Mung bean noodles, also known as bean threads, long rice or cellophane noodles, are long gelatinous noodles used in Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisine. The noodles are relatively tasteless, but absorb the flavor of whatever they are being cooked in. They are used in soups, stir fries, salads and desserts. Nutritionally, mung bean noodles are a good source of carbohydrates, have a low glycemic index and can help you meet some of your essential nutrient needs, but they are low in protein.
Low Glycemic Index
Most of the calories in mung bean noodles come from carbohydrates. A 1/2-cup serving of dehydrated noodles contains 60 g of carbohydrates and 0 g of fiber. Through digestion, your body turns carbohydrates into sugar as a source of energy for your body. While mung bean noodles have a high carbohydrate content, they have a low glycemic index. The glycemic index ranks how food affects blood sugar. Foods with a low glycemic index cause only a slight rise in blood sugar, and foods with a high glycemic index cause a rapid spike in blood sugar. Consuming more low-glycemic index foods can aid in blood sugar control for people with diabetes, and may lower your risk of developing diabetes.
Vitamin and Mineral Content
While mung beans are not a significant source of any vitamins or minerals, including them in your diet can help you meet some of your nutritional needs. A 1/2-cup serving of mung bean noodles meets 8 percent of your daily value for iron and selenium and 2 percent of your daily value for calcium. Iron is needed for oxygen transport, selenium is an important antioxidant, and calcium supports bone health and growth. Mung beans also supply a small amount of some of the B vitamins, including thiamine, pantothenic acid, niacin and vitamin B6. The B vitamins help metabolize the food you eat into energy.
Fat-Free
Mung bean noodles are fat-free. Fat is an essential nutrient, but consuming too much can be detrimental to your health, increasing your risk of heart disease, obesity and certain types of cancer, according to Penn Medicine. A healthy diet should limit fat to about 30 percent of calories, or 65 g of a 2,000-calorie diet. Including mung bean noodles in your diet can help limit your intake, and lower your risk of chronic illness.
Low in Protein
Mung bean noodles are not a good source of protein. A 1/2-cup serving of dehydrated noodles contains 0.1 g of protein. By comparison, spaghetti noodles contain 3 g of protein per 1/2-cup serving. Protein is an essential nutrient that provides the amino acids your body needs to build the proteins found in your cells, muscles and organs. Adequate intakes of protein also support immune health. Your daily protein needs vary depending on your age and activity level. In general, healthy adult men need 56 g of protein a day, and healthy adult women need 46 g of protein a day.
References
- USDA Nutrient Database: Noodles, Chinese, Cellophane or Long Rice (Mung Beans), Dehydrated
- Mayo Clinic: Percent Daily Value: What Does It Mean?; Katherine Zeratsky; May 2010
- Cook's Thesaurus: Other Asian Noodles; Lori Alden; 2005
- The Glycemic Index: About GI
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Nutrition for Everyone; Protein
- Penn Medicine: Fat in Your Diet
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