Lower Sodium Ramen | Benefits, Homemade Recipes & Tips

Ramen noodles are a popular and convenient meal, but most packets contain a lot of sodium. If you enjoy ramen but want to limit your intake of salt, you may be asking how to make lower sodium ramen noodles.

Fortunately, there are healthy ramen options available! Lower-sodium versions and DIY ramen ingredients are available from local grocery stores and internet merchants. You can make tasty ramen while reducing your sodium intake if you read labels carefully and follow certain recipe suggestions.

In this guide, we’ll look at the facts regarding sodium and why ramen often contains too much of it. Additionally, we’ll provide some simple ways to still enjoy a bowl of low-sodium ramen without sacrificing flavor. Prepare to satisfy your craving for ramen noodles without sacrificing your health objectives!

What Is Sodium?

Although the terms “sodium” and “salt” are sometimes used interchangeably, it’s crucial to remember that they are not exactly the same. For strong muscles and nerves, sodium is a necessary mineral. However, you must obtain it from diet because the human body is unable to manufacture it.

Many foods, such as meat, dairy, vegetables, and seafood, naturally contain sodium. Additionally, it is added to food, especially processed and packaged foods like canned soup, instant ramen, deli meats, and snacks.

However, salt, also known as sodium chloride, is a crystal-like substance that is composed of 60% chlorin and 40% sodium. Even though it contains less sodium than pure sodium, it is nevertheless a substantial source of the mineral.

How Consuming Too Much Sodium Affects Your Health?

Excessive salt consumption has several negative consequences. Osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, chronic renal disease, and even stomach cancer can all be made more likely by it.

How people are consuming so much sodium may be a mystery to you. It’s not because everyone is sprinkling their food with too much table salt. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), packaged foods and restaurant meals account for over 70% of the average American’s sodium intake.

Why Does Ramen Have So Much Sodium?

Excessive sodium content in instant ramen is primarily used to improve flavor and prolong shelf life. Adding sodium to food can improve its flavor and prolong its shelf life at a low cost. Although the food makers may find these arguments persuasive, they are not the best for your health.

Consider the sodium levels of some of the most well-known ramen brands, for instance:

• Nissin: 1160 mg per cup
• Nongshim: 1310 mg per cup
• Maruchan: 1660 mg per serving.

Why Choose Lower Sodium Ramen?

Let’s examine the following reasons why finding low-sodium ramen is worthwhile before we embark on the noodle hunt:

Reduced Health Risks

• Each serving of ramen can include more than half of the sodium you should consume each day. Oh no!
• An excess of salt raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.
• Reducing salt intake benefits general health, particularly for people with diseases like high blood pressure.

Taste Just as Slurp-Worthy

• Flavor doesn’t have to be compromised! Ramen made with less sodium can taste just as good.
• Seaweed, mushrooms, or miso paste can be used to make umami-rich broths that are flavorful without being overly salty.
• You may alter the seasoning to suit your tastes because you have control over it.

Added Nutrients

• For sustained energy, several low-sodium varieties include additional protein and fiber.
• You can add vegetables to your homemade ramen to boost its nutritional value.
• An added benefit is avoiding MSG and preservatives, which are present in some typical ramen boxes.

Low-Sodium Ramen Noodles: Considerations for Finding Healthy Alternatives

Let’s look at what to look for when purchasing low-sodium ramen noodles and why it’s critical to select the proper product. We’ll also go over several important elements that will make shopping stress-free and simple.

Sodium Count

When purchasing low-sodium ramen noodles, the salt content should be the first and most important consideration. Look for brands that provide no more than 500 mg of sodium per serving by reading the labels. 

Choose brands with lower salt levels because they are healthier and more nutrient-dense. Be aware that some companies claim their products are “low sodium,” but in reality, they contain a lot of salt. Always read the nutrition information on the back of the bag of ramen noodles. 

Additionally, you can look for additional components that might be dangerous, such as MSG, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

Flavor

Look for brands of ramen noodles that have a variety of flavors with reduced sodium content. While some products might provide a vegetarian or miso broth, others might offer low-sodium beef and chicken varieties. To select a flavor that you will like, visit the brand’s website to view their low-sodium selections.

