Plant
Chow mein noodles
USDA description: Noodles, chow mein
How chow mein noodles scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.
Food Index score
Chow mein noodlesGood
| Starting score | 100 |
| Calorie Density | -10 |
| Saturated Fat | -7.4 |
| Sodium | -4.3 |
| Nutrient Gaps | -4 |
| Fiber | +1.2 |
| Purine Load | -0.8 |
| 2 smaller factors | +0.7 |
| Final score | 75 |
Chow mein noodles scores 75 out of 100 and sits in the good band. Generally ranks well. Most people with gout find it fits into a regular eating pattern.
Penalties took 26.5 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 1.9 back. Every factor is listed in full below.
Scores run 0–100, where higher means more gout-friendly on average. They reflect relative ranking across foods, not a personal risk level. The same food can suit one person and not another, so use the score as a starting point for a conversation with your clinician.
The underlying data
Nutrition and portions
Nutrition Facts
- Total Fat31.7 g
- Saturated Fat4.9 g
- Sodium378 mg
- Dietary Fiber1.9 g
- Total Sugars0.25 g
- Protein10.3 g
- Calcium21 mg
- Iron1.8 mg
- Magnesium21 mg
- Vitamin C0 mg
- Folate17 ug
- Water4.9 g
- Alcohol0 g
- Omega-3 EPA0 g
- Omega-3 DHA0 g
Common portions
- 1 cuptypical56 g
- Quantity not specified56 g
Where the purine figure comes from
No direct purine measurement has been published for this food, so the score uses the measured median for its category (crackers).
We rate this a good confidence estimate.
How purines affect the score →Nutrition values from the USDA FoodData Central database.
Scoring rationale
Every factor, in full
Each row shows the points a factor moved, what drove it, and the studies behind its weight.
- -10Long-term
Calorie DensityLong-term
521 kcal per 100 g, above the 80 kcal energy-density threshold.
Evidence: Aune D 2014, Eur J Nutr
- -7.4Long-term
Saturated FatLong-term
4.93 g of saturated fat per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Yokose C 2021, Curr Opin Rheumatol
- -4.3Long-term
SodiumLong-term
378 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: FitzGerald JD 2020, Arthritis Care Res
- -4Long-term
Nutrient GapsLong-term
Provides meaningful amounts of only 3 of the 5 protective nutrient groups (vitamin C, fiber, omega-3, magnesium and folate).
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Zhang M 2019, Arthritis Rheumatol
- +1.2Long-term
FiberLong-term
1.9 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol
- -0.8Flare risk
Purine LoadFlare risk
15 mg of purines per 100 g, weighted 0.45x as a plant source and 1.0x for the typical portion: 7 mg effective.
Evidence: Choi HK 2004, N Engl J Med · Kaneko K 2014, Biol Pharm Bull · Zhang Y 2012, Ann Rheum Dis
- +0.5Long-term
MagnesiumLong-term
21 mg of magnesium per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
- +0.2Long-term
FolateLong-term
17 µg of folate per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Lyu LC 2017, Am J Clin Nutr
Keep looking
Similar foods in crackers
Common questions
About chow mein noodles
Look up any food's Food Index score
Each score lists the factors that moved it, the portion it assumes, and the studies behind each factor's weight.