There is nothing quite like a steaming bowl of ramen, is there! It is the ultimate comfort food for many; salty, warm, and deeply satisfying. Over the last decade, ramen has really evolved from a cheap university staple into a massive global food craze, with dedicated ramen bars now seeing queues winding down the street, all for a taste of the rich, slow-simmered broth and springy noodles.
But as much as we love it, traditional instant ramen isn’t exactly known for being a nutritional powerhouse, is it? It is usually loaded with sodium, packed with refined carbs, and leaves you feeling pretty hungry again not even an hour.
So you can imagine my excitement when Huel embraced the ramen craze by giving it a serious health upgrade with their Hot & Savoury Lite Ramen range; their Spicy Thai Noodles are divine! It’s the quick noodle fix that I love, whilst being exceptionally good for you. So, let’s take a closer look…
A Quick History: The Origins Of Noodles
Before diving into the nutrition aspect of noodles, it’s worth looking at how this beloved dish came about. While we often associate ramen strictly with Japan, noodles themselves actually originated in China, with archaeological evidence stretching back over 4,000 years.
The concept of wheat noodles travelled to Japan in the late 19th or early 20th century and started out as a humble, affordable street food called shina soba, which are Chinese buckwheat noodles. After World War II, the dish exploded in popularity in Japan, evolving into what we now call ramen, and eventually became the global culinary phenomenon that we know of today.
The Huel Twist: Making Noodles Unique
If you’re looking for a quick lunch, that doesn’t track a mountain of empty calories into your afternoon, then Huel’s Spicy Thai Lite Ramen is a massive win. It provides all of the bold, aromatic, and fiery flavours of Thai street food, but with the specialist nutritional profile that you’d expect from Huel.
Traditional instant noodle pots can easily creep up in calories while offering us very little substance. However, this Lite version contains 230 calories per pot, making it deliciously ideal for a light lunch or a quick evening snack. And unlike standard noodles that leave you crashing after a carb spike, these pots contains 25g of high-quality plant-based protein to keep you genuinely full whilst supporting muscle recovery.
This is far from your everyday convenience food, as it’s formulated to provide 26 essential vitamins and minerals in every single serving. This way, you get a balanced mix of carbs, good fats, and fibre, plus immune and digestive support in each lip-smacking serving. I also love that they use actual dried vegetables like carrots, peppers, and spring onions with a bespoke blend of herbs and spices, rather than cheap and cheerful artificial flavouring powders.
If you love a spicy kick to your meals like me, but perhaps struggle to find quick, healthy options on busy days, then these pots are well worth adding to your cupboard. It takes just a few minutes to pop on the kettle, pour, stir and cover with no cooking or chopping, and absolutely zero fuss.
Because Huel mixes its custom vitamin and mineral blend into their seasoning, a lot of the goodness is in the soup itself, for which I love sipping up every last drop. It’s a delicious meal in minutes that keeps me energised and active throughout my ever changing schedule.
If you want to jazz it up like a true ramen bar pro, you could also add a splash of dark soy sauce, a drizzle of sesame oil, or some fresh coriander leaves just before serving. Fast food, completely reinvented for modern health, from the convenience of your desk drawer, what more could you ask for!