Organic Options

Since organic ramens avoid using artificial taste additives and chemicals, the sodium content in them is often low. they often depend on organic seasoning in stead of chemicals like MSG to create the umami flavor. Thus, they are low in sodium.

The person who is concerned about their health could choose to try organic ramen noodles. Additives, chemicals, and artificial tastes that could make ramen noodles unhealthy are absent from organic ramen noodles. Whole-wheat flour is used to manufacture organic ramen noodles, making them a vital component of a well-rounded diet.

Brand

It’s crucial to look at the brand’s reputation after evaluating the ramen noodles’ flavor and sodium content. Customers trust a few major Japanese brands that have been in business for a long time. 

Nonetheless, different retailers sell ramen noodles under their own brands. Before making a purchase, it would be smart to read reviews to find out what other consumers have to say about the brand. Ramen noodles are widely accessible and reasonably priced, and reliable companies are known for producing high-quality goods.

Convenience

Last but not least, pick a product that is simple to prepare. Seek out products that have microwaveable pre-made choices or cooking instructions in English and other languages.

You may lessen the chance of adding extra salt to your ramen noodles by preparing them swiftly and effectively.

DIY Low-Sodium Ramen Tips and Tricks

It’s true that the majority of conventional instant ramen noodles contain a lot of sodium, but thankfully, not all of them are made equally. Just so you know, when we talk about ramen, we mean the instant varieties found in grocery stores. These often come in a flavor-packaged styrofoam cup or dehydrated block. 

You can make your own low-sodium ramen in seven easy steps:

Discard the Seasoning Package

The quickest approach to cut back on salt is to just discard the little flavor packets that come with instant ramen, as these are the largest sources of sodium.

Choose Low-sodium Chicken Broth

A low-sodium chicken broth is a terrific method to reduce the amount of salt in your ramen noodle soup without sacrificing flavor. Low-sodium vegetable broth is another option that works well for vegan ramen dishes.

Switch to Low-sodium Soy Sauce

To keep things under control, just use low-sodium soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce. Additionally, you might want to think about tamari sauce, which is typically lower in sodium and created from fermented soybean paste.

​Make Use of Low-sodium Miso Paste

It’s not always necessary to make your ramen soup with chicken or vegetable broth. To make a miso soup base, experiment with low-sodium miso paste or a little amount of regular miso.

Stock Up on No-sodium Seasonings

Use fresh or dried herbs and seasonings like coriander, ginger, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to provide a burst of flavor to your ramen without adding sodium.

Spice It Up

Remember to include the spices in addition to the herbs and seasonings. In addition to adding some heat, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, and Sriracha will give your ramen bowl a taste boost that will ensure you don’t miss the salt.

Add Tasty, Whole Food Ingredients

Choose actual food to make your ramen noodles taste excellent instead of depending on the flavor package. Top with vegetables and a protein source (e.g., eggs, beef, pork, chicken breast, tofu, or edamame). These components, which range from bok choy and green onions to shiitake mushrooms and zucchini, will greatly increase the dish’s flavor and nutritional content. 

Low Sodium Ramen Recipes

This simple, low-sodium ramen soup dish takes only 20 minutes to prepare and is a great comfort food. Rich in rice noodles, fresh vegetables, ginger, and garlic, this simple homemade ramen makes a delicious lunch or dinner with minimal added sodium.

It creates a warm and comforting bowl on cold nights or a quick and delicious lunch in the summer. Keep this simple ramen recipe handy and eat it often!

One of the hardest foods to make low in salt without sacrificing flavor is soup!  I have prepared other low-sodium soups, and this ramen is one of the best; I heartily endorse it.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Toasted sesame oil, which I prefer over olive or vegetable oil, adds a really great savory flavor to the broth in this meal.
• Fresh garlic cloves, or garlic powder if preferred.
• Onion powder makes an excellent base for homemade ramen spice.
• Ground ginger.
• Cayenne pepper adds a little heat! I add it to my soups since I like my ramen hotter. If you don’t like heat, you may leave it out entirely or add more to suit your taste. If you’d like, you can also add red pepper flakes.
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce. You can substitute another sauce or omit it completely if you’d like! A little goes a long way, in my experience! You can alternatively use a low-sodium miso paste, low-sodium coconut aminos, or leave it out completely.
• Chopped vegetables—you may use your favorite vegetables (recipe below for more alternatives) but I used bok choy, green onions, and mushrooms.
• Water, vegetable broth, or chicken broth without salt.
• Rice Noodles. I enjoy using thin vermicelli rice noodles, and I can find a variety of brands at my neighborhood supermarket. Although they aren’t a classic ramen dish, I think they make a fantastic gluten-free ramen recipe and a nice sodium-free alternative.
• Eggs: my favorite component of this soup is the yolky, delectable soft-boiled egg! I’ve included the recipe for the ideal soup egg below. Each big egg naturally contains 60–70 mg of salt. Another option is to use a hard-boiled egg.
• Toppings include fresh chopped parsley or cilantro, sesame seeds, or your favorite hot sauce or chili flakes for a spicy twist.

Additions and Substitutions

You can add these additional fantastic ideas to your bowl of ramen soup!

• Sliced bell pepper
• Carrots
• ​Trimmed green beans
• Bamboo shoots or baby corn, which you can find at a grocery store or Asian market
• Edamame
• ​Fire-roasted corn

How To Make Low Sodium Ramen Noodles?

• When preparing the ramen egg, I prefer to begin with this. This step should be skipped if the egg is not being included. Pour the eggs into a small pot of boiling water. After seven minutes of boiling, take the eggs out of the pan and run them under cold water (or soak them in ice water) until they are manageable. Peel and put aside.
• In order to prepare the soup, Heat the teaspoon of sesame oil in a medium pot over low heat. After adding the minced garlic, cook it for three to four minutes, or until it starts to turn brown. Add the chopped veggies, low-sodium soy sauce, ground ginger, cayenne pepper (if used), onion powder, and water. After bringing to a boil, lower the heat to medium.
• Straight into the soup stock, add the rice noodles. then prepare them as directed on the package. Add the sliced ramen egg to the soup.
• After dividing the soup into two portions, garnish with sesame seeds, cilantro, or parsley. Have fun!

The Challenge of Flavor

Preserving the richness of flavor that makes low-sodium ramen so satisfying and cozy is one of the main problems. For people on a low-sodium diet, traditional ramen’s heavy reliance on salt to improve its savory character delivers too much sodium. Instant ramen noodles have a low nutritional profile with few nutrients and a high salt content.

However, a tasty and health-conscious bowl of ramen may be made with a little imagination and the correct ingredients. Using additional low-sodium seasonings that taste close to the original tastes is a simple method to cut back on salt because the flavor package contains the majority of the sodium.

Do Plain Instant Noodles Contain Sodium?

Yes, there is still some salt in plain instant noodles without seasoning, but it is far less than in flavored ones. Here is a summary:

• In a procedure known as “pre-gelatinization,” water and wheat flour are cooked, dehydrated, and then dried to create instant noodles. The base noodles gain some sodium content as a result of this process.
• Each serving of plain instant noodles usually contains 150–300 mg of salt. This results from how the wheat flour is processed.
• A serving of flavored instant noodles, on the other hand, may include 500–1000 mg of sodium, primarily from the seasoning packet.
• Therefore, while plain instant noodles aren’t entirely sodium-free, they do have a much lower sodium content than flavored ones.
• Choose plain or unseasoned instant noodle kinds that are labeled “low sodium” with 140 mg or fewer per serving to cut down on sodium intake.
• Additionally, look for instant noodles produced with rice or whole grains rather than just wheat flour, as these typically have less sodium.
• Making your own fresh noodles from scratch saves you the pre-gelatinization step and lowers your sodium intake.

Final Words

This is our overall guide to lower sodium ramen. As much as we all enjoy ramen, the majority of instant ramen brands contain a lot of salt and other undesirable elements. 

Excessive use of this mineral can be harmful to your health and may cause heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, among other dangerous illnesses. Fortunately, there are methods to cut back on sodium without sacrificing a comfort food that you love.

You can make it work for you by making a few easy changes, like relying on seasonings and herbs, picking low-sodium components, and discarding the salt-filled flavor packet. 

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