Ramen Breakdown
I’m not a college student who’s upset because I don’t have enough money to buy more ramen at the grocery store. I’m a college professor and cooking teacher who has wondered for several decades about what happens to the edible food-like substances we stuff in our pie-hole. Notice I didn’t say the word “food” but used Michael Pollan’s noun for stuff we eat that’s not really food.
Each food found or grown in nature has a means of being utilized by our body. Animal and vegetable proteins are used for growth and repair; natural fats transport fat-soluble vitamins, create cell membranes as well as keep our skin and hair moist and healthy. Carbohydrates are used to create muscle energy. But what happens when we consume something like caramel coloring? This is not something that can be used for energy or growth. It is a colloid made by adding acetic acid (or other acids) to sugars and starches with an electrical charge whose color comes from FD&C Red Dye #40. What’s that used for? Is it discarded? Stored in the liver? What happens when day after day this dye needs to be discarded or stored in the liver? Is there a consequence?
We are painfully learning that the long-term effects may not be benign. As we enter the third generation of replacing many homemade natural foods with food-like substances made in factories our health as a nation is reflecting the carelessness.
But there are way more than a thousand points of light today leading the way back to eating real food. More and more research reveals that the wholeness and naturalness of food can’t be replicated in a processing plant. We’re not that clever. Here is some delightful evidence.
In this Tedx talk, artist Stefani Bardin, shows us her latest project — using a “smartpill” to reveal how we digest differently processed foods. The college student shouldn’t breakdown when he can’t afford ramen because the ramen doesn’t breakdown either. Watch.
Tags: caramel coloring, food-like substance, Michael Pollan, ramen, Stephanie Bradin, Ted talk
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ROCK. ON.
I amhoping that my husband - a Top Ramen devotee, 20 years OUTSIDE of college - will read this page and watch this video.
Thank you for the link!
Comment by Erin H. — February 23, 2012 @ 10:41 am
“It is a colloid made by adding acetic acid (or other acids) to sugars and starches with an electrical charge whose color comes from FD&C Red Dye #40″
What I know of caramel color is that it is produced by heating carbohydrates with acids, alkaloids, or salts and has nothing to do with FD&C Red Dye #40. FD&C Red Dye #40 is primary produced from petroleum. Two totally different products and procedures. Would you please cite your sources so we can evaluate the information given. Thank you!
Comment by David — February 23, 2012 @ 1:27 pm
Hi David,
Thanks for writing in. The word caramel coloring in the post is hot-linked to a wikipedia cite which describes the process. This article also provided some information: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-f-jacobson/caramel-coloring-in-soda-_b_823639.html You’re right - there are many different forms of caramel coloring. You could make caramel at home with sugar or you could purchase something like a diet soda, which from my understanding uses a type of caramel coloring similar to what I described in the post.
Comment by Cynthia — February 23, 2012 @ 3:49 pm
This is awesome!! My husband, being technology-driven, loved the animation and concept of the smart pill and M2A.
I knew I didn’t like Top Ramen because of all the MSG but never gave much thought to the noodles themselves. GROSS!
This is definitely a post to share! Thank you Cynthia!
Comment by melissa davis — February 24, 2012 @ 11:19 am
Nonsense, everyone knows that Top Ramen is one of the healthiest foods on the planet–and the price is right at about .20$ US per package. So, it takes a little longer to break down and might contain some petrochemical byproducts. Try draining your car’s crankcase of oil and see what happens. I remember reading that the man who invented the process used to produce most the petroleum jelly in the world, Robert Chesebrough, and manufactured Vaseline for a while, ate a tablespoon of the stuff everyday. He lived to be 96 years old.
Comment by Rich Jansen — February 25, 2012 @ 8:06 am
My oldest is living dorm life at school and we are having constant conversations about my concern for his eating habits. He’s basically eating all the crap he can. I just sent him this link! One of the reasons I am anticipating the release of your new book is in hopes to find some more resources in feeding young people. Especially things I can send to him to stock him with nourishing foods and hopefully minimize the trips to the vending machine. I suppose this part of letting them go….. but it’s rough for a whole foods mama!
Comment by Stephinie (gypsy forest) — March 14, 2012 @ 8:47 am