These days everyone is looking for the holy grail of diets, or that secret food to help burn more belly fat.  Let me just end it now by saying you’ll never find it, ever.  So get over it.

Now there are certain foods that when combined appropriately with other foods, can create close to the perfect storm to allow your body to burn off more belly fat.  Today I’d like to share one food in particular that I discovered about a year ago at a Japanese food store called Uwajimaya.

I love shopping at Uwajimaya, because it reminds me of the grocery stores on my home island, Guam.  There is a huge Japanese influence, and there is no shortage of awesome Japanese food and restaurants on Guam.  Do you like Benihana?  Well, allow me to brag for one second that the teppenyaki restaurants in Guam are 100 times better than Benihana

Anyway, back to my story.  I was browsing the seafood area when I stumbled upon a bag of noodles completely submersed in water.  The label said “Shirataki Noodles” and I found it odd that these noodles were packaged in water, but in curiosity I turn the bag over to look at the nutritional menu.

This is what I read,

Fat: 0 grams

Protein: 0 grams

Carbohydrates: 3 grams

• Soluble Fiber: 3 grams
• Insoluble Fiber: 0 grams
• Sugar: 0 grams

Main Ingredient: Konjac Glucomannan

My first reaction was “Huh? A white noodle that not only has 3 grams of carbs, but those 3 grams were soluble fiber carbs?!”

It confused me, and intrigued me, so I bought a couple bags and as soon as I got home I popped open my Macbook to do some research on this mystery (well, mystery to me) noodle.

First of all, what intrigued me wasn’t the fact that it had only 3 grams of carbs, but that those carbs were soluble fiber carbs. You see studies have demonstrated that soluble fiber is important for three things,

1. Helps regulate blood sugar by slowing down stomach emptying time so that sugar is released and absorbed at a much slower rate
2. It helps lower not only total cholesterol, but LDL cholesterol as well
3. It binds to fatty acids

An added bonus is that it’s gluten-free so it’s an awesome choice for people needing to cut out gluten from their diet.

So in a nutshell it’s practically the perfect starchy carb option for a low-carb, gluten-free diet.  But what the heck is it really?

Well, “Shirataki Noodles” turns out to be a noodle made from the Asian konjac yam, consisting of a highly soluble fiber called “glucomannan”, which is responsible for the benefits I stated above.

So is there a catch?

Not really, except for maybe the fact that I only discovered this awesome starchy carb alternative less than a year ago, and others have been reaping the fat loss benefits of adding this into their weekly menus.

So how does this low carb noodle help you burn more fat?

The type of fiber, glucomannan, in shirataki noodles basically expands in the stomach and absorbs fat in the process.  Because of this process the absorbed fats don’t go through the normal digestive process and are simply eliminated from the body, well, through elimination

Along with absorbing fats and negating their caloric value, the expanding that glucomannan does in your stomach creates a feeling of fullness, which then suppresses appetite.

Both of these processes ultimately slows down the absorption of sugar in your blood stream, even if you ate starchy carbs along with the shirataki noodles.

But does it taste good?

I have to admit that the liquid it’s packaged in has a strong fishy odor, and I’ve found the best thing to do is rinse these noodles first in a colander in warm water for up to two minutes.  They’re supposedly ready to eat right out of the bag, but I prefer to cook them up in stir frys.

The texture is very gummy compared to Udon noodles, and I love Udon noodles.  It’s practically flavorless, however I noticed these noodles absorb the flavors of whatever spices or stir fry sauces you use to cook them in.

Here’s a stir fry recipe that I really like, because it’s simple, quick, and takes only a few Trader Joe’s ingredients (I do majority of my grocery shopping at TJ’s)

GINGER SCALLION STIR FRY

• 1 package Trader Joe’s Asian Stir Fry Vegetable Mix
• Trader Joe’s Ginger Scallion Stir Fry Sauce (2-3 tablespoons)
• 6-8 oz of cubed chicken or thin sliced beef (whatever you prefer)
• 1-2 cups shirataki noodles, rinsed well, and drained

How to make it

1. Coat a wok pan lightly with canola oil and place on medium high or high heat
2. When the oil is shimmering throw in your choice of meat and brown
3. Then add the vegetable mix, noodles, and stir fry sauce, and keep stirring to coat the noodles with the sauce  (about 1-2 minutes)
4. Serve and enjoy!

This next one is one of my wife’s favorite recipes with shirataki noodles.

SEARED TUNA STEAK ON NOODLES

• Season a tuna steak with salt and pepper
• Sear on high heat on both sides to desired wellness.
• Meanwhile, stir-fry a packet of shirataki noodles with a splash of rice wine and soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil.
• Place noodles on a plate, top with the tuna steak, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds – Enjoy!

Ok, so there you have it, two easy recipes with a low-carb noodle source to help you on your way to burning more belly fat on a low-carb diet.

You can find more shirataki noodle recipes at http://shirataki-noodles.recipesilove.com and http://www.miraclenoodle.com/recipes-preparation.html

If you’re already a big fan of shirataki noodles and have some awesome recipes to share, please share in the comment section.  I’d love to give them a try!

Thanks!

- Rommel Acda, MATS, CSCS