The Secret Health Benefits Of Egg Noodles

Pasta has been considered an evil food since the low-carb craze took over, but there are many myths about carbs you can stop believing. The carbs from pasta provide your cells with energy. Marathon runners turn to pasta days before their races to help them store that energy deep in their muscles. Pasta isn't the only good source of carbs.

Egg noodles have some of the same nutrients as pasta, but some types of egg noodles come enriched with vitamins and minerals. "People looking for additional selenium, manganese, and B vitamins, can opt for the enriched variety to benefit from nutrients that help with immunity, decreasing cell damage, and brain health, respectively," said Registered Dietitian Angel Luk in a Health Digest interview.

Enriched egg noodles provide 21% of your folate, 10% of your riboflavin, and 24% of your daily recommended thiamine in a 100-gram serving. Compared to standard pasta, you'll see 20 fewer calories and 5 fewer grams of carbs. You'll also find three times the iron in egg noodles than in traditional pasta. Egg noodles can make a great option for endurance athletes trying to add more carbs and nutrients to their diets.

Adult men and women over 50 need 8 milligrams of iron per day, and women younger than 50 need 18 milligrams. Athletes might need more iron to help their muscles repair, and they tend to lose iron throughout the demands of their training cycles. Athletes with iron deficiencies might fatigue faster due to a reduced amount of oxygen in their working muscles, according to a 2023 review in Life. You could turn to meat, eggs, and poultry as your sources of iron, but plant-based foods like spinach, beans, and enriched egg noodles can also supply you with iron. A cup of egg noodles provides 2.4 milligrams of iron.

Athletes also need to stock up on B vitamins while training. Many B vitamins help you metabolize the iron in your diet and produce red blood cells. Thiamine is essential for athletes because it helps to release the energy from your food. Adding foods rich in thiamine such as egg noodles could also reduce lactate levels during exercise. A 2013 study in the Journal of Exercise Nutrition and Biochemistry also found that supplementing with thiamine reduced markers of fatigue during exercise.

"For highly active individuals looking to carbohydrate load before a long-distance event such as marathon running, egg noodles can also fit nicely into the meals leading up to their event because they are high in carbohydrates and quicker to digest due to their lower fiber content," added Luk.

Like traditional pasta, egg noodles can be healthy or unhealthy depending on what you add to them. Sauces heavy in cream and cheese can add both calories and fat to your egg noodle dish. Topping your egg noodles with some vegetables and lean protein can make a healthy dish for athletes and non-athletes.

Don't think that egg noodles can only be used as a pasta substitute. "Tossing a small handful into a large batch of soup ensures that you enjoy this carb and calorie-dense food with other ingredients such as vegetables, beans, and lentils to bump up the fiber and protein content for a more balanced meal," Luk said.

You can make egg noodles more nutritious if you make them at home. Store-bought egg noodles have gluten, but you can make gluten-free egg noodles by using gluten-free flour to make the dough. Just mix a cup of your preferred flour with some eggs, milk, and salt, kneading the dough with your hands and adding more flour as needed. Roll out the dough and cut into thin strips, then cook them in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes.