Tag: sweet

A herb called Gymnema

Todays post is about a herb called Gymnema.

Recently Scott was talking about the existence of a herb that altered how food tastes.

Now I don’t mean how when you add basil to the risotto it adds to the flavour. I mean the herb changes how we perceive what the food tastes like. I was instantly intrigued and asked him to help me find out more.

What is it?

The herb is called Gymnema or Gymnema sylvestre.

It is actually a woody climbing shrub that’s native to the tropical forests of India, Africa and Australia. Common names include gymnema, Australian cowplant, Periploca of the woods, and the Hindi term gurmar, which means, “sugar destroyer”. Its leaves have been used in the ancient Indian medicinal practice Ayurveda for thousands of years.

How does it work?

The leaves contain active plant molecules called gymnemic acids. These impair the ability to taste sugar by blocking the sweet receptors on the tongue. The leaves can be prepared as a tea, however the beverage has a bitter taste.

The sweet-blocking effect of the herