What Happens In Your Body When You Eat Ramen And Gatorade

By Briana Rognlin for Blisstree.com

Most of the time, we hear about avoiding processed foods because they'll make us fat. But a new video of what happens in your body when you eat Top Ramen and Gatorade vs. homemade noodles and drinks gives us a whole new reason to avoid it: We can't even digest it properly.

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TEDxManhattan 2011 Fellow Stefani Bardin's video, below, shows what happens in your body when you eat processed foods vs. homemade versions of similar foods, using a tiny "M2A" (that stands for Mouth to Anus, and it's trademarked, mind you) LED/camera capsule. The project looks at two subjects eating two similar meals: one composed of processed foods (gatorade, ramen, and gummi bears); the other of homemade versions (hibiscus drink, homemade broth with noodles and gummi bears made of juice). What happens to the foods is drastically different; possibly because, as Bardin puts it, Top Ramen is made to survive armageddon, while homemade noodles are made to be eaten.

Warning: It's best to watch this video after you've eaten your breakfast.

Comments

[judahbenhuer]

02:54 PM on 02/09/2013

Been eating organic food for about 6 mos. and had a pack of ramen noodles the other day (because of an unexpected situation and needed to eat). The best illustration I can use for it is the feeling in one's mouth after taking a BC Powder...it was a layer of a very salty bitterness coupled with (in the way I can only describe as) what I think WD-40 may taste like, and all cleverly masked (or, at least the attempt) with beef broth.

Again, this is not some attempt to assuage anyone's opinion, but merely share an experience of being reintroduced to processed food. There is a difference, and noticeably more having been away for some time, and unregrettably so.

[Joel Taylor]

12:00 PM on 12/16/2012

So basically the person on the left takes more time digesting their food while the person on the right gets hungry and eats more and eventually looks like Carnie Wilson?

[deetergirl]

01:26 AM on 10/16/2012

okay, ramen noodles have been popular since the 1950s and an american AND japanese staple. it has not killed anyone in the 60 years its been eaten in both countries. according to logic EVERYTHING is bad for you. beef, diet coke, mcdonalds, blah,blah, blah, either dont eat or drink virtually anything and stay indoors, or grow a pair and make choices that are best for YOU.

[Sonia Sal]

09:31 PM on 12/13/2012

They're featuring Maruchan/Cup of Noodles. Not regular ramen, but the cheap one College students live on.

[Adam Suscheck]

12:21 PM on 01/24/2013

you are blind if you dont see that everyfood you just listed is bad for you!

[riles123]

11:28 AM on 09/12/2012

She said 'farmers market', I quit listening.

[DeNisey]

05:48 PM on 08/11/2012

I've been trying to tell folks this for YEARS!!!

[val carrington]

05:43 PM on 06/08/2012

Eye opening really, but I still love those ramen noodles!

[cam1976]

10:17 PM on 05/22/2012

I don't think that these subjects should be worried as much about eating the Ramen noodles as they should be worried about ingesting something that runs on battery power- this M2A mouth to anus capsule. I wouldn't want to be swallowing some type of camera. That CAN'T be good for the digestive tract!!

[BreBre Dha Bhest]

11:13 AM on 05/22/2012

I really dont agree with this. Did the subject chew the ramen noodles or swallow them whole?! How do the noodles look exactly like they came out of the bowl? Something about this is bias because there is no way that many whole strings are still in your stamach after chewing them up. It should already be a mush before it even hits the stomach.

[Tomas v]

11:53 AM on 08/23/2012

They're bad for you. I know, heart breaking.

[deetergirl]

01:27 AM on 10/16/2012

exactly. most people pretty much slurp it down cause it is hot and hardly chew it. if you dont chew your food obviously it is still gonna look the same in your stomach.

[aerojls85]

10:23 AM on 05/04/2012

This is gross, and just re-affirms why I read the labels on just about everything I buy now, and pretty much only stick to the stuff that is fresh. Anything in a can or box can be made very easily from scratch and usually cost's less and taste's better too. My boyfriend hates grocery shopping with me.... ;-) Don't get me wrong, I still understand the necessity of having quick easy foods, and I still love to snack, but I also know how to balance that and only eat processed foods minimally.

[nonethewyzzer]

08:26 AM on 04/10/2012

I'm not even going to watch the video version, the still photo is bad enough.

The Ramen looks like a tapeworm.

Ugh.....

[ruthtruth]

03:58 PM on 04/09/2012

They say you are what you eat. OMG no thanks. I'll stick with real food and drink. I'm in the process of planting our organic garden and I won't have to worry about stuff like this. Yeah !

[friskymojito]

06:44 AM on 02/24/2012

aww, but im fueled by ramen :_(

[MalteseTiger]

01:19 PM on 03/16/2012

Find an asian grocery.. get some fresh ramen.. SOO much better

[gwj2000]

10:18 AM on 02/16/2012

I'm hungry. I think I'll have an apple.

Ewww!

[Greg Wotton]

03:34 PM on 02/15/2012

1. Ramen means "Noodles in broth" but Top Ramen is a brand.
2. Mr. Noodles noodles are made of enriched wheat flour, palm oil, guar gum, salt, sugar and garlic powder. Other "ramen" I have contain similar ingredients.
3. Gatorade has been proven as a viable and powerful rehydration tool. It was developed by the University of Florida in order to better hydrate, and thus give an advantage to, their football team, the Florida Gators. It originally came in orange and green.
.'. they have specifically found the worst possible examples to compare to their best possible examples in order to "prove" a point. I don't remember if that's Straw Man or what, but it's crappy science at best.

[coldwatermd]

05:53 PM on 02/16/2012

How can anything hydrate better than fresh pure water? We are made for fresh pure water!

Alexa Fleckenstein M.D., physician, author.

[jeffgschultz]

08:52 PM on 02/16/2012

is sweat made out of pure water? I think you should ask for your money back on tat PhD....

[MalteseTiger]

01:21 PM on 03/16/2012

Sweat = lost water, sodium and potassium
Water = water
Gatorade and the like = water, sodium, potassium and electrolytes.

Some med school appears to have played a terrible prank on you..

[Candide33]

08:10 PM on 04/07/2012

So you were one of the stars of that documentary called Idiocracy? I bet you eat at Carl's Jr too.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/

[quester03]

05:29 PM on 02/13/2012

Despite this article, I am about to eat Ramen noddles right now. Though the film completely grossed me out, hopefully the Ramen noodles I am about to eat will make me feel better. Hahahehe!

[ruthtruth]

04:00 PM on 04/09/2012

They say there's one born every minute .