Lotus Foods Rice Ramen Gluten Free, Low Sodium And Vegan

So much healthier than Top Ramen!

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Eating Ramen at Home
Who didn't get through college eating Top Ramen? As I now look at the nutritional information on the back, I'm amazed we all survived! Assuming the entire package was consumed (who eats half a block of ramen), here's what you get:

Top Ramen (one package of Oriental Flavor)
380 calories
14 g of fat, 7 g saturated
1600 mg sodium

And these lovely ingredients:
Wheat flour, Palm Oil, Salt, Calcium Silicate, Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Succinate, Dried Leek Flake, Garlic Powder, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Maltodextrin, MSG, Onion Powder, Potassium Carbonate, Sodium Alginate, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Soybean, Spice, TBHQ, Wheat.

This looks more like a chemistry experiment than food!

Along Comes Lotus Foods
Although this is still a processed food with very little whole grain, Lotus Foods Rice Ramen addresses a number of issues. First, it's gluten free and made from organic rice. And second, it has fewer calories, much less fat, and half the sodium. A double serving provides:

Lotus Foods (one package of Jade Pearl Ramen with Miso Soup)

280 calories
2 grams of fat, 0 saturated
820 mg sodium (still high but half that of Top Ramen)

The ingredients of their Pearl Jade Ramen with Miso Soup are actually food and include:
Organic Brown and White Rice, Bamboo Extract, White Miso Powder, Salt, Soybean Powder, White Onion Powder, Tamari Powder, Dried Wakame Seaweed, Dried Parsley.

Flavors
Lotus Foods Ramen comes in a number of flavors including:
* Forbidden Rice Ramen with Miso Soup
* Jade Pearl Rice Ramen with Miso Soup
* Millet and Brown Rice Ramen with Miso Soup
* Wakame and Brown Rice Ramen
* Buckwheat and Mushroom Rice Ramen
* Purple Potato and Brown Rice Ramen

I tested the Jade Pearl Rice Ramen with Miso Soup and the Millet and Brown Rice Ramen with Miso Soup.

Pearl Rice Ramen with Miso Soup
Like the Ramen in our past, you get a block of Ramen and a soup packet.

You bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add the Ramen and soup packet to the pot and simmer for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. The Ramen broke up nicely and after 4 minutes I removed it from the heat and waited a bit until the noodles were just right.

Add Ramen and soup packet to boiling water.

Simmer for 4 minutes and remove from heat.

Serve as is or add other good stuff.

You can add veggies and a protein for a hardier meal.

The flavor of the Pearl Jade was a very mild miso. It was good but a little bland. It definitely needed the added vegetables.

Millet and Brown Rice Ramen with Miso Soup

For some reason, the block of millet and brown rice Ramen didn't break up as nicely as the Pearl Jade and the noodles took a little bit longer to soften.

The millet and brown rice clumped a bit more.

I did like the flavor of the millet and brown rice's miso soup. It had a little kick to it since it contained dried chili pepper in the soup pack.

The millet and brown rice soup was more flavorful.

I bought these products at our local Whole Foods. Here's their STORE LOCATOR to find the nearest store. Or, purchase them ONLINE. 

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