Wise Diet

Moisture Content Evaluation of Food Products

2010-02-18T22:27:00.000-08:00

Moisture content of food products is essential to be scientifically determined mainly for the following reasons:

Food quality – the extent of moisture is one of the major contributory factors to foods’ desirability and acceptability.
In terms of deterioration, the shelf life is highly dependent on the amount of moisture, hence the necessity of ensuring adequate percentage of moisture in various foods.

Microbial durability – presence of sufficient water in food is one of the main growth factors for harmful micro-organisms to survive.
Many types of foods may be dried to be protected against microbial development and preserved for longer safely. The level of water is initially determined which can be subsequently used for dehydrating foods to specific point (less than the critical moisture content).

Food legislation – there are some certain regulations in relation to the permitted amount of water in specific types of foods which must be complied with by manufacturers.

Food processing – moisture evaluation of foods is usually required to obtain scientific information about the food characteristics and its reactions during various processing e.g. freezing, modified atmosphere packaging, heat treatment, filling, etc.

For more please visit: Moisture Content Evaluation of Food Products

Health Benefits of Cranberry Juice

2010-02-06T06:55:00.000-08:00

Cranberries are commonly manufactured into juice products and to some extent processed for making cranberry sauce ranges. In addition to their pleasant flavor to many people, they can provide a number of health benefits when ingested in the body.

Cranberries contain considerable amount of vitamins, fibers, minerals and essential nutrients with their effective properties.

Antioxidants are chemical molecules which are able to be oxidized in reactions and therefore disabling the oxidation of any other molecules in the body which are liable to be oxidized with consequent production of free radicals involved in chain reactions and finally potential danger of damaging cells.
Phytochemicals and polyphenol antioxidants constitute a significant percentage in cranberries which are able to protect the body against heart disease and cancer in addition to supporting the immune system.

The major compounds of cranberries including flavonoids, anthocyanidin, peonidin and cyanidin have been reported to be protective using their anti-carcinogenic functions.

For more please visit: Health Benefits of Cranberry Juice

Functions of Dietary Fibre

2010-01-12T04:32:00.000-08:00

Dietary fiber (generally known as roughage) is basically derived from plants including various vegetables and fruits which are not digestible in human body. It is classified as soluble or insoluble fiber.

The soluble fiber with high viscosity and prebiotic properties; is able to undergo fermentation process in the colon (of large intestine) producing gases and some active substances.
The insoluble fiber has inactive chemical characteristics while having the ability of water absorption during the digestion process and enabling easier elimination of fecal matters from the body.

Chemical structure of dietary fiber is made up non-starch polysaccharide including cellulose, inulin, lignin, chitins, pectins and oligosaccharide, etc.
Relatively all plants contain both soluble and insoluble fibers with different proportions; depending on various types of plants, each kind of fiber accounts for some specific amount.

For more please read: Functions of Dietary Fiber

Essential Fatty Acids

2009-12-31T10:39:00.000-08:00

Most fatty acids can be naturally produced in the normal mechanism of human body; the body is capable of producing monounsaturated fatty acids (using a double bond at the point of omega-9) and saturated fatty acids.

However there is no synthetic system for making two essential fatty acids including linoleic acids (18 carbon atoms and two double bonds) and alpha-linolenic acid (18 carbons with 3 double bonds), thus the necessity of incorporating these compounds to diet on a daily basis.

Essential fatty acids or “EFAs” are polyunsaturated fatty acids categorized in omega-6 (n—6) and omega-3 (n—3)fatty acids; depending on the type of oils containing various classification of polyunsaturated fatty acids with different percentage.

The body is unable to provide the required enzyme to introduce a double bond at the omega-6 and omega-3 places; although the body may enable conditions for conversion of e.g. one omega-3 to some other omega-3, but unable to construct one n—3 from n—6 or from saturated fatty acids.

To read more follow Essential Fatty Acids

Chemical Evaluation of Saturated Fats and Unsaturated Oils

2009-12-15T07:58:00.000-08:00

Fats and oils are in the category of lipids containing coarsely hydrophobic molecules (repellent from the water). They are believed to have some biological characteristics including energy saving and some chemical functions of plasma membrane.

Production of fats and oils involves reaction of three ester molecules (reactants of alcohol and acid) known as triglyceride; hydrolyzed with water to produce fatty acids and glycerol. Fatty acids maybe present in the esterification reaction or extracted from vegetable oils or animal fats.

