Low Calorie Recipes: Miracle Noodles Review

Low Calorie Recipes: Miracle Noodles Review

Recently I’ve gotten into a lot of products created with the intention of REDUCING overall caloric intake while giving low calorie recipes some flavour and variety.

Almost everyone I know says to me how much they LOVE pasta dishes and wheat flour noodle recipes, and for good reason. Spaghetti and different pasta dishes are extremely satisfying and filling and have a very good homie feel to them, especially when in the form of a big family cooked dinner.

Besides people with Celiac Disease (CD), a serious condition where people cannot tolerate gluten/wheat containing foods; most people can consume wheat based noodles and lose a great deal of body fat provided they are still in a caloric deficit and other nutritional facets are met (I won’t go into detail here). The problem with spaghetti and different pasta dishes (asides from vast quantities of melted cheese) is the fact that on a per serving basis, noodles contain a relatively large amount of CALORIES from carbohydrates and are EASILY over consumed on a daily basis.

I know from personal experience just how delicious spaghetti noodles are in a home cooked meal and how easy it is to go back for 2 or 3 more plate fulls. The problem is that from a macronutrient point of view just one cup (140g) of cooked spaghetti contains 221 calories and from of that 172 calories from carbs. [1]

Now I’m NOT at all saying that carbohydrates are bad and in fact I promote a fair amount of carbs depending on one’s goals and individual biological need. For a petite woman or someone dieting down to really LOW bodyfat levels this can make their overall nutritional intake for the day hard to meet and may even take away from more of the nutrient dense source carbs such as fruit and vegetables. *Some people may tolerate higher carb fat loss plans while others may do better on higher fat/moderate carb plans.

Miracle Noodles: An Alternative

While searching through the Low Carb Grocery I noticed these relatively new noodles that have gotten some popular media attention. They are called Miracle Noodles and are made out of a soluble fiber called Glucomannan which they get from a plant grown in Japan called Konnyaku. 

The Miracle noodles also contain a calcium additive to keep their shape intact which is known as pickling lime or calcium hydroxide. The noodles also contain NO soy, tofu, casein, legume or gluten (great for my CD friends).

So What’s The Point?

While the company claims some health benefits like increased nutrient absorption and ‘blah blah’ I see this product as a potential tool for helping those achieving low body fat levels when more BULK is wanted in one’s meals without adding extra calories and carbohydrates. The company claims that each serving of Miracle Noodles contains ZERO calories with the exception of the Garlic and Herb Fettuccine and Spinach noodles which contain 15 kcals. Adding more FIBER and bulk to ones meals can help fill up one’s stomach, increase feeding duration, and slow digestion all of which may help in REDUCING overall caloric intake from day to day.

Taste Testing

I ordered a variety of Miracle Noodles to try them out and give you guys an honest and unbiased review.

The first step in preparing the noodles was to strain them to reduce some of the flavour given off by the noodles. The SMELL of the noodles is VERY fishy from the fermenting process but this is removed by straining and blanching.

The next step as mentioned is a 1-5 minute blanching process in BOILING water.

You can then strain the noodles and pat dry with a paper towel and even CUT them with scissors.

My Subjective Opinion:

Out of the packages, the noodles and rice were squishy, slimy, and very fishy. The texture of the noodles once cooked was a squishier version of traditional pastas and rices and the flavour was quite plain. The lack of flavour works out just fine because this allows you to adapt the flavour of the dish to any low calorie recipe you’re cooking the noodles with. The flavour of the Garlic and Herb Fettuccine and Spinach noodles was mild but significant and I quite liked the subtleness of it.

In a Meal:

Here is one meal example I did which turned out to be my breakfast meal with the Miracle Noodles Rice product. *Fried Miracle Noodles Rice, cooked romaine lettuce, 4 eggs, Mrs. Dash, Sea Salt, Turmeric and coconut oil for the pan. The Rice definitely added more bulk and something to munch on but I still missed my rice. Here are a couple other meals (Spinach noodles left; Garlic and Herb Fettuccine right):

Conclusion

The price per packet of miracle noodles is about $3 so you’re not doing your wallet a big favour if you’re eating multiple packets a day. BUT if it helps you REDUCE your caloric intake for those low body fat levels and/or serious health concerns than it may be a very wise choice. Personally the texture is okay, although a tad squishy, and it does seem to add more BULK to the meals which I like. However I think I still prefer just tracking my carbohydrate intake and using traditional wheat noodles and rices while getting to lean body fat levels. Moderation is key for me, and making sure I am still getting about 2-3 servings of BOTH fruits and vegetables per 2000 calories.   Disclaimer: I am not at all affiliated with Miracle Noodles company and do not make any money of their products or The Low Carb Grocery. I just found the product and idea very interesting to try and thought that some of my clients and readers could benefit from using them to manage their fat loss goals.   Reference: 1. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5780/2 2. http://www.miraclenoodle.com/t-faq.aspx