(ANN/THE STAR) — Who would have thought there was also a dietary substitution for pasta?
Shirataki noodles, low in carbohydrates and calories, are frequently praised as a “miracle” food for those aiming to shed pounds.
Although health specialists assert that this ingredient will create a sensation of fullness in your stomach, they also indicate that it provides minimal nutrition to your body.
The konjac plant’s root is dried and transformed into flour, which is subsequently made into white translucent noodles. The unique characteristic that causes the noodles to be low in calories is that the konjac root consists largely of the fibre glucomannan.
The body is unable to use it, hence it supplies no energy. Consequently, 100g of cooked shirataki noodles has only 10 calories. In contrast, an equal quantity of cooked spaghetti offers the body approximately 160 calories.
Aside from being low in calories, they possess qualities that may assist in weight lost. This is due to the fact that the dietary fibre glucomannan can take in as much as 50 times its weight in water. Thus, the noodles keep expanding in the stomach after eating. This keeps you feeling fuller for longer. And if you don’t feel hungry as quickly, you may eat less overall.
However: “Eating konjac noodles is not enough to lose weight permanently,” says nutrition expert Antje Degner from a consumer advice centre in Germany. “The key to losing weight is your overall diet, not just a single ingredient.”
Therefore, if you aim to shed some pounds, you must modify your eating habits: include plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruit, wholegrain items, low-fat fish and zero-calorie beverages like water and unsweetened teas.
While konjac-based noodles have very few calories, they also lack significant nutrients.
Health specialists state that they are thus not especially advantageous regarding nutrition. Additionally, they are not exactly friendly to your budget, as they cost considerably pricier than traditional pasta. Certain individuals may also feel a reduced appetite upon opening the packaging, due to the noodles emitting a faint fishy odour but this smell disappears when they are rinsed and cooked.
