Shirataki Noodles

A reader writes:

About 7 years ago, I started a new job, going from working my fanny off for 8 – 10 hours straight to sitting at a desk all day.  Naturally I proceeded to put on about 50 lbs in a year or so. 

Ouch! I hope that’s an exaggeration! (Though in actuality, 50 lbs in a year is only an excess of 486 calories a day, which only goes to show that most people aren’t overeating by 486 calories a day or they’d be putting on 50 lbs. in a year. As I’ve written before, most of the time most people tend to eat what they need to maintain their current body weight–whatever it is–and don’t overeat in the sense of contantly putting on more weight.)

After several attempts at trying to lose it the old fashioned way (eat less, excersize, etc.) and failing, I have decided to go low carb. 

Good for you!

I’ve been doing some research on it, including some of your archives.  A while back (last August) you posted some commments about japanese shirataki noodles [HERE], but you also said that you didn’t know of an online source for them.  There seems to be some sources for them now.  One is here:

http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/browseproducts/Shirataki-Noodles.html

I’m wondering, how far does a 7oz package typically go?  One meal?  Two?

Oooo. That’s a tough question. It’s going to depend on how much you typically eat in a meal. What I can tell you that may be of some help is that Shirataki noodles always come packed in water. This means that they’re already soft when you get them. It’s not like buying 7 oz. of dry spaghetti and having it swell up when you boil it.

You should cook them, but they won’t swell up when you do so.

They may, however, swell up in you. Shirataki noodles are basically pure fiber–a particular kind of fiber called glucomannan, which is known for swelling up to dramatic size. Once your digestive enzymes start breaking down the noodles into their component fibers, they may swell up real good.

As a result, I recommend that you do not pig out when you first eat shirataki or you may find yourself wishing you weren’t feeling so bloated. I’d only eat a very small portion first (like an ounce) and see what effect it has. Eat more the next day after you’ve done this test.

My guess is that, longer term, 7 oz. or shirataki would probably be at least two meals (maybe more). The serving size listed on the package (if it isn’t in Japanese) may also be of help.

I used to get these little tied up bundles of shirataki noodles that were about the size of a large shrimp (not a huge Aussie prawn!), and they swelled up quite a bit in me, so I only ate one per day. Unfortunately, the local Japanese market no longer carries those, though they still have shirataki in lots of other forms (not all of which are noodles; they also have dumplings and cakes made out of it).

One thing I will note about shirataki: They don’t have the same texture as regular pasta. They’re more "springy."

If you’re looking for an easily available low-carb pasta that has a more regular texture, you might want to try Dreamfields (see forthcoming post).

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

19 thoughts on “Shirataki Noodles”

  1. “A reader writes:
    About 7 years ago, I started a new job, going from working my fanny off for 8 – 10 hours straight to sitting at a desk all day. Naturally I proceeded to put on about 50 lbs in a year or so.
    Ouch! I hope that’s an exaggeration!”
    Maybe a little, but not by much. My wife’s a great cook, and I’ve seldom pushed a plate away. My problem was that I kept on eating the same foods and portions as when I was quite active.
    As a sidenote, I’ve been severely limiting my carb intake since last Friday, and my body has objected quite strenuously. I don’t think it has been much different than going though withdrawls. I stuck it out though, and am feeling quite well today. In fact, I feel pretty darn good – and I have already lost weight! Quite encouraging.
    Thanks for the help and info Jimmy.

  2. Hi, just wanted to say that any attempt at marriage between an unbaptized person and a Catholic is in fact invalid.

  3. This is not accurate. The Church’s understanding is otherwise, and Church law expressly provides regulations for the marriages of Catholics and unbaptized individuals.
    Shirataki noodles are not mentioned in those regulations, however.

  4. Jimmy,
    Thanks for the info on how to find the Shirataki (Glucomannan) noodles. I want to start cooking with it asap, it seems to be awesome for Insulin Resistance, which I have. But… I’m a little confused. Don’t you think it’s strange that this stuff is supposedly so high in fiber, but if you read the nutritional information, it says theres only like .1 gram of fiber per serving??? I don’t understand this. Everything I read says Konjac/Glucomannan/Shirataki has a ton of fiber in it. (? Confused). What do you think?

  5. my daughter has celiac disease and can not have ANY wheat or gluten. Are these noodles wheat and gluten free?? Does someone have a phone # that I could call to find out??? Thanks for the help.

  7. Hi Ann,
    Shirataki noodles are wheat and gluten free, they are only made of fiber. They are perfect for people with celiac disease!
    Jonathan

  9. Hi ! I live in St. Augustine Fl. and I would like to try the Shirataki Noodles, but is there somewhere in this area that I can buy them? Or are they available on the internet only, in this area of the US? Please help, I want to get started as soon as possible. My daughter and my husband are also interested. Thank you, Ramona

  11. You can purchase Shirataki noodles in most forms in almost any Chinese food store any more. And, yes, they are great for making you feel like you got to eat carbs and you will lose weight, that is of course if you don’t eat anything you aren’t supposed to. Lots of fresh veggies & fish, seafood, chicken, without the skin, lean beef, etc. etc. Nothing made from flour & stay away from sugar. I am on my 3rd month & have lost 40 #. And, for you older dieters, I’m no spring chicken, over 50.

  12. I PURCHASED THE SHIRATAKI NOODLES AND RECIEVED THEM IN THE MAIL TODAY. I JUST HAD THEM FOR DINNER WITH A LOW CARB SPAGHETTI SAUCE AND GRILLED CHICKEN. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELYYYYYYYYYY FABULOUS I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW SURPRISED I WAS AT THE TEXTURE AND TASTE. I AM A HUGE PASTA EATER SO THIS LOW CARB THING WAS KILLING ME AND OTHER LOW CARB PASTAS WERE JUST GROSS. DREAMFIELDS HAS TOO MANY EXPERTS SAYING THEY ARE NOT REALLY LOW CARB SO THEY ARE OUT. BUT THE SHIRATAKI NOODLES ARE DELICIOUS NO ODD TASTE WHATSOEVER I JUST FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS AND LET MY SAUCE SET ON THEM FOR ABOUT 15 MIN TO ABSORB THE FLAVOR. I FOUND MYSELF FULL IN ABOUT HALF A PLATE. I’M SITTING HERE HOPING I DIDN’T OVER DO IT CUZ I’M FEELING FULLER LOL. THEY ARE GREAT PEOPLE THEY REALLY ARE !!!

  13. My question is, are they safe, good for you? Can you really lose weight? I’m caring an extra 80 pounds and would like to lose in a healthy way and hopefully not gain any back.

  15. Hullo, all!
    Shirataki noodles are Japanese, therefore not every Chinese vendor will carry them (old grudges), and not a single health food store anywhere near me carries them. I found a great online store which has them available in several brands, so you can try the varities and se which you prefer.
    For example, a 9.86 oz package of noodles (the kind which are visually appetizing, shaped like shrimp rolls) is available for $1.78. (Called CH Shirataki Noodles on the invoice.) The ingredients are only purified water, yam flour, and calcium hydroxide. (I prefer these, since they cook and look neat.)
    Orchids brand shiratkai noodles (7.0 oz) resemble spaghetti noodles in terms of their thickness ($1.58 per package), same ingredients as the CH roll variety.
    And JFC shirataki noodles (also 7.0 oz) sell for $1.49 per package, but the noodles are thinner (more like angel hair pasta), and have a trace of lime in the purified water listed as an ingredient.
    These products can be ordered to be delivered anywhere in the world, and are available at http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com; try the black bean and garlic sauce and the five-spices powder for flavoring of oriental foods.
    Also, there is a site simply called “Miracle Noodle” (www.miraclenoodle.com,if memory serves), which offers shirataki in a variety of shapes normally associated with Italian pastas; a popular item is the sample bage ($15, I think), which lets you get a little of each of the shapes.
    MLH
    P.S. My parents were Lutheran and Roman Catholic; the Catholic Church refused to recognize their marriage (a wedding is traditionally at the bride’s church), which, incidentally is TOTALLY in opposition of what the scriptures teach:
    1 Timothy 4:3 says that those who know the Truth do not forbid marriage;
    Galatians 3:28 says we are all one in Christ;
    and, specifically, 1 Corinthians 7:14 states:
    “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.”
    Of course, I don’t know any Catholics who even own or have read a Bible (other than for academic course work), so many of them are not even aware that what their religion teaches is exactly the opposite of what their God does.

  16. +J.M.J+
    St. Paul was talking about the Gnostics who forbid all marriage. The Catholic Church does not forbid all marriage, but does discourage inter-religious marriage for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, the Church does sometimes bless a marriage between a Catholic and a Protestant, since it is not absolutely forbidden, just discouraged.
    I don’t know of the particular circumstances of your parents’ marriage; perhaps there were other things going on (second marriage without annulment of the first?) that prevented the Church from recognizing it. So I can’t comment specifically on their situation. All I can say is that the Church does not forbid all marriage between a Catholic and a Protestant; it’s happened a few times with people I know.
    One biblical justification for discouraging inter-religious marriage is St. Paul’s statement about not being unequally-yolked (2 Cor 6:14-18). Is St. Paul “forbidding marriage” there?
    I own a number of Bibles and read them, as do many Catholics I know. And I disagree that Catholicism teaches the opposite of what the Bible teaches. See:
    Is Catholicism Unbiblical?
    http://home.earthlink.net/~mysticalrose/biblical.html
    Catholic Teachings on Mary: A Defense
    http://home.earthlink.net/~mysticalrose/marian.html
    In Jesu et Maria,

  18. Thank you SO much, Shirataki Lover! I was going crazy trying to find a place that sells these so I could try them for myself after my friend recommended them. I’m SO excited now. I absolutely love “pho”, but the high-calorie noodles are slaying me. Can’t wait to try these noodles in the soup instead!

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