Japanese women have been using shirataki noodles for weight loss for years. If you go to Japan and ask the women about shirataki or as it is sometimes know as konnyaku the first things you will hear about is how it is good to eat to keep slim. Shirataki and weight loss go hand in hand. For the American however not used to eating them one must know how to use the shirataki Miracle Noodle in a sensible plan for weight loss.

Although a full treatment of this topic is beyond the scope of this short article. There are many principles that can be described to get a better understanding of shirataki and weight loss.

1. The Shirataki Miracle Noodle is made of a health soluble fiber so that when you eat it it will expand slightly in your stomach and provide a sense of fullness. Adding shirataki to the beginning of a meal and eating slowly will provide a feeling of fullness and satisfaction.

2. The Shirataki Miracle Noodle has no calories so while the noodles are in your digestive tract they are absorbing cholesterol and slowing down the absorption of glucose so your blood sugar will even out and you wont have spikes of energy and exhaustion. All the while not contributing to the calories.

3. My suggestion, assuming you get enough nutrients at your other meals of the day, is to substitute the carbs at lunch with the Miracle Noodle drastically reducing the calories and providing a sense of fullness throughout the afternoon.

4. You can substitute these noodles with any recipe of pasta and have a meal with a fraction of the number of calories just keep in mind the need to not completely restrict carbohydrates. Your body prefers quality carbohydrates for energy(more about this in later articles), if you restrict them, you will be on the Atkins Diet which is a diet I am not a huge fan of. The Japanese have some great recipes for these noodles, check out the links page on my website for the cookbooks I recommend.

In summary, the Shirataki Miracle Noodle and weight loss make perfect partners. By making sure that you are eating healthy food, adding shirataki noodles can be a great way to increase fiber, decrease hunger, decrease carbohydrates, absorb cholesterol and even out blood sugar. Shirataki and weight loss and you, the perfect combination of healthy living through sensible non-starvation dieting.

To You and Yours In Health,

Jonathan Carp MD