Tag: digestive

A bit about Buckwheat

Todays post is about Buckwheat. After sharing my Digestive Biscuit recipe and the reference to buckwheat being good for digestion, I thought that this topic should be next.

So, what is buckwheat?

The buckwheat plant was domesticated in north western China 3,000 years ago and despite the name, is not related to wheat in any way. Instead, buckwheat is actually related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb. Its seeds so closely resemble the much larger seeds of the beech tree that the plant has been called “beech wheat,” or buckwheat. It is actually a soft leaf, green plant with pretty white flowers.

Buckwheat is not classified as a ‘true’ grain, but rather a ‘pseudo-cereal’. Its nutritional profile, nutty flavour, appearance and culinary applications have led it to be commonly referred to as a grain.

It has many Health Benefits
  • It’s gluten free
  • High in protein (13-15%), second highest only to oats, and rich in the amino acid lysine.
  • Rich in polyunsaturated essential fatty acids, such as linoleic acid.
  • Contains vitamins B1, C, E and P as well as high levels of zinc, copper, and manganese.
  • High in soluble fibre.
  • A rich source of antioxidant compounds.
  • Contains rutin, a bioflavonoid that helps control blood pressure.
Beneficial to the Cardiovascular System

Diets that contain buckwheat have been linked to lowered risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The beneficial effects are due in part to its rich supply of flavonoids, particularly rutin.

Rutin protects against disease by extending the action of vitamin C and acting as antioxidants. This helps maintain blood flow and keep platelets from clotting excessively.

It’s also a good source of magnesium. Magnesium relaxes blood vessels, improving blood flow and nutrient delivery while lowering blood pressure—the perfect combination for a healthy cardiovascular system.

Supports digestive health

Buckwheat has high content of fibre, about six grams in every one cup serving. The fibre helps to fill you up, suppresses the appetite and lowers the chances of over eating. It also helps move food through the digestive tract. This type of insoluble fibrous food is essential for cleaning and strengthening intestines.

Buckwheat is also one of the foods to eat to heal and seal a leaky gut. This is because it is the world’s best source of vitamin P. It actually helps to increase collagen formation and increase intestinal resilience.

Main forms of buckwheat

As flour – it may be used to make gluten free crepes and pancakes. It is also used in conjunction with other flours to make muffins, rolls, bread and cookies. Also works well as a thickener for sauces, soups and casseroles.

Buckwheat groats – are dehulled buckwheat kernels. The groats are used in many dishes throughout the world. In Europe the toasted groats (Kasha) are used in dishes like pilafs.

Soba noodles – buckwheat flour is mixed with wheat flour to produce these Japanese noodles. The buckwheat flour content can range from 50% to 80% depending on the type of noodle produced.

With so many health benefits, it seems like a good idea to include buckwheat as a regular part of our diet.

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

Sources – Wikipedia – Worlds Healthiest Foods – Grains & legumes Nutrition Council, Aust – Foundation for Alternative and Integrative Medicine 

Cranberry & Choc chip Digestive Biscuits

Today I’m sharing a recipe for Digestive Biscuits with a twist, using Cranberries and Choc chips.

I recently saw a recipe for old-fashioned oat & spelt digestive biscuits and I thought I would make some. Previously I have written about the health benefits of oats, I also prefer not to use wheat in my baking if possible. So, in keeping with the idea of good ‘digestion’, I decided to use buckwheat flour.

Both oats & buckwheat are very beneficial for gut health.

I also decided to add a bit more texture and flavour to my biscuits with cranberries, dark choc chips and pepitas.

Cranberry & Choc chip Digestive Biscuits

Makes approx. 20 biscuits

Ingredients

150 g butter (soft)

70 g Coconut sugar

2 tbsp Maple syrup

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

180 g Oat flour

220 g Buckwheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 tbsp rolled oats

3 tbsp dried cranberries

2 tbsp pepitas

2 tbsp dark choc chips

 Method

Preheat your oven to 200’c and line 2 biscuit trays with baking paper.

* Mix the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer till creamy

* Add in the Maple syrup and the eggs, continuing to mix well, followed by the cinnamon, salt and baking powder.

* Add in the flours a spoonful at a time.

I added in the cranberries, pepitas and chocolate chips after mixing in approximately 1/3 of the flours. This helped them to be distributed more evenly through the mix.

As you get towards the end of the flours, the dough will get quite stiff.

I used my tablespoon to portion the dough into mounds on the trays. I then squashed them with a fork.

Bake the biscuits in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes.

These biscuits are a drier consistency so they are best enjoyed with a glass of milk or cup of tea.

 Hope you enjoy them.

Till the next post,

Live clean n Prosper

Alcohol and the body.

Todays post is about how our body, or more specifically the liver, deals with alcohol.

Many of us indulge in an alcoholic beverage on a regular basis. Some people indulge more regularly and in greater quantities than others. Most of us know the basics of what happens in our bodies when we drink alcohol.

Scott has recently covered this subject in his studies and I thought it was interesting. I decided to learn more details and share this information.

How the alcohol is initially absorbed.

Alcohol absorption begins in the stomach. However, it is absorbed much more rapidly in the small intestine due to the larger surface area. So, the longer the alcohol remains in the stomach, the slower the rise in the blood alcohol level. Fatty acids slow down the movement of food through the stomach. Therefore the consumption of foods higher in fats will slow the rise of blood alcohol. This will also give time for the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) to start breaking down the alcohol.

Alcohol dehydrogenase is our primary defence against alcohol, a toxic molecule that compromises the function of our nervous system. The high levels of alcohol dehydrogenase in our liver and stomach detoxify about one drink (10grams of alcohol) each hour.

Once the alcohol enters the blood stream, it goes directly from the digestive tract to the liver.

The science

In the liver there is more alcohol dehydrogenase to break down ethanol in the blood. The alcohol dehydrogenase breaks alcohol down into another compound, acetaldehyde. Next, another enzyme, called aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) breaks it down further into acetate, another metabolite.

This can then be converted to Acetyl coenzyme A, (acetyl-CoA), an important molecule used in metabolic processes. It is primarily used by the body for energy production and is an essential component in balancing carbohydrate and fat metabolism

 What does this mean?

On those occasions when we consume alcoholic beverages while eating pizza and deep fried foods, followed by cake and ice cream, the body deals with the alcohol first.

This is because the liver recognises the alcohol as the most toxic substance in the body at the time.

So while the liver is dealing with the alcohol, the fats and sugars are getting pushed into the blood stream to wait. This also means that the liver will first break down the alcoholic beverage into its main components and then dealing with the alcohol first.

The liver requires certain essential nutrients from the body to do its job. It also works through the toxins in 2 phases. If there are not enough nutrients available for the liver to do its job, this causes the by-products to hang around for a lot longer in between the phases. This can then cause other issues.

 Supporting the liver

It is possible to provide support to the liver so that it can metabolise alcohol more effectively, therefore reducing long-term damage.

The 2 phases of detoxification require different nutrients.

Phase 1 requires B group vitamins, Folic acid, Glutathione, Antioxidants, Carotenoids, vitamins E and vitamin C.

Phase 2 requires Amino Acids (Glutamine, Glycine, Taurine & Cystine) and sulphurated phytochemicals found in garlic and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage & Brussels sprouts)

There are also certain compounds available that may be helpful.

  • Grape seed extract is a well-known antioxidant that assists liver function.
  • Grapefruit seed extract increases gastric protection
  • Vitamin C
  • Zinc
  • Curcumin (found in Turmeric)

Current Australian health guidelines state “For healthy men and women, drinking no more than two standard drinks on any day reduces the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury.” (NHMRC 2009) Sources – Principles of Anatomy & Physiology by Gerard J Totora/Bryan Derrickson, https://en.wikipedia.org, https://pdb101.rcsb.org

With this in mind, a good diet consisting of whole, unprocessed foods goes a long way in supporting the liver. Many of the nutrients essential for optimal liver function are found in fresh fruit and vegetables.

I hope you found this information interesting.

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper