The great noodles craze

His reason was that such an over-processed meal with its chemical condiments can do nothing but wreak havoc in the human body. You see he isn’t a medical doctor, but he has always been so careful about what goes into his system, that he sometimes sounds more health-conscious than medical experts.But the noodles ban became […]

His reason was that such an over-processed meal with its chemical condiments can do nothing but wreak havoc in the human body. You see he isn’t a medical doctor, but he has always been so careful about what goes into his system, that he sometimes sounds more health-conscious than medical experts.
But the noodles ban became an anathema of sorts for us. Whenever we visited friends or relations and our kids were offered this dish, they welcomed it with such yearning that you would think they were refugees from some famine-infested region of the earth. Such was their love for this forbidden food. I had no idea eating noodles was such an issue with them until the day I went for a school open day when my children were in primary school. My daughter’s teacher had some real nice things to say about both her academic performance and her social interaction, but the only problem, according to her, was that my daughter was always bringing Instant noodles as her school food.
You can’t believe my consternation when the teacher asked me to please diversify her diet so that she could have access to variety and be having a balanced school meal. I immediately told the teacher that instant noodles were never served in my home, let alone on a daily basis. It was her turn to look confused when I told her how I went through the trouble of making at least four different school meals every week and that noodles wasn’t one of them.
When we investigated we found out that a close friend of my daughters was the one who always brought noodles to school as her meal and because noodles was the one meal my daughter couldn’t  get at home, they always exchanged their meals so that her friend ate her food while my daughter ate the noodles. And that was what the teacher noticed.
Of course, I scolded my daughter over the incident, but I also made sure that our ‘no-noodles’ rule was ‘relaxed’ somehow, so that my children wouldn’t be going out of their way to eat it outside our home. The new rule was that they could cook and eat instant noodles once in a while, and I was even willing to buy a carton and keep with me. Not that my husband approved, no, in fact the relaxation of the ban was a unilateral action on my part.
Now years after this unbanning episode, I have found myself wondering at the wisdom of that step. Indeed like most other mothers I have spoken to, the noodles have taken over normal, balanced meals in most homes. Some mothers encourage that because it means less cooking (since most kids can cook the noodles from the age of eight) but many are getting worried that normal meals, cooked with great care and attention as well as nutritional balance, are neglected in favour of the noodles.
Several times I will advise that some protein and vegetables be added to the noodles to make them close to a balanced diet but my girls will protest that that will change the taste. Even though the TV commercials always showed some chicken, carrots and green peas in the noodles, in truth you can never get kids cooking the noodles to add those. Something about those chemicalised condiments do not allow for mixing with natural stuff. And our children are getting addicted to it. No wonder it is the most popular processed food in Nigeria today; with many new brands emerging regularly.
But should we stand by and watch as the noodles transform from a side dish to our children’s dominant diet? Already concerns are being raised over the safety of its daily consumption. A Whatsapp message I received the other day, listed no less than ten health hazards of eating instant noodles regularly. I couldn’t help marveling at the fact that, over ten years ago, my husband had voiced similar fears.
And the great worry is that even if you ban it at home, it is sold in school canteens and served as a full meal to boarding students.
Another mark of how addictive the noodles can be is in the fact that young Nigerians studying abroad buy them in cartons and take them along. When you ask why they can’t buy something similar over there, there answer is that the foreign ones never taste as good as Nigerian noodles.
So while not trying to raise unnecessary alarm, I dare say our regulatory authorities, like NAFDAC should embark on a thorough investigation of what constitutes these noodles and their accompanying condiments. In this day and age when many illnesses are traceable to diet, we can’t afford to let our children make instant noodles the
only meal they grow on. We have no idea what the effect will be on them in future. The numerous adults who have joined this great noodle craze and allowed themselves this needless indulgence, should have themselves to blame when they end up as victims of particular health challenges. But the youth need us to guide them out of this addiction.
Our food and nutrition experts should conduct the necessary studies and tell us the implication of this noodle indulgence, that way we can convincingly talk to our kids and raise their awareness on any possible health hazard. Right now most think they have found their heavenly dish here on earth, but we must prevent them from dragging themselves to hell through their diet. We must remember that in the
advanced world today, the emphasis is on natural, fibre-rich diets, we must not our children go in the opposite direction.