Culinary, cooking, food and restaurant

~ February 2009 No.223 ~

Salt has been added to foods for centuries – first as a preserving agent and then to add flavour. Many spoilage organisms have a low tolerance to salt, so using salt to preserve fish, meat and many canned goods is very common. Salt is the crystalline cube shaped product of two very toxic chemicals – sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl). Salt can come from mines or it can be produced by evaporating ocean water. In some countries iodine is added to table salt as away of preventing goiters that are caused by iodine deficiency. It is generally recognized that the majority of sodium chloride consumed is derived from amounts added during food processing and preparation, including in home preparation.

Salting Food

Health officials for some time have warned about the adverse effects of consuming too much salt. The most common link of salt to health is its apparent effect on blood pressure. An excessive intake of salt is believed to be related to the development of hypertension; the additional salt causes an increase in the blood plasma volume and a rise in blood pressure.

In some jurisdictions, salt has become the new target, especially when studies compare actual salt intake to recommended or suggested intakes. However, in Canada there appears to be some doubt. An article published in the Canadian Medical Association journal that reviewed all of the published data related to dietary salt and hypertension came to the following conclusions:

• Restriction of salt intake for the normotensive population is not recommended at present, because of insufficient evidence demonstrating that this would lead to a reduced incidence of hypertension
• To avoid excessive intake of salt, people should be counselled to choose foods low in salt (e.g., fresh fruits and vegetables), to avoid foods high in salt (e.g., pre-prepared foods), to refrain from adding salt at the table and minimize the amount of salt used in cooking, and to increase awareness of the salt content of food choices in restaurants.
• For hypertensive patients, particularly those over the age of 44 years, it is recommended that the intake of dietary sodium be moderately restricted, to a target range of 90-130 mmol per day (which corresponds to 3-7 g of salt per day).

It must be admitted that for some people, reduction of salt may beneficial. But for many who have normal blood pressures, there may not be any effect on blood pressure.

Read more Fodor JG, Whitmore B, Leenen F, Larochelle P Lifestyle modifications to prevent and control hypertension. 5. Recommendations on dietary salt. Canadian Hypertension Society, Canadian Coalition for High Blood Pressure Prevention and Control, Laboratory Centre for Disease Control at Health Canada, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 1999 May 4;160(9 Suppl):S29-34

Other articles on diet §

~ March 2009 No.224 ~

Vitamin D has recently been getting much attention as data is showing that this fat soluble vitamin may be involved in a variety of disease processes. An adequate supply of vitamin D is necessary for good bone development. People who are low in vitamin D may have increased risk of hypertension, diabetes and some (colorectal, breast, prostate) cancers; autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, or rheumatoid arthritis may also have a vitamin D component

The Dietary Reference Intakes on the Health Canada website recommends between 200 and 2000 IU/day. However, as a result of the recent studies on vitamin D status and health, nutritionists are starting to encourage intakes at the higher intake range. Vitamin D can build up to toxic levels in the body, so some caution is needed

Synthesis in the skin involves UVB radiation that converts 7-dehydrocholesterol to pre-vitamin D3. In the body, pre-vitamin D3 metabolised to 25-hydroxycholecalciferol or 25(OH)D3. The two most important factors that govern the generation of pre-vitamin D3 are the quantity (intensity) and quality (appropriate wavelength) of the UVB irradiation. The pigmentaton in your skin also affects the amount of Viamin D you can produce; people with light skin are able to absorb more Vitamin D producing sunlight, and therefore can produce more natural Vitamin D.

People who live in the northern latitudes, where the hours of sunlight are reduced in the winter season, need to be aware that they may not be producing adequate Vitamin D via skin exposure. Also, people who follow customs that require the covering of the entire body need to be aware that that their natural production of Vitamin D will be compromised.

There is no risk of producing an overdose of vitamin D by exposure to sunlight because the skin’s capacity to produce vitamin D is self-limiting – production stops when sufficient is produced.

Although some foods such as milk now contain added Vitamin D, there is mounting evidence that we require even higher levels to prevent a variety of diseases. In many cases, family doctors are recommending supplements to increase the intake of this important vitamin. But remember, Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin – it needs fat to be absorbed. Take your Vitamin D supplement with your meal.

1. Reference
2. Health Canada Vitamin D Dietary Reference Intake¹.

Other articles on vitamins §

~ April 2009 No.225 ~

The grocery store shelves are constantly being filled by new and different food products. Each year hundreds of new foods appear and disappear as food manufacturers try to offer the consumer a wider variety of food items. The trend to provide healthy foods adds to the number of new foods. Lately, pomegranate products have become more popular and visible, both on its own – as a juice – and as an ingredient in many other drink and foods.

De-Seed a
Pomergranate⁴

The pomegranate with the Latin name Punica Granatum has a long history. It is a plant that is native from Iran to the Himalayas and Northern India and today is cultivated in Middle East, southern Europe and California. Biblical scholars have suggested that it wasn’t with an apple that Eve tempted Adam, but was probably with a pomegranate. Perhaps, Eve was worried about Adam’s health.

So why are pomegranate products good to consume? Besides being relatively high in potassium, calcium, folate and vitamin K, pomegranate juice is also considered a good source of vitamin C. The vitamin C, plus other compounds found in pomegranate, are anti-oxidants. Together they give pomegranate antioxidant power that may be higher than blueberries, cranberries and red wine.

There is a great deal of interest in antioxidants, and consumers are being encouraged to include more sources of antioxidants in their diets. Research on the antioxidant properties of pomegranate and their potential effects on health is just beginning, but there are already encouraging findings that indicate the consumption of pomegranante juice may be useful to prevent LDL (so called “bad”) cholesterol from oxidizing, to improve the amount of oxygen getting to the heart muscle of patients with coronary heart disease, and to delay the development of certain tumours.

Foods that are good for health is a fast growing market sector and new products with new ingredients are appearing every day. Pomegranate joins this growing list; either alone or as an ingredient pomegranate juice will become more prominent in the grocery store shelves.

1. Further reading
2. Growing pomegranate -Purdue University².
3. Pomegranate recipes³.
4. Pomegranate Juice May Slow Prostate Cancer⁵.

Other articles on antioxidant §

~ May 2009 No.226 ~

Walking down the vitamin / supplement aisle in the drug store is getting more and more challenging. Besides the traditional bottles of multi-vitamins, there are a myriad of new products, some familiar, some not. The arrival of these products in the stores often follows scientific studies that report new and exciting benefits for bioactive ingredients.

Glutathione has been known as an important cellular metabolite for some time; there is science to support this. But for the consumer, the most important question is how to increase the body’s glutathione levels.

At the cellular level in all tissues, glutathione acts as an antioxidant that helps defend cells from a variety of metabolic and environmental insults. It also plays an important part in gene expression, apoptosis or programmed cell death, and cell proliferation. Its pivotal role in cell metabolism, reproduction and health is demonstrated by the fact that glutathione has been implicated in a variety of pathological conditions including diabetes, cancer, AIDS, neurodegenerative and liver diseases.

Many people are therefore interested in increasing their glutathione levels. Taking a supplement containing glutathione appears to be a simple way of doing that. However, studies have shown that glutathione levels cannot be increased to a clinically beneficial extent by orally ingesting a single dose of glutathione. This is because glutathione is manufactured inside the cell, from several building block amino acids – glycine, glutamate and cystine. Cystine, in particular, is an important amino acid, because it is one of the few amino acids that contains an atom of sulfur. It is the SH in the glutathione molecule that gives glutathione its protective properties.

Consuming foods rich in sulphur-containing amino acids can help boost glutathione levels. Raw eggs, garlic and fresh unprocessed meats contain high levels of sulphur-containing amino acids and help to maintain optimal glutathione levels

1. Further reading
2. wikipedia¹.
3. Grapes turned on glutathione-regulating genes in the heart².
4. 3D Molecular Model³.

Other articles on antioxidant §

~ May 2009 No.227 ~

Wheat is the main ingredient in a wide variety of foods including bread, pasta, noodles and breakfast cereals. Even though many grain products have “whole wheat” on the package, you may not be getting what you think. Milling processes and the improper use of the term “whole???? still cause much confusion.

Parts of the Kernel¹

A kernel of wheat contains three distinct parts – the outer bran layer which surrounds the endosperm and finally the germ. In many milling processes, only the endosperm is used to produce white flour. The bran is included in whole wheat flour, but often is removed to be added to animal and poultry feeds. The germ is often removed because of it contains fat; wheat germ is sold separately. To truly be “whole wheat”, the flour should contain endosperm, bran and germ in the same proportions that they are found in the raw grain. Because many whole wheat products on the market do not in fact contain wheat flour with the proper proportions of endosperm, germ and bran, the term “whole grain” has become more acceptable. The composition of whole grain flour and the raw grain are the same.

The endosperm, germ and bran in wheat are rich sources of a variety of nutrients. Wheat bran is a good source of dietary fibre in the form of cellulose. Fibre adds bulk to the diet, and contributes to gut health and regularity.

1. Reference
2. Canadian International Grains Institute².
3. Wheat Foods Council³.

Other articles on grain §