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Noodles in a stir fry, as a bed for Italian bolognese, or as an addition in a soup – it’s something most of us enjoy.
But with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, the main issue is, most noodles are high in carbs and not too friendly for blood sugar levels.
The exception is a Japanese noodle that is now readily available in most supermarkets – shirataki or konjac noodles. Changs Super Lo-Cal Noodles are shirataki noodles, so let us tell you a bit more about them.
Ingredients
Overall there’s not much to these noodles in terms of ingredients.
Water, konjac root extract, stabiliser (526).
526, is a Calcium Hydroxide, a mineral salt which helps the noodles to hold together and not completely dissolve in the water.
Konjac is a plant that comes from the Asian areas of Japan, China, and Indonesia. The konjac plant is also known as the elephant yam, snake palm, voodoo lily, devil’s tongue, konyaku potato, and konjak. The root of the plant is 40% konjac-mannan, or glucomannan, and this is what gives it a gel like structure. The Japanese have used the flour obtained from the root to make jellies and as a gelatin type substitute. And the other popular thing they make is konjac noodles.
Nutrition Facts
Most shirataki konjac noodles have a similar nutrition profile to Changs, they are:
- low in kilojoules – 44kJ
- super low in carbs – <0.5g
- high in fibre, especially soluble fibre – 3.7g
- gluten free
- low in fat – <0.1g
All and all, this makes these noodles great for people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
Preparing/Cooking/Eating Experience
Changs Super Lo-Cal Noodles come ready-to-eat.
Preparing: Simply open the pack, drain the noodles in a colander, and rinse them well under water (we find warm water works best) – they are now ready to eat!
Texture: They hold their shape well in any dish and have a slightly chewy yet soft texture.
Smell: Be warned, konjac noodles have a very strange smell upon opening the package. This smell comes from the glucomannan fibre in the konjac root, hence the reason why they need draining and rinsing. Rinsing the noodles under warm water reduces this smell. You can also soak them in warm/hot water for one minute, then rinse under warm water to reduce the smell further. *Some people do say they can’t overcome that smell, but this is rare. Once you add the noodles to a dish, the smell is no longer present.
Cooking: You can chop them up or use them whole in soups, stir fries, as spaghetti bolognese, or in any noodle dish. After preparing them, add them toward the end of your cooking.
Eating: Overall these noodles taste great to most people, once in a flavoursome dish, they don’t have any taste of sorts so take on the flavour of the dish.
Check out this Turkey Ramen Noodle Soup.
Konjac Fibre Health Benefits
Konjac has been eaten in Japan for over 1500 years. Surprisingly, konjac root has benefits to our health, particularly for type 2 diabetes.
One study showed that adding glucomannan fibre to the diets of type 2 diabetics, improved blood glucose control, HDL cholesterol levels, and decreased blood pressure.
Because the konjac fibre is a very viscous gel like substance, this could explain it’s benefits for blood sugar control.
Another study published in Diabetes Care, showed that type 2 diabetics given glucomannan fibre had improved insulin resistance status and benefits to blood glucose and lipids (cholesterol). The dietary fibre helps improve insulin sensitivity.
Overall Thoughts and Recommendations
Since we encourage a low carb diet, Changs Super Lo-Cal Noodles fit perfectly into your regular diabetes menu.
Being low in carbs and high in fibre, makes them the perfect replacement for higher carb noodles that raise blood sugar and HbA1c.
Where to Buy: Coles and Woolworths
Cost: $2.55
*DMP did not receive any money to do this review.
