QuestionI was told that raw ramen noodles do not have the same carb count as cooked. I beleive that the carb count would be the same. I have a favorite recipe that calls for browning the ramen until crispy as a topping for bok choy salad, but cannot eat this salad because I am trying to stay low carb. A friend told me that since the ramen is not boiled there are no carbs. Please advise. Thank you.
AnswerHi, Jan,
Hmmm, I think that the idea that food has to be cooked for the carbs to be available may come from a combination of wishful-thinking and the raw vs cooked debate regarding food nutrients. There may be a very, very tiny loss of carb availability. But between the enzymes in your mouth and the acid and enzymes in your stomach, the carbs will get broken down even without cooking.
That does not mean that you need to give up your bok choy salad (which sounds yummy). You can add less ramen topping each time you make it to get yourself to learn to really, really love even a little ramen. After low carbing awhile, you will even be able to get pleasure just from smelling those carbs! Really, it's true. When I am being strict on low carb, the cereal isle in stores smells sickeningly sweet and fruit smells spectacular. Your senses change for the better. I also suggest adding chopped, freshly toasted almonds or sesame seeds to your salad as you cut back on the ramen. Both of these go well with bok choy.
I bet that you will come up with your own good ideas for alternatives to ramen and that one of them will be superior tasting and better for weight loss. One of the hard things about low carbing is dreaming up alternatives for the foods we make out of habit. If you are making bok choy salad and toasting ramen noodles, you are already ahead of many people's ability to eat interesting foods and do a bit of cooking.
Well, good luck with your solution. Sorry I could not give you the "hurray" answer that noodles have to be cooked to be carby.
Sincerely, Arlene
PS I have got to buy some bok choy today - I'd forgotten how good it is and it has been years since I had any. Thanks.
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