Diet Vitals

Here are some answer and question from different kind of people about dietary vitals.

Diet Sugar

Q: I am dieting and I want to lose some weight; I drink tea two times a day. Can I use diet sugar in place of white sugar. Currently I am using 1/2tsp honey in one cup of tea. I cannot give up tea. So please suggest some alternatives for diet sugar. Jennifer Lopez.

A: If you are taking 1/2 teaspoon honey two times a day, you will be consuming 22 kilo calorie that the body can burn without any difficulty and it would not make any considerable difference. In comparison to white sugar and sweeteners, it is healthier to use honey. Among artificial sweeteners, stevia is considered to be safer than others but there is a need of further research. There is some ongoing controversy over whether the use of artificial sweeteners poses health risks. I would suggest you to continue the use of honey. But in case you want to switch to a sweetener, stevia is the best option.

Fish Risks

Q: I’ve heard that sometimes eating fish is harmful. What are the risks associated with eating fish? Angelina jolie

A: Contamination of fish with mercury(the chemical element of atomic number 80,a heavy silvery-white liquid metal used in some thermometers and barometers) is a health issue of great concern. Research findings suggests that modest consumption of fish e.g. 7-10 ounces per week can chronically expose a person to low levels of mercury. But interestingly, there are different forms of mercury which may affect the health differently. For example, mercury from fish is found in a form that is absorbed readily. Although we cannot control the type of mercury found in fish, we can help our body detoxify (abstain or help to abstain from drink and drugs until the bloodstream is free of toxins) the potent forms of mercury. Glutathione (comes from glutamate meaning is a salt or ester of glutamic acid or monosodium gultamate ) peroxidase (GPO) is an enzyme that detoxifies mercury in our body. To have plenty of GPO, we need to have a healthy and balanced diet and in addition a good supply of selenium, because it is needed for the proper functioning of GPO. Sources of selenium include cod, shrimp, snapper, tuna, halibut, and salmon.



Eating Beans

(the edible sprouting seeds of certain beans):

Q: I experience flatulence after eating beans. Why do foods like beans give intestinal gas? Scarlett Johansson.

A: Flatulence (intestinal gas) can occur as a result of many combined factors and not just the food. Beans and other high fiber food can cause intestinal gas because they aren't easily broken down in the digestive tract. Under certain circumstances, high-fiber foods undergo extensive breakdown by bacteria in our digestive tract (mostly in the large intestine) and the result is flatulence. Oligosaccharides (a carbohdrate whose molecules are composed of a relatively small number of monosaccharide units) constitute part of the digestion-resistant substances in beans, and are broken down by the bacteria in large intestine to cause intestinal gas. Soaking beans before cooking them can help reduce the oligosaccharide levels in beans. It is recommended to discard the soaking water, and then refill the pot with fresh water before cooking. Cumin, fennel, and ginger are among the spices that are especially effective in preventing the formation of gas, adding them in beans may be helpful.

Ripe Papayas

of fruit or grain ready for harvesting and eating(of a cheese or wine) fully matured and a fruit shaped like an elongated melon,with edible orange flesh and small black seeds or the fast growning tree which bears papayas,native to warm regions of America (Carica papaya).

Q: I bought green papayas and tried to ripen them by spreading on a tray and leaving for a few days; occasionally turning them. They did ripen but were not of good quality. Can you please suggest other methods of ripening papayas? Ricky Ponting.

A: Another way to ripen papaya is to place them in a paper bag for 2-3 days. Keep the bag in a dark and cool place because excessive heat would cause the papaya to rot rather than ripen. Turn the papayas occasionally. The ethylene gas produced by the papaya would be collected in the bag. This ethylene gas helps papaya to ripen more quickly while the paper bag allows a healthy exchange of oxygen. Adding a banana an apple or an avocado to the bag would speed up the ripening process because they increase the amount of ethylene gas. After the papayas are ripe you can refrigerate till use. Never refrigerate the unripe papaya, if you want to ripe them later.

Polyphenols

Q: What are polyphenols? What foods contain them and how significant are they in terms of diet? Ricky Martin

A: Polyphenols are a group of chemical substances that are found in plants and are characterised by the presence of more than one phenol unit or building block per molecule. They are considered to be the most important group of nutrients because of their antioxidant,anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. Grains and beverages like tea and coffee provide high quantity of polyphenols. In the fruit group, dark plums, cherries, dark grapes, and apples are found to be the most concentrated sources of polyphenols followed by strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and cranberries. Among vegetables, rhubarb and red cabbage contain polyphenols.