Tag: fibre

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 

Bananas – should we eat the skin?

Todays post is about bananas and whether we should eat their skin as well.

There have been a lot of social media posts regarding this topic recently. It seems to have started with an Australian dietitian – Susie Burrell, who says we should be eating bananas skin and all.

Susie Burrell has stated that eating the peel is an easy way to boost your diet with extra dietary fibre, vitamin B6, vitamin C and magnesium. She recommends blending or baking them to break down the cell walls to make the nutrients easier to absorb – for example, in smoothies, cakes and curries.

The Pro’s and Con’s

The idea of eating the banana and the skins may seem like a good way to increase your nutrient intake.

As ripe yellow skins are rich in antioxidants that can help fight cancer, and green skins contain the amino acid tryptophan, which promotes better sleep. The skins also contain resistant start, a type of fibre that benefits gut health.

However, as vitamins C and B6 are destroyed by heat, using the skins in baking or curries to consume these nutrients doesn’t seem viable. Using them in smoothies makes more sense.

The other factor to consider is chemical absorption. The popular Cavendish variety of bananas are bred using cuttings, not seeds. That means there is no genetic diversity among the plants, and therefore they have weak immunity. As a result, it’s one of the most heavily sprayed crops. The peel, or skins, of the banana absorb some of these pesticides.

Peeled bananas are still healthy

Bananas are a great source of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. One medium-sized banana can contain approximately 400mg of potassium.

A medium-size banana also contains about 3 grams of total fibre. Fibre is a nutrient that helps regulate the speed of digestion. When our digestion is well regulated, the conversion of carbohydrates to simple sugars and the subsequent release of simple sugars into the body is also regulated.

Approximately one-third of the fibre in bananas is actually a water-soluble fibre. Soluble fibres in food have been associated with a decreased risk of heart disease.
Within their total fibre content, bananas also contain pectin’s. Some of the components in pectin’s are water-soluble, and others are not. As bananas ripen, their water-soluble pectin’s increase, and as a result bananas become softer in texture as they ripen.

As the water-soluble pectin’s increase, so does the concentration of fructose. The mixture of the water-soluble pectin’s and fructose content helps control how fast the body digests the carbohydrates which then reduces the impact of the consumed banana on our blood glucose level.

They are low fat – 

Bananas are a very low-fat food with less than 4% of their calories being from fats. One types of fat that they do contain in small amounts are called sterols. The sterols can assist to block the absorption of dietary cholesterol. By blocking the absorption, they help keep blood cholesterol levels in check.

Therefore the takeaway from all of this,

Including bananas in your daily meal plan may help to prevent high blood pressure, improve digestion and lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels. I have previously shared some recipes using bananas that you may wish to try – Smoothies, Breakfast drinks & Seeded Banana Bread.


If you do decide to consume your bananas with the skin, make sure you choose certified organic product, and wash them well to avoid any possible pesticide residues.
I hope you found this post interesting.

Till the next one,

Live clean n prosper.

Sources – healthline.com, lifeStyle.com.au, whfoods.org

Coconut, Ginger and Lime biscuits

Today I’m sharing a biscuit recipe using coconut flour.

In my last post I wrote about the health benefits of using coconut flour in cooking. I had previously made a coconut flour shortbread using a paleo recipe I had.

Let’s just say the result was not great. So I went in search of a new recipe to play with.

Here it is.

 Coconut, Ginger and Lime biscuits.

Makes 12 to 15

You could swap out the ginger and lime for other dried fruits such as raisins or apricots, if ginger is not your thing.
 Ingredients

1/3 cup coconut flour

1 tbsp desiccated coconut

zest of ½ lime

30 gms chopped naked ginger (un-crystallised)

45 gms melted butter

¼ cup honey

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 170’c

  • Mix together the coconut flour, lime zest, salt, coconut
  • Add the melted butter, vanilla and honey and mix well
  • Then add the eggs and continue to stir the mixture till it becomes thick.
  • Now add in the ginger, making sure the pieces are evenly distributed through the mix.
  • Using a spoon, portion out the mix onto a lined baking tray. (I used my ½ tbsp. scoop) and press into shape.
  • Place the tray in the center of your oven and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes until the biscuits start to turn a nice golden colour.
  • Place on a rack to cool.

I made this recipe twice to work out the best way to bake the biscuits. The first batch I made was a thicker cookie style and baked for 15 minutes at 180’c. The second batch I made thinner and cooked them at 170’c for 18 min. Both batches resulted in a soft textured biscuit.

If you like coconut and ginger, have a go at baking these. They are a healthy biscuit treat full of good fibre and beneficial ginger.

I hope you enjoy them.

Till the next post,

 Live clean n prosper