Just remember...
KID FAD ILL
writer : ILIESA TORA
4/30/2011
Do no eat noodles dry.
That's the advice from the Ministry of Health, following reports that some children have been admitted at health facilities around the country feeling sick after eating dry noodles.
The National Adviser for Non-Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health, Dr Isimeli Tukana, said noodles were not meant to be eaten raw.
“This is an abnormal behaviour that may lead to ill health,” he said.
“Please follow instructions on the noodle pack and eat according to instructions on the pack.”
The Fiji Sun has confirmed that there have been some cases of young children being admitted at hospitals around the country after falling ill from eating dry noodles for some time.
On Thursday a case was admitted at the Acute Medical Ward of the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.
Health staff there said the young girl involved had fallen ill after eating dry noodles. Similar cases have been identified in other centres around the country.
Last year a young Delainamasi Government School student was admitted at the CWM Hospital for almost two weeks because of complications brought about after she had been eating dry noodles for some time.
Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma said eating noodles dry should never be an alternative for children, because of its high sodium ingredient.
He said although noodles sold in Fiji were from fortified flour the fact was that people are not following instructions on its use “thus putting themselves at risk of getting ill”.
The Ministry of Health’s School Health teams have expressed their concerns in the past in regards to children eating dry noodles as their lunch or as a snack.
Dr Sharma said the problem was in the flavour consumed with the noodles.
He said a new study in Australia has found that students who eat instant noodles frequently were at greater risk of developing chronic diseases.
“College students who have poor nutritional habits could have long-lasting health effects according to an Australian study,” Dr Sharma said.
The man who undertook the Australia study says health and academic results can be affected.
“There seems to be an acceptance out there that getting by on less nutritious food is a typical part of being a university student.
A diet of baked beans and instant noodles is not good enough when health and academic results are at stake,” said by Dr. Danielle Gallegos, who surveyed more than 800 university students along with Kai Wen Ong in.
“Glutamate acts as flavour enhancer in most instant-noodles packages and also in ramen noodles, but it is present only in the soup base.
This additive is related with many health concerns like obesity, high tension, nausea and many other problems.
Because of this health risks, the soup base which is present in the package is not allowed to be used while preparing noodles.
However, without the soup base, the taste is not good but it prevents many health risks,” Dr Sharma said.