Chemical structure of fatty acids is identified by carbon chains which are generally quantified from four to 28 carbons (even numbers of un-branched tail of carbons). Fatty acids are classified as either saturated or unsaturated forms.

Saturated fatty acids

Saturated fatty acids comprise carboxylic acids within a long chain (12 to 24 carbons) with no double bond structure; therefore they can be easily saturated with hydrogen atoms. Saturated fats are basically solid at ambient temperature and have more stability in terms of their resistance to oxygenation (rancidity).
Saturated fat content products have been widely used in food industry derived from various sources:

Read More Chemical Evaluation of Saturated Fats and Unsaturated Oils

Safety Assessment of Sugar Substitutes

2009-12-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

There have been extensive research on low calories sugar substitutes followed by meticulous inspections and law enforcements by official authorities in food industry. This is mainly due to achieving safety measures of sweetener content products rather than taste desirability and quality.
Any low-calorie sweetener present in food products is legally obligated to be stated in ingredients on the packages.

Analysis of the acceptable daily intake i.e. ADI must be carried out within adequate parameter before being legally permitted to process and manufacture. It is specified as milligrams per kg of body weight that can be safely followed for daily consumption.
The acceptable daily intake of each sweetener is evaluated cautiously to the extent that it is dramatically less than the safe portion for animals (resulting from laboratory animal experiments).

Basically the Food and Drug Administration is in charge of controlling the acceptable daily intake in the US while international authorization of the ADI is in association with distinguished organizations including the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the results of many scientific experiments, commonly used sugar substitutes do not have any connection with risk of cancer. The following outlines the safety aspects studied on certain low-calorie sweeteners:
Saccharin

In 1977, using saccharin was forbidden in Canada as a result of some studies carried out in laboratory on experimental rats; increasing risk of bladder cancers caused by saccharin precipitation. In the USA the manufacturers were legally obligated to label a warning (that saccharin may develop the risk of cancer in laboratory animal) on the packages of the Saccharin- content products.

For more please visit: Safety Assessment of Sugar Substitutes

Microbiology Analysis of Drinking Water

2009-11-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

INTRODUCTION

Drinking water supplies are prone to contamination with sewage or other excreted matter may cause outbreaks of intestinal infections such as typhoid fever.

Monitoring and detection of indicator and disease-causing micro-organisms are a major part of sanitary microbiology. By chlorinating drinking water supplies, control of most major disease-causing bacteria can be obtained.
The major concern is about the inability to consistently remove viruses and protozoa and to achieve quality standards for these micro-organisms.

Bacteriological tests must be performed constantly to ensure that drinking water supplies are safe for human consumption.
Primarily contamination of water with human faecal wastes would result in viral, bacterial, and protozoan diseases. Although many of these pathogens can be detected directly, environmental microbiologists have generally used indicator organisms as an index of possible water contamination by human pathogens.

Researchers are still trying to establish the ideal indicator organism to use in sanitary microbiology.

For more please visit: Microbiology Analysis of Drinking Water

Sugar Substitutes

2009-11-24T06:37:00.000-08:00

Sugar SubstitutesIn the ancient times honey was believed to be the first sweetener used especially in some countries like China and Greece. Sugar cane then became popular from which saccharose was extracted and widely consumed by people worldwide as a regular sugar.

These days that obesity has become a great concern mostly among people of developed countries, the extent of added sugar in a wide range of food products plays an important role in raising calorie and subsequently increasing body weight. As a result, food and drug industries were encouraged to develop sugar substitute profitably.

Generally a food additive that has similar characteristic like sugar in terms of flavour would be considered as a sugar substitute. It is either natural or synthetic.
The latter is usually known as artificial sweetener and it has the advantage of having dramatically less contributing calorie in addition to the benefit that only minute amounts are required to be added to food due to its tremendous sweet flavour compared to sucrose (a disaccharide made up of glucose and fructose). These low calorie sweeteners are said to have no nutrition value and sometimes classified as non-nutritive sweeteners.

Permitted sugar substitutes for food application mostly involve chemical compounds which are artificially synthesized. However, natural sugar substitutes are regularly used comprising sorbitol and xylitol; present in berries, fruit and vegetables which are obtained by catalytic hydrogenation of reducing sugar.

To read more on the subject: Sugar Substitutes

Chemical detection of Aflatoxins in dairy products

2009-11-20T01:59:00.000-08:00

High performance liquid chromatography

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a widely used analytical technique. It allows samples to be separated and their components determined.

The basic principle of HPLC is passing a sample through a column packed with tiny particles (usually less than 10um diameter) and applying high pressure to increase the resolution and speed of the technique.

There is solvent constantly flowing through the system. This solvent is called mobile phase. To ensure the solvent is constantly moving through the system a pump is employed. This gives the required pressure to allow mobile phase and sample to move through the column with ease and speed. The sample is injected into the mobile phase so it can proceed directly to the column. The sample comes out from the column (elutes) and proceeds to the detector. This monitors the refractive index difference between the pure mobile phase entering the column and the column elute.

The signal from the detector is sent to a data recorder. This measures the time of each component (retention time) and the size of the signal (peak area).
By injecting a known standard a retention time and peak area are achieved. If an unknown sample is then injected and peak obtained at the same retention time.
The peak area can be used to calculate the amount of standard material in the unknown by proportion.

For more Chemical detection of Aflatoxins in dairy products

Chemical Analysis of Sodium Chloride

2009-11-17T05:49:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Sodium Chloride determination

Evaluation of salt concentration (sodium chloride) present in foodstuffs is very important mainly for the reason of preservation and taste of the food products.
Total chloride in the food is usually determined and can be presented as sodium chloride content.
Insignificant components of foods may also provide chloride ions but those food products to which salt is added are essentially analysed for sodium chloride content.

Salt content of the food may be analytically determined in one of the following ways:

1. Chemical techniques

Titrimetric methods are the most widely used for salt determination and are usually based on the following methods:

- Titration Mohr method

The Mohr method uses chromate ions as an indicator in the titration of chloride ions with a silver nitrate standard solution. Following the precipitation of the whole amount of chloride (usually as white silver chloride) the first excess of titrant results in the production of a silver chromate precipitate, that indicates the end point.

For more please visit: Chemical Analysis of Sodium Choloride

Microscopic and Macroscopic Identification of Moulds in foods

2009-11-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

Like bacteria, moulds play an important role in foods. They can usually be seen by the naked eye (unlike bacteria). They are multi-cellular, consist of many cells connected with together.

Moulds are saprophytes and break down complex organic materials into simpler substance. This can encourage the decay of rotting matter. In this way moulds contribute to food spoilage, i.e. the visible decay of foods that occurs after ripening or damage but which is itself does not normally lead to food poisoning.

Basically most foods can be affected by moulds. Their presence will be apparent when they start to produce blue/green ‘fur’ or orange spots on foods.

Sometimes mould growth is useful, for example they can help ripening process in some certain cheeses. Examples of product in which moulds are used are Brie and Camembert which have a white mould on the outside; Danish Blue and Stilton have blue moulds through them.
Microscopic & Macroscopic Moulds

Concept of Organic Foods

2009-11-09T03:14:00.000-08:00

Introduction
Organic food from consumer point of view is a food which has been produced to certain standard level to be acceptable and considered as “natural” food.

Legally, it is not allowed to use any chemical materials such as conventional non-organic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides (with strict regulations a few of them may be allowed with strict regulations).

In contrast to conventionally treated livestock, it is forbidden to use antibiotics and hormones in animal feeds when organic method is followed.

Animals have to be kept in specific environments; for instance chickens should be left to feed and walk freely and have access to sunlight.

In order to comply with the Food Standard Regulations, organic foods are required to be labeled as “Organic”, “100% organic” or “made with organic ingredients” on the packages. This would also provide reliability for the customers who would like to rely on the accuracy of these products.

When a food product claims as “100% organic”, it means that the whole content of the package is completely organic and every legal standard has been met to produce this product organically.

Read More -> Concept of Organic Foods

Hazard Analysis of vegetable-based food products

2009-11-08T10:02:00.000-08:00

Potential Hazards associated with handling and processing vegetables

Fresh Vegetables

Vegetables and herbs are grown close to the soil. Food spoilage is often caused by micro-organisms native to that environment, i.e. moulds and yeasts, but bacteria such as the lactic acid types are also often involved.
Vegetables can also be contaminated by human handlers (most common type of organism is staphylococcus aureus).

Vegetables have a very large number of bacteria (500,000/g) naturally present on their skins. If the protective skin is damaged during harvesting or subsequent handling then the passage of micro-organisms from the skin into tissues is facilitated. Breakdown of the inner tissues is due to enzymes secreted by the micro-organisms which affects structure and flavour of vegetables.
Organisms which possess pectinase can soften plant tissue and cause them to rot. Many moulds can cause rotting/softening of vegetables. The main causative species of these rots are Penicillium Rhizopus and Mucor.

It must be remembered that any organic object left in the atmosphere will be covered in fungal spores, therefore vegetables and herbs will inevitably be contaminated at the time of harvest. If the skin is intact through this will prevent germination but even the smallest abrasion will allow the spores to enter the moist inner tissues and find ideal conditions for germination and cause spoilage.
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HACCP Procedure

2009-11-08T05:29:00.000-08:00

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a detailed procedure of food safety implemented by evaluation and control of chemical, microbiological, physical hazards during the whole processes of a food preparation and production from raw material handling to manufacturing and dispatch and distribution.

This systematic strategy is mainly on the basis of prevention and detection of potential food safety hazards rather than finished product audit. The Critical Control Points (CCPs) are basically carried out to decrease / eliminate the risk of the identified hazards.

HACCP system is compulsory for the production of Juice and seafood regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and also Meat production regulated by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). For other ranges of food production it is currently optional to perform HACCP program. Read more

Beneficial effects of probiotics and prebiotics

2009-11-02T05:35:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Probiotics

Large number of micro-organisms live on various sections of human body (skin, mouth and gastrointestinal tracts) that are exposed to the outside environment.
These are known as commensal microbes have associated with humans. They are greatly interdependent with them.

The highest concentration of commensal organisms believed to be in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that has above 400m2 surface area (this makes up the second largest surface area of the body).
The GI tract can harbour high extent of flora (>500 various bacterial species) among which some are beneficial, e.g. stimulating and supporting the host from invading bacteria and viruses and assisting digestion.

Tannock (1998) states that germ free animals are more sensitive to infection in comparison with their conventional counterparts.
This can be in relation to a low immune system and probably the lack of competitive colonization as Van dev Waaij et al. (1972) suggested.

Competitive colonization refers to interference of virulence by attacking pathogens by commensal microbes.
A research about germ free animals has implied that microbial colonization has essential (health) roles for humans.

However microbes may occasionally develop a pathogenic relationship with a host that can result in occurring disease or even death of the host.
Microbial metabolites may have mutagenic or carcinogenic activity. As a result cancer can develop during the long period of exposure.

Therefore understanding the influence of colonizing microbes in addition to learning desired factors to encourage the positive and inhibit the negative activities of commensal attacking microbes.

The probiotic abstraction has been an important issue. They are known as live micro-organisms involving a health influence on the host when consumed in adequate amount (Guarner and Schaafsma 1998).
In other words, Probiotics are the foods for the beneficial bacteria. They can be added to the diet to help the beneficial bacteria grow and survive the digestive mechanism.
Read more: Here

Factors involved in quality and nutritional value of fruits and vegetables during processing

2009-10-30T23:18:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Various parts of different plants can be used as fruits or vegetables for human consumption. They can be roots, tubers, bulbs, stems and shoots, flowers, leaves and fruits, or pods and seeds.

It is crucial to study and learn about the plant cell and compounds responsible for flavour, texture and colour to obtain reliable information about the effects of different treatments on these quality characteristics.

Structure of Plants:

Cells

Cell components are divided into two categories; protoplasmic and non-protoplasmic.

The protoplasm is the living active section of the cell and it contains certain components. The nucleus than controls the metabolic activities of the cell.

The cytoplasm is an undifferentiated constituent of the protoplasm surrounding the nucleus and creating a relatively thin layer inside the cell wall.
The plasma membrane (plasmalemma), is a thin membrane on the external surface of the cytoplasm. The plasmic membranes are permeable and can help separating and transporting metabolites and allow the enzymes to distribute regularly.

There are some arranged bodies within the cytoplasm called plastids which are classified in three groups; leucoplasts, chloroplasts and chromoplasts.
Leucoplasts are poor in pigmentation and are related to food storage. Many of them produce and store starch.
The chloroplasts are present in green plants containing chlorophyll.
Chromoplasts include xanthophylls or carotenes which are normally in orange or yellow colour. They appear in some vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes.

The non-protoplasmic components of the cell contain cavities called vacuoles incorporating cell sap. The cell sap is a watery material containing several substances like sugars, salts, organic acids, polysaccarides, phenolic derivatives, flavones and the red or blue pigments (anthocyanins). The substances in the cell sap are nutrients consumed by the protoplasm or metabolism products.
The liquid in the vacuole of the cell is accountable in terms of texture of fruits and vegetables.

Read More: Here

Inhibiting effects of fruits and vegetables on cancer and heart disease

2009-10-27T00:31:00.000-07:00

Aim

The purpose of this report is to analyse the role of fruits and vegetables in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Introduction

Recent studies have indicated strong relationship between fruit and vegetable consumptions and reduced risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.

A diet high in vegetables and fruits is believed to be associated with reducing the risk of cancer of the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, lung, colon, rectum and some other cancers.
However there is no specific reason or evidence to clarify the mechanism and also the results of various researches in the roles of fruit and vegetables do not all agree.

Nutritionists recommend the consumption of a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables per day (except for potatoes and other starchy tubers) for the prevention of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, in addition to the prevention and reduction of several micronutrient deficiencies, especially in less developed countries.

A number of scientific evidences have implied low fruit and vegetable intake is a major risk factor for several non-communicable diseases.
Increasing fruit and vegetable intake by as little as one serving per day can have a great influence on heart disease risk.

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is related to diseases of the heart and diseases of the blood vessel system (arteries, capillaries, veins) within a person's entire body, such as the brain, legs, and lungs. "Cardio" refers to the heart and "vascular" refers to the blood vessel system.

Fruits and vegetable intake and its association with the risk of cardiovascular disease
According to many studies, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. So it is crucial to control its condition. Diet can be a very important factor for lowering blood pressure. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension study indicated that there is a compelling relationship between diet and blood pressure (cited in Harvard School of Public Health 2005).

This trial analysed the influence on blood pressure of a diet that was significant in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and that inhibiting the extent of saturated and total fat.The researchers discovered that people with high blood pressure who adhered to this diet, their systolic blood pressure (the upper number of a blood pressure reading) by about 11 mm Hg and their diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) by virtually 6 mm Hg - as much as medications can effect.Furthermore, eating more fruits and vegetables can have a great effect on cholesterol.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Family Heart Study shows that men and women with the highest daily consumption (more than 4 servings a day) have a lower extent of LDL; low density lipoprotein (bad) cholesterol than those with lower consumption.

Cancer

Human body is composed of millions of tiny cells. Most of the cells divide and multiply occasionally; when an old cell is worn out or damaged, a new cell is formed to replace it.
Each cell contains genes (made from the DNA).The proteins inside the gene control when the cell is to divide and multiply. If the gene is damaged or modified (probably as a result of making too much or too little protein) the cell becomes abnormal.The abnormal cell can then divide and multiply without knowing the certain time to stop.A tumour is developed when a group of abnormal cells clump together.

There are two types of tumour: benign and malignant. Benign tumours are not carcenogenic and won’t attack or spread to other parts of the body.Malignant tumours are the real cancers. They can grow very fast, attack the adjacent tissues and organs which can result in serious damage. They may even spread to other parts of the body and cause secondary tumours (metastases).
However not all cancers create solid tumours- cancers of the blood, such as leukaemia, develop from abnormal blood cells, which then invade other parts of the body by circulating in the bloodstream.

Generally there are about 200 various types of cancer. Some of them are more dangerous than others, some are more readily treated, and others have better survival figures.Unfortunately, many people will be influenced by cancer at some point in lives. If they are diagnosed with cancer, the doctors require to identify what type of cancer they have and if it has spread, so that they can decide on the best period of treatment

Healthy Eating

Eat more fruits and vegetables – can offer an extensive range of vitamins and minerals and fibres required for body. Fruits and vegetables may prevent the risk of cancer probably due to containing anti-oxidant vitamins and minerals helping prevent the cells damage.

Eat more Fiber – is widely present in fruits an vegetables and wholemeal cereals. Some studies approve 20g per day consumption while some others don’t.

Reduce eating fat – The cancer Research UK (2003) discussed that greater fat intake can be related to slight increase of breast cancer. The study has also linked saturated fat and meat intake with slight but considerable increase of the risk.following low consumption, it is most recommended to eat mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats found in vegetables rather than saturated fats.

Cut down on sugar – There is no direct connection between sugar containing foods and breast cancer. However, excessive sugar intake may lead to putting on weight or sometimes contributing to obesity in which case there are some studies suggesting the link between obesity and breast cancer.

Cut down on salt – High salt consumption can result in high blood pressure.

Specific fruits and vegetables

Many researches imply specific fruits and vegetables may protect against certain types of cancer.

Fruits and vegetables contain a number of chemicals, such as the dithiolthiones and glucosinolates from cruciferous vegetables, which are believed to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and cancer occurrence in animals (Warren & Devine 2005).

The Harvard School of Public Health (2005) outlines the following categories of fruits and vegetables offering the most contribution against cardiovascular diseases:

Green leafy vegetables including lettuce, spinach, swiss chard and mustard greens, Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts.

Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit (and their juices) are said to be the most contributing factors against cardiovascular diseases.

It has been reported that broccoli and brussel sprouts and spinach are able to reduce the possibility of breast cancers. This hasn’t been statistically considerable, so reducing the reliability on the results (Warren & Devine 2005).
However a number of recently case-control studies have demonstrated inhibiting effect of carrots and spinach as well as species of broccoli (cruciferous) family against breast cancers. Some of these studies have also identified substantial effect of quantity consumed (eating more vegetables result in greater reductions in risk).

Furthermore, there is poor evidence that raw vegetables are likely to be more protective against the progression of breast and other cancers than cooked vegetables. This is probably due to some of the potentially protective chemicals present in vegetables which are damaged by heat process (Warren & Devine 2005).

Citrus fruits have also been studied separately. The obtained results of the concerned researches do not agree. Any relation between the influence of citrus fruits and reducing the risk of breast cancer is not definite.

Recent studies have shown that tomatoes or tomato-based products (especially cooked tomato products) are likely to reduce the risk / development of certain cancers such as prostate cancer.This is probably due to lycopene (One of the pigments that give tomatoes their red colour) which may be involved in this protective action.

Recommendation

A daily intake of at least 400g of vegetables and fruits (excluding starchy tubers such as potatoes) per person is recommended for the prevention of chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer and some other diseases including type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The National Cancer Institute approves a range of 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. It also recommends that young women should take 7 daily servings and young men should have 9 servings per day (Higdon et al. 2005).

Variety is as critical as the amount of fruit and vegetable consumption. It should be ensured that the diet includes dark-green leafy vegetables, yellow / orange / red fruits and vegetables, cooked tomatoes and also citrus fruits (Harvard School of Public and Health 2004).

The following are some general suggestions in relation to how conveniently fruits and vegetables can be used (Warren and Devine 2005):

Constantly preparing fruits and vegetables in refrigerator and use them as snacks.

Replacing dark green leafy vegetable with iceberg lettuce in salads or sandwiches.

Consuming sweet potato instead of a white potato.

Substituting fruit or vegetable juice for soda drinks.

Conclusion

Although the beneficial effects of fruits and vegetables against cancer and cardiovascular diseases are not considered so dramatic and the certain mechanism of fruit and vegetable actions in the body is not entirely clear, fruit and vegetable intake is still important and recommended to almost everyone.

Apart from desirability, eating various ranges of fruits and vegetables to an increased level can assist in maintaining the body healthy by receiving essential vitamins, minerals and fibres.
Furthermore, protective effect of fruits and vegetables on bone health has also been recently demonstrated (The greatness of this effect is still at the experimental stage).

In addition, increased amount of fruit and vegetable consumption is continuously recommended in order to discourage diabetes and prevent obesity, although fruits and vegetables are not directly involved in these.

Read more at LabReports.info

Low fat, meat based main meal products for children

2009-10-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

The issue of children’s eating habits and their effects on obesity is constantly researched and discussed by food scientists.A nutritionally well balanced diet develops growth and can also reduce / prevent the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and some types of cancer.

Low fat diet

High-fat diets are linked with increased hazard of several serious medical conditions consisting of obesity, cancer, and heart disease. As a result, current public health recommendations highlights the importance of reducing total fat consumption to no more than 30% of total calories, or 60 grams of fat per day in an 1800 calorie diet.

The type of fat is also very important. Saturated fats in foods such as meats products raise cholesterol more than unsaturated fats, which are found in olive, peanut, canola oil or polyunsaturated fats in safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean and cottonseed oils. Consumption of saturated fats to no more than 10% of daily calories is recommended.
Although cholesterol is important for rapid growth, children over age 2 should consume it in moderation.

Meat products provide protein, and vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, iron and zinc.

General recommendations to achieve a healthy diet in meat products are:

Basically one serving of meat per day is suitable for normal growth and development. It is suggested that serving meat more than twice a day is inappropriate / excessive.

Choices with the least fat include lean meat, poultry without skin, fish, and dry beans and peas.

Serving more fish and poultry and fewer red meats is recommended as red meats contain highest extent of cholesterol.

Serving bacon, sausages, spareribs, pastrami and some other high content fat meat products should be avoided / reduced.

It should be remembered that red meat has an important role in building muscle mass and strengthening.

If children’s favourite foods are high in fat, they should be taught to eat small portions and to balance the rest of the day’s food choices with lower fat items.

Recipe ideas for healthy / adequate diet especially aimed at eight year old child (F. Dibakhan 2004):

Beef with pasta and peas in tomato sauce; Minced beef 3 Tbsp, Pasta 1 cup, Peas 1/4 cup. This can be accompanied by one sliced pear and consumed at lunch time.

Steamed rice (1/2 cup) and roasted chicken (skinless) drumstick (1) is suitable as a main course and can be accompanied by 1 bowl of vegetable soup as starter and 1 sliced apple as dessert for a perfect/ healthy dinner.

Labelling / Nutrition information

The label must include information about saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, fibre, sugar, calories from fat, and other important information.

Health claims, such as "light" or "low fat," must meet strict legal requirements so that they are correct and consistent from one food to another.

A food claim is often made by the manufacturer on the front of the package - for instance, "fat free" or "no cholesterol."

Reduced fat has 25% less fat than the same regular brand.

Light means the product has 50% less fat than the same regular product.

Low fat means a product has less than 3 grams of fat per serving.

Even if a food is low in fat, the food may not necessarily be nutritious. Even a low-fat food may be high in sugar. Food manufacturers may also make claim such as no cholesterol (meaning there is no animal fat used in making the product), but that does not necessarily mean the product is really low in fat.

Discussion

It is unlikely to cause any harm to healthy adults eating a varied and well-balanced diet, assuming they eat appropriate level of essential fatty acids, especially the omega 3 fats.

However, children require extra fat to maintain normal growth and development. Therefore consuming dietary fat by infants and children less than two years old should not be restricted. Children over age 2 should consume fat moderately.

Conclusion

Although there have been developments of children food (including low fat meat-based meals) in food industry but still great deal of efforts and improvements should be made to help children grow best and protect them from potential diseases / hazards by creating and marketing healthy and safe foods with reasonably cheap price.

What is the Atkins diet?

2009-10-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate diet created by Dr. Robert Atkins resulting from his analysis to reduce his own weight.

The concept of Atkins is in relation to a high protein / low carbohydrate diet in order to lose a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time.

The diet is based on:

not consuming starchy foods such as bread, pasta, potatoes, cereal, any foods containing sugar, high sugar fruits and vegetables, and even fruit juices.
dieter is allowed no more than 30g carbohydrates a day; the equivalent of a few pieces of lettuce or less than one apple.
Atkins dieter is restricted to eat only meat and dairy products, including chicken, fish, and milk, and even bacon, eggs, cheese, and butter.

Principle:

There are two main ways:

The body goes into ketosis and burn the fat as energy (as it has no more carbohydrates). Ketosis is when there are no glycogene reserved in the liver so the body breaks down muscle mass in order to make energy.
Carbohydrates are digested quicker than protein and fat.

Advantages :

No restriction on fat and protein; the diet is based on high fat and protein food ranges which is generally desirable for many people to follow this range of foods with less/ no restriction.
Increased mental awareness; using high protein and low-carbohydrate foods usually creates more mental concentration and lighter stomach and also easier digestion for the people who have no intolerance to meat-based products.
Dieters usually experience Less / no feeling fatigue, irritability, depression, chronic headaches, and some forms of joint and muscle pain.

What is the Atkins Diet?