Shirataki & Tofu Miso Soup

Tofu Miso Soup	35 Calories	1g Fat	3g Protein	3g Carbs	0g Sugar
Shirataki Noodles	0 Calories	0g Fat	0g Protein	0g Carbs	0g Sugar
Totals	35 Calories	1g Fat	3g Protein	3g Carbs	0g Sugar

I have recently added the Japanese shirataki noodle into my diet. Alas, my quest for finding a way to enjoy noodles without the calories was fulfilled! The only problem was that I was having a little trouble flawlessly pairing them with foods. At first I used a tomato based pasta sauce, threw in some steamed broccoli and added parmesan cheese to make my own version of a guilt-free Italian dish. It just always turned out a bit watery. The taste was fine, it was the textures that did not come together as intended.

A little background information on the shirataki noodle: According to shiratakinoodles.net, they are made from a flour derived from the konjac plant. This is a yam-like plant grown in Japan and China. The noodles are almost entirely composed of a dietary fiber called glucomannan. Therefore, they contain little to no calories since they cannot be digested and so they just pass on through.

Last week I experimented by making ramen noodles but I threw away the noodles and just used the seasoning packet. This worked out really well as far as texture. These noodles are similar to udon noodles which work very well in soups. I do not, however, recommend the ramen seasoning packets because they contain extremely high amounts of sodium and partially hydrogenated oils that will clog arteries. After some brainstorming I thought to use miso soup mix instead.

All I did was use my electric kettle to quickly boil some water. I poured the hot water over the rinsed shirataki noodles and then added the contents of the miso soup packet. Voila! I had a huge bowl of noodle soup with and only 35 calories! It was satisfying indeed.

My only complaint about the health aspect of this snack would be that there is a lot of sodium, 740 mg. This is approximately half of what the Institute of Medicine recommends for daily intake. So enjoy this miso soup but keep the rest of the day very low in sodium. If you have hypertension I do not recommend this dish.

The miso soup packet also contains modified food starch, MSG, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, and succinic acid. I’m not sure what to think when I read those items on the ingredients list so I will do some more research to find out. Thus my quest for yummy and healthy food continues....