Nutrition Info: Mamee Monster Noodle Snack

Posted on | July 27, 2010 | No Comments

I think you have all seen this product around and can even sing the jingle:  ”Mamee Monster Noodle Snack – Crunch it, Shake it, Munch it!”

Some background information on his monster noodle snack (媽咪麵) is that it’s manufactured in Malaysia by the snack food company – Mamee Double-Decker Berhad. Mamee monster snacks are very well-liked amongst neighbouring Asian countries such as Singapore and Indonesia.

Their popularity spread in 2008, when this snack was also approved for sale in Australian schools by the health departments of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.

What you need to know is that Mamee monster is a crunchy noodle snack that you can eat straight from the packet, just like regular potato chips. It’s very much similar to a pack of instant noodles, only that you are supposed to eat it uncooked, with a small packet of seasoning and it comes in 2 flavours: “BBQ” and “Curry”.

So how do you enjoy a packet of this noodle snack?

Crunch it – Crunch the noodles into pieces inside the packet

Shake it – Add in the pouch of seasoning and shake it thoroughly

Munch it – “Attack” the monster snack now!

Because of its crunchy sensation and delicious seasoning, it’s very popular amongst kids, but as with most children’s snacks it is very unhealthy and I wouldn’t recommend you to eat it often at all. Although the packet makes claims that it is loaded with protein, carotene and vitamin E, it infact contains minimal quantities of these ingredients and is very salty, contains MSG and is about 22% fat.

Nutrition Information:

Mamee Monster Noodle Snack – Curry Flavour
Serving Per Package: 4
Serving Size: 25g

	Per Serving 25g	Per 100g
Energy	122 kcal	486 kcal
Protein	2.4g	9.6g
Fat	5.5g	21.8g
Saturated Fatty Acids	3.6g	14.2g
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids	2.8g	11.3g
Polyunsaturated- Fatty Acids	0.7g	2.6g
Trans Fatty Acids	0g	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg
Carbohydrate	15.8g	63.0g
Sugar	1.0g	4.1g
Dietary Fibre	0.4g	1.6g
Sodium	381mg	1523mg
Carotene	22ug	88ug
Vitamin E	3.6mg	14.2mg

Nutrition Information:

Mamee Monster Noodle Snack – BBQ Flavour
Serving Per Package: 4
Serving Size: 25g

	Per Serving 25g	Per 100g
Energy	122 kcal	486 kcal
Protein	2.5g	10.0g
Fat	5.5g	21.9g
Saturated Fatty Acids	2.7g	10.9g
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids	2.2g	8.8g
Polyunsaturated- Fatty Acids	0.5g	2.2g
Trans Fatty Acids	0g	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg
Carbohydrate	15.6g	62.4g
Sugar	3.8g	15.3g
Dietary Fibre	0.7g	2.8g
Sodium	263mg	1054mg
Carotene	23ug	93ug
Vitamin E	2.2mg	12.3mg

Recommendations:

-  My first recommendation is that this is not a healthy snack at all – and not a good habit to allow yourself and children to get into the habit of snacking on daily.

-  If you do “have” to snack on it please  reduce / avoid the packet of seasoning because it is full of MSG and sodium. Use 2 packet of noodles and 1 packet of seasoning (and share it with a friend)

-  Choose healthier options such as nuts if you’re looking for the crunch factor!

-  As parents reading this – don’t fall into the cheap trap.  Just because they are $0.50 per packet doesn’t make them suitable to feed your children.

-  If it’s the carotene or vitamin E that you’re concerned about, choose carrots or kiwifruit as snack instead!

This is one of those products where you don’t trust the nutrition claims on the packet!  For only 25g of food (which will never fill you up) you are consuming 100+ calories and decent amount of fat.  The MSG content can also cause adverse health problems that you would probably want to avoid if possible.

The take home message is that this ’snack’ is actually just a salty, crunchy habit food.  It doesn’t provide you with any real nutritional benefit by eating.  Be smart and choose a healthier option -or- limit to a little as possible.

Comments