Maruchan Instant Lunch Nutrition Information
When it comes to convenient meal prep, nothing beats instant noodles; just add hot water and wait three minutes. While Maruchan Instant Lunch noodle soups make a quick meal or snack, they can have long lasting affects on your health if you eat too much. These instant noodles, no matter what flavor you eat, are high in calories, saturated fat and sodium. Knowing the nutrition information for Maruchan Instant Lunch soups can help you decide if convenience out weighs nutrition.
A bowl of ramen noodles. (Image: phaendin/iStock/Getty Images)Calorie-Dense Soup
One 64-gram container of Maruchan Instant Lunch, whether it's a chicken, beef or shrimp flavor, contains 290 calories. That's 4.5 calories per gram, making it a high-energy-dense soup. Energy density refers to the amount of calories a food item contains compared to its weight. High-energy-dense foods are not as filling as low-energy-dense foods -- and might cause you to consume more calories than you intended.
High Carb, Low Protein
Most of the calories in Maruchan Instant Lunch -- 53 percent -- come from its carb content, ranging from 38 to 39 grams per serving depending on the flavor. The noodle soup also contains some fiber and sugar, with 2 grams each per container. The soup is not very high in protein, with 7 grams per cup, which provide just 10 percent of the total calories.
High In Fat
Maruchan Instant Lunch soups are not only high in fat, but they are high in unhealthy saturated fat. One container of the noodle soup contains 12 grams of total fat, which include 6 grams of saturated fat. The American Heart Association recommends you limit your intake of saturated fat to less than 7 percent of your daily intake, or no more than 16 grams a day based on a 2,000-calorie diet. One serving of Maruchan Instant Lunch noodles represents more than one-third of your daily limit for saturated fats. High intakes of saturated fat can raise your blood cholesterol levels and your risk of heart disease.
Too Much Sodium
In addition to being high in fat, Maruchan Instant Lunch noodle soups are also high in sodium. One container of soup has 1,190 to 1,200 milligrams of sodium. Americans already consume more sodium than they need, according to the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010," as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getting too much sodium in your diet increases your risk high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. The "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010" recommends that you limit your daily intake to less than 2,300 milligrams a day. You should limit your intake further -- to less than 1,500 milligrams a day -- if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, if you are African American, or if you are over age 51. Whatever your daily limit, one serving of Maruchan Instant Lunch has a significant amount of sodium.
