after eating it - I also become more tired.
Guess I will have to start buying fruits for lunch.

[susankhbelen]

10:46 AM on 05/28/2010

Why do we have to call it 'food insecure'?
Also, Ramen has so much MSG in it that you can become sick from that too.

[adv2int]

10:03 AM on 05/28/2010

So I guess they expect us to go to Whole Foods and eat healthy? We're in college and we're broke. We'll eat what we can afford. Ramen happens to be one of the cheapest things you can buy.

[CheechandBruno]

01:05 PM on 05/28/2010

cheap food is expensive, it will cost you later in health problems and diseases.. you are fooling yourself

[Halsey]

03:12 PM on 05/28/2010

adv, you have a computer. You can afford $3-4 for decent noodles (and you don't have to go to Whole Foods; they ARE expensive. Many large grocery chains have an organic and/or Asian food section. Watch for sales, etc. Yes, they will cost more than a quarter, but you don't have to spend $8 for dinner/snack either. Hang in there; frankly you are the future.

[sassafra]

09:50 AM on 05/28/2010

ha! i think it's far more likely to be the binge drinking the night before that's the cause of the problem, rather than the ramen, if i remember my college days.

[PBS2007]

09:38 AM on 05/28/2010

When I was in college, I lived for two years on a diet of Easy Mac, Ramen, and Bud Light. Several years later I'm just swell; no harm no foul.

[susankhbelen]

10:47 AM on 05/28/2010

throw in pot pies that were on sale lots and you describe many of us!
One thing different about my several years later is that I cannot stomach pot pies and rarely can eat mac and cheese. I still like the beer but have switched brands...can afford to pay a bit more now!

[CheechandBruno]

01:06 PM on 05/28/2010

that's why americans have such poor health when they are old.. dont expect to go to a doctor at 55 and ask him to fix you then