The unexpected way I stay lean from eating ramen
April 23, 2024
Written by Mike Braddock
"I was hooked for life."
At just 5 grams of carbs per serving, immi is 85% lower than other instant ramens.
It's also delicious.🍥
For me, the transition to eating like a responsible adult was never easy. I grew up playing high school football in the Southwest. I could eat literally anything I wanted and have no choice but to work it off. Our team’s favorite restaurant served free seconds on chicken-fried steaks. Who eats two chicken-fried steaks? Well, me, and every other guy at that table.
Of course my head knew I couldn’t keep up that insanity after I didn’t have two-a-days in 105-degree heat to bail me out anymore, but my stomach didn’t pay attention – that mindset never really left me. It wasn’t just that I needed a lot of food. I needed food I actually liked, and everything I actually loved eating was not amazing for me. Then I moved to a city where you could order literally any kind of takeout at any time. I was a busy person. A busy, hungry person. The convenience and the opportunity to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted was irresistible.
A few years ago I had a major reality check. My blood panels were… not great. My doctor said he didn’t want to put me on statins yet, but he made it pretty clear that would be the next step if I didn’t turn things around. I put in the effort, but here’s the thing: it’s actually pretty easy to eat healthy. But it is hard to eat healthy and enjoy it, at least not when you don’t have that much time to spend in the kitchen. This is a happy story, though. I actually figured it out. And the solution was pretty much the exact opposite of what I expected: instant ramen, from this company called immi. That’s not a typo – they go with the lowercase – and I’m not kidding. I’ll tell you exactly why it worked, and then I’ll tell you how I keep things interesting.
The under-10-minute option for staying lean
Everyone knows the basics here: you need a diet that’s high in protein and low in net carbs. But that’s easier said than done: you still want that carb-y sensation – the texture, the fillingness, that feeling that you’re eating something that’ll stick to your bones. I randomly decided to search for “healthy ramen,” mainly because I loved ramen in college and figured hey, they invented wireless internet since I left college, maybe someone figured out healthy ramen too. And what do you know, up pops immi: 21 grams of protein, only 6 net carbs, 18 grams of fiber, and testimonial after testimonial about how this brand is basically a miracle for managing to maintain ramen’s oh-so-satisfying texture using a 100% plant-based, absurdly healthy formulation.
I’m not saying immi is all I changed, but it’s been a huge part of it, partly because it tastes amazing, partly because you can eat it as a snack or a full meal, and partly because it’s just so incredibly easy. All-in, it takes less time to cook yourself up a bowl than it does to decide what you’re going to order for takeout. In literally less than 10 minutes, you’re living the dream, if your dream has always been to find healthy versions of the things you were crazy for when you were 18 (and whose isn’t?). It doesn’t hurt that I know exactly what I’m putting into my body every time I break out a cup of this stuff. (It also doesn’t hurt that they offer free shipping on orders over $50.)
A few more points to consider if you’re still on the fence: it never gets boring, because they’ve got six different flavors, and all the flavors are unbelievably satisfying, from the black garlic “chicken” to the roasted “pork” tonkotsu, which magically captures the taste of pork bones simmered for hours and hours without actually using pork bones. You can order variety packs just to keep your taste buds on their toes.
I won’t lie, people do bring up the price online. But those people are comparing immi to regular ramen, and that’s the wrong way to think about it. The way I think about it is: is $6 a great price for a legitimately nutritious, actually tasty meal packed with the exact ingredients I need to keep myself happy and healthy? Am I paying a lot less for this than I would a comparable health-food product – or the takeout orders I used to place regularly? And my answer, every time, is yeah, this is a pretty great deal.
How to change up the basics
I got into this a little before, but I’ll get into it more here: the #1 enemy of any diet is boredom. It helps immeasurably that eating immi doesn’t feel like dieting at all – and it really isn’t dieting if it’s just something you love to eat. But beyond that, here’s what I do to keep things spicy:
Order those variety packs, and try not to go back-to-back too often
Add in super-easy… well, spices, and herbs too
Every other meal, drop in some basic add-ins (mushrooms, a hardboiled egg, etc)
Once a week, try a more advanced recipe from their site
Just sticking with immi’s basic add-in tips can push your food boundaries as far as you need them to be pushed on a casual Tuesday. Say you start with Spicy “Beef,” because again, it’s Tuesday. Here’s their starter pack of suggestions:
Bok Choy
Dried Red Chili
Enoki Mushrooms
Shiitake Mushrooms
Chopped Scallions
Marinated Eggs
Cilantro
Chili Oil (finding your favorite is like getting to start your hot sauce journey all over again)
As for more advanced recipes, there are loads of options, from ginger pork meatball to a keto-friendly General Tso’s chicken. You can also search TikTok. You’ll find a ton of food influencers (and some legit famous people) trying out recipes, which are pretty fun to watch even if you don’t make them.
I’ll also say that you don’t need to add anything. The basics are phenomenal, and it’s not like I was eating more than six different meals regularly before I started making immi a mainstay. But this is a choose-your-own-adventure situation: order online (or pick some up in-store), and after that, take this noodly ride wherever you desire.
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