Mr. Noodles is a Canadian brand of instant ramen noodles that has been manufacturing noodles since the 1970s. Today these noodles are also available in other countries such as the UK in places such as Costco and Amazon.
Mr. Noodles is just one of the many instant noodle brands and the question is: are these noodles healthy or are they just like any other instant noodles and not so good for you? This article explores their ingredients and nutritional values in detail so you can see whether it’s a good idea to include them in your diet.
Ingredients in Mr. Noodles
The exact ingredients in Mr. Noodles vary depending on the flavour but in general, you will find the following in Mr. Noodles:
- Noodles:
- Enriched wheat flour
- Palm oil
- Salt
- Guar gum
- Garlic powder
- Soup base:
- Salt
- Artificial flavouring
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Sugar
- Yeast extract powder
- Dried leek
- Additives: disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate (flavour enhancers)
Some flavours of Mr. Noodles also contain turmeric and white pepper powder (Chicken flavour) while the Beef flavour contains soy sauce powder and addition of citric acid.
There are some other minor differences from flavour to flavour, mainly in the form of different powders they use for flavouring and colouring the food. So, in some flavours, you will also find caramel, curry powder and paprika powders.
Here is a comparison of ingredients in some of the most popular Mr. Noodles flavours:
| Mr. Noodles Flavour | Ingredients |
| Chicken | Noodle: Enriched wheat flour, palm oil, salt, guar gum, garlic powder. Soup base: Salt, artificial chicken flavour, monosodium glutamate, sugar, yeast extract powder (dried bread yeast, water), turmeric powder, white pepper powder, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, dried leek, caramel. |
| Beef | Noodle: Enriched wheat flour, palm oil, salt, sugar, guar gum, garlic powder. Soup base: Salt, artificial beef flavour, monosodium glutamate, sugar, soy sauce powder (soybeans, salt, wheat), yeast extract powder (dried bread yeast, water), caramel, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, dried leek, citric acid. |
| Kimchi Chicken Flavour Bowl Noodles | Noodles: Enriched wheat flour, palm oil, starch, sugar, salt, guar gum, garlic powder. Kimchi: Dried leek, dried kimchi (cabbage powder, salt, sugar, chilli powder, garlic powder). Seasoning: Sugar, artificial chicken powder, salt, monosodium glutamate, kimchi powder (cabbage powder, salt, sugar, chilli powder, garlic powder), onion powder, soybean powder, yeast extract powder (dried bread yeast, water), disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, curry powder, citric acid, caramel, paprika powder. |
Looking at the ingredient lists, the most concerning ingredients in these noodles are:
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG) and other flavour enhancers
- Sugar
- Artificial flavouring
- Palm oil
MSG has been linked to obesity so this is not something you want to consume regularly and in excess.
Added sugar is concerning as it just adds extra calories but has no nutritional value.
Artificial flavouring is not natural so this raises a question: is it good for you? Not really, these ingredients have possible side effects including headache and nausea.
Finally, palm oil is another not so great ingredient on the list as it’s high in saturated fat and has a negative impact on the environment.
Mr. Noodles Nutrition
The ingredients in Mr. Noodles don’t impress but what about nutritional values? Is there anything positive in Mr. Noodles from a nutritional point of view? Let’s take a look.
Here are the nutritional values of various Mr. Noodles flavours summarised in a table. The values below are for a serving size of 43 g (1/2 package).
| Nutrients (Serving Size per 43 g serving) | Chicken Flavour | Beef | Kimchi Chicken |
| Fat | 6g | 6g | 6g |
| – of which Saturated | 3g | 3g | 3g |
| Carbohydrate | 29g | 29g | 29g |
| – of which sugars | 1g | 1g | 2g |
| Fibre | 1g | 1g | 1g |
| Protein | 5g | 5g | 4g |
| Sodium | 600mg | 570mg | 530mg |
| Calories | 190 | 190 | 190 |
Interestingly, the nutritional values of Mr. Noodles don’t differ greatly from flavour to flavour. The main flavours (Chicken, Beef, Kimchi Chicken) have all the same amount of fat (6g) per 43g serving. They also have the same amount of saturated fat (3g) and the same amount of carbs (29g). The protein content is 5g and calories are also all the same (190 calories per 43g).
Although the recommended serving size is 43g which is half of a packet, you are likely to eat more. If you eat the whole packet you will consume double the calories (380) which is quite a lot of calories for a small meal like this which doesn’t even fill you up too much.
Salt content
If you consume a whole packet of Mr. Noodles you will also eat 1200mg of sodium (3g of salt) in the case of Chicken flavour which is a huge amount and represents half of the recommended daily salt intake. Kimchi Chicken is lower in salt (1060mg of sodium or 2.65g of salt per packet) but it’s still high and therefore not any healthier.
Fat content
Mr. Noodles contain 6g of fat in a 43g serving size. This equals 13.95g of fat in 100g of Mr. Noodles. This makes Mr. Noodles considerably high in fat and unsuitable for low-fat diet.
Protein content
An average man needs around 56g of protein a day and women need slightly less – 46g. Mr. Noodles will give you 5g of protein per serving and 10g if you eat the whole packet in one go. This is a good amount of protein considering that there is no actual meat in these noodles.
Fibre
Mr. Noodles contain negligible amounts of fibre (1g per serving) which won’t significantly contribute towards the recommended 30g a day.
Sugar content
Mr. Noodles have 1g of sugar per serving which is not a lot of sugar, but still, this is added sugar with no nutritional value that is not good for you.
Is Mr. Noodles good for weight loss?
No, Mr. Noodles is not good for weight loss. These noodles are quite high in fat and contain flavour enhancers that have been linked to obesity. Added sugar adds extra calories and fibre content is low while calorie count is pretty high for a small meal like that.
Are Mr. Noodles good or bad for you?
Based on their ingredients and nutritional values Mr. Noodles are not good for you. They contain excessive amounts of salt and are high in fat. What’s more, artificial flavouring and flavour enhancers found in these noodles are not good for your health which is another reason why you should avoid them.