Still Eating Mixed Rice Noodles Often? Nutritionist Warns Of Health Risks

JAKARTA - Combining noodles and rice in one plate is a habit of eating that is commonly found in various regions in Indonesia. Apart from being filling, the combination of these two sources of carbohydrates does provide a distinctive and satisfying taste for most people.

However, behind this pleasure, there are health risks that need to be considered if this habit is carried out regularly without proper nutrition arrangements.

Lecturers in the nutrition sector from the Vocational School of IPB University, Rosyda Diah, SKM, MKM, reminded that the simultaneous consumption of rice and noodles has a long-term impact on the balance of metabolic nutrition and health.

"This combination risks causing nutritional imbalance and various health problems if it is not balanced with other nutritional intake," he said, quoted from the IPB University page.

Rosyda explained that both rice and noodles are the main source of carbohydrates. When both are consumed at one time, the number of carbohydrates that enter the body increases significantly, while other nutrients such as protein and healthy fat tend to be neglected.

"If rice and noodles are consumed in the same amount, the carbohydrate content can dominate up to 80 percent of the total energy, while protein and fat are very low," he explained.

For illustration, the consumption of 150 grams of rice and 100 grams of noodles produces about 401 kilocalories of energy, with a content of about 82 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of protein, and only 2 grams of fat.

This ratio shows an imbalance in macro nutrients, far from the standard recommendation of the Piringku Implementation guidelines, which emphasizes the importance of variation and ideal proportion in each portion of food.

"This dam is unbalanced and far from the concept of 'My plate contents', which is 50 percent of vegetables and fruit, and the remaining 50 percent of carbohydrates and protein combined," continued Rosyda.

The concept of the contents of my plate is a refinement of the previous nutritional guidelines, namely 4 Healthy 5 Perfect and Balanced Nutrition Guidelines.

The goal is to provide easy-to-understand visual guidelines regarding the composition of healthy foods in each plate, based on the nutritional needs of the Indonesian people.

Rosyda explained that simultaneous consumption of noodles and rice in the long term can trigger metabolic disorders, including obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia (blood fat imbalance), to chronic inflammation.

The addition of simple carbohydrates from white rice and instant noodles can increase the glycemic index and accelerate the spike in blood sugar. If it is not accompanied by sufficient protein and fiber intake, the effect can be long term, "he explained.

Lack of protein intake and healthy fat in diet can also interfere with the production of appetite regulatory hormones, such as leptin and peptide YY.

These hormones play a role in giving a signal of fullness to the brain. When the production decreases, a person becomes more easily hungry and is encouraged to eat excessively, especially from a simple source of carbohydrates.

"The impact, recurring hunger, leads to excess calorie consumption (overheating), especially from simple carbohydrate sources," he added.

To reduce the risk of consuming excess carbohydrates, Rosyda recommends several alternative healthy menus that remain filling but more nutritionally balanced, such as:

- Half portion of rice combined with animal side dishes (such as fish or chicken), plant-based side dishes (such as tempeh or tofu), and vegetables.

- Sweet potatoes are boiled as a substitute for rice, combined with fresh sources of protein and vegetables.

- Low-carb noodles such as shirataki noodles, coupled with protein and vegetables.

"The principle is to balance the dining plate according to the instructions of My Pirings. Make sure the carbohydrates are not more than a quarter of the plate and complete it with protein, healthy fat, and fiber from vegetables and fruit." concluded Rosyda.