Your Guide To Soluble Fiber Foods
Most people will not know that fiber actually comes in two forms, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber foods are perhaps the most valuable to individuals trying to lose weight as a result of a healthy diet because it simply passes straight through the body and takes waste with it. Soluble fiber foods have no calories and do not lose anything on its journey through your digestive system. Instead it serves a vital function in clearing your system out. Not only does it ensure that your system is cleaned on a regular basis, it also ensures that all nutrients are absorbed before being passed out of the body.
Not all foods with a measure of fiber can be classed as soluble fiber foods because the majority actually contain insoluble fiber too. However, there are a good number of soluble fiber foods out there for you to choose from if you so wish. They help to lower cholesterol, which may also help you to stay in good health in your later years; especially if you have had problems before.
The majority of people that have digestive problems actually have them as a result of insufficient fiber in an individual’s diet for a number of years to begin with. It can be something as simple as constipation or diarrhea, but can also be as serious as colon cancer or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS can be worse for a sufferer if he or she has stress from time to time but it can be helped in general by consuming soluble fiber foods because they can actually make the digestive system more regular. IBS does not have to rule your life and soluble fiber foods can seriously help to prevent that situation from happening in the first place.
You can usually find soluble fiber foods with ease because it does not take much effort to locate them when you find out what they are. The main problem for individuals is finding out what soluble fiber foods are and differentiating them from insoluble fiber foods. Green vegetables and cereals like bran are not soluble fiber foods, which may surprise those that think they are in the know about fiber. They should be incorporated into any good diet, but do not provide the right kind of fiber to help those in ill health. Instead, that falls to whole grains, some fruits and vegetables and nuts. You should combine the two for the best possible results though because you will then fulfill your requirements and enjoy your good health ion years to come!
Lasagne with Nadia Sawalha
Autumn’s here and winter is following close behind. With shorter days and colder nights, we’ll all be reaching for heartier, stick-to-your-ribs fare: stews; lasagnes; curries; and pies (eaten with any one of the many Heinz sauces). A tin of Heinz baked beans over buttered toast might be fine at other times, but Keats’s ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ calls for something more substantial.
One popular cold-weather dish is lasagne, and nearly every cook has a favourite lasagne recipe, from the basic to the adventurous. However, the main ingredients hardly ever change: mince, a tomato-based sauce of some sort, lasagne noodles, and cheese. So saying, vegetarians will no doubt omit the mince.
Lasagne is one of those dishes that taste even better when reheated, after the flavours have melded together. It is also one of those dishes to which cooks can add their own personal touches to the recipe to make it uniquely their own. Some cooks add sliced courgettes, and some add spinach. If you think of Heinz 57 varieties, think lasagne 57 varieties. To that, we can now add lasagne variety number 58: Nadia Sawalha’slasagne recipe as seen online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHZ80PYzbH8.
Nadia’s lasagne recipe is chock-full of additional ingredients, to include mushrooms, chopped green peppers, Lea &Perrins sauce, and red wine. Red wine will impart a rich and more robust flavour to any red-meat dish. Her secret ingredient, however, is … surprise, surprise … Heinz tomato ketchup! The ketchup might very well add an extra layer of complexity to the dish, and might help to cut the acidity of fresh or tinned tomatoes.
Heinz tomato ketchup does add to the flavour of many cooked dishes, not just lasagne; one particular cook browns her herb-seasoned mini meatballs in olive oil then tosses them in a sauce made from Heinz tomato ketchup and light soy sauce. The meatballs take on a delicious piquancy, with a nuanced sweet and sour taste. They always go down a treat. Perhaps Nadia Sawalha’slasagne, with its now not-so-secret ingredient of Heinz tomato ketchup, will go down a treat. Bon appétit!
The Truth about MSG
“One food ingredient that is commonly on the receiving end of bad press is monosodium glutamate, or MSG. However this is unfounded. Monosodium glutamate can be safely used to add flavour and appeal to foods, and even to reduce sodium levels in foods.” –European Food Information Council
Monosodium glutamate also known as sodium glutamate or MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid which is one of the natural non-essential amino acids found in many types of high protein foods. Meat, fish, dairy and vegetables are a few examples. Aside from these, glutamate is naturally produced by the human body because it is essential for body functions.
MSG has been considered a “flavor enhancer” or food additive which gives what we eat a more attractive taste. It is often added to commercially sold spice mixes, canned or dry soups, salad dressings, frozen foods and most processed foods in general. This ingredient has the ability to add a broth like or meaty taste to dishes. Processed sodium glutamate has the same qualities as those found in natural sources such as mushrooms and tomatoes which contain high levels.
Studies show that the human body cannot differentiate between glutamate naturally found in foods and in MSG. Even new age technology cannot separate them. For example if you make a casserole with cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms, you cannot tell whether the glutamate came from either of the ingredients or MSG. They are digested in the same way and found important for the proper functions of the digestive system.
For over a hundred years sodium glutamate (MSG) has been used to flavor food. Unfortunately, due to misconceptions, there have been many issues or concerns about its use. After thorough testing and studies, its safety has been assured by many food and health organizations such as the JECFA, the scientific advisory body of the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Union (E621) and Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
With these taken in consideration, we are assured that it is an acceptable food additive. It is safe for adults and children, since metabolism is the same regardless of the age. Instead of seeing the so called bad effects and listening to theories, it is suggested to keep an open mind. The added taste and distinct flavor it adds to food is definitely worth a try.