Children have been cautioned against eating noodles because of the health and safety threats the noodles pose.
A dietician and specialist in medical nutrition therapy, Mr Wise Chukwudi Letsa, who sounded the caution, explained that noodles were high in carbohydrates and fats but low in essential nutrients such as protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals which are needed for the growth of children.
“That is why worldwide they (noodles) are classified as junk food because when you consume them, you will not get all the six nutrients. They are so high in fats and carbohydrates. At the end of the day carbohydrates are broken down into sugar in the blood and excess sugar will end up being stored as fat. Prolong use of noodles will, therefore, cause blood sugar levels to rise,” he explained.
He added that for children, the excess fat would cause them to become obese and that would set the stage for them to become obese adults.
“Childhood obesity is the root cause of so many health problems such as diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, infertility and arthritis,” the dietician stated.
The BBC, in a recent publication, stated that authorities in the Indian capital had banned the sale of Maggi Noodles for 15 days after high levels of lead were found in batches tested in Delhi and the state of Uttar Pradesh.
According to the publication, the Indian government had ordered countrywide tests of Maggi Noodles samples amid a growing food-safety scare.
Like India, noodles are hugely patronised by Ghanaians, especially children. Because of the ease with which they are prepared, and the fact that most parents are always in a hurry to go to work, most children take noodles to school as their lunch.
Reacting to these concerns in an interview with the Junior Graphic, Mr Letsa stated that the spices used in preparing the noodles contained too much sodium, adding that human beings were not supposed to consume more than a teaspoon of salt a day in order to have healthy hearts and also to prevent the blood pressure from going up.
“However, when you take a small portion of these noodles, you are getting twice that quantity of salt and too much consumption of salt is not good for the heart,” he added.
He stated that the process of making some of the noodles at the factory included frying and the oil used to fry them underwent some changes which were usually unhealthy.
Mr Letsa advised that instead of taking already-made fast foods such as noodles, children should take food prepared at home.
He encouraged parents to teach their children how to cook so that they could prepare their own meals.
Making reference to the lead found in Maggi Noodles in India, he asked Ghana’s regulatory authorities to check the sodium and lead levels of noodles currently being sold in the country in order to advise the populace appropriately on their consumption.
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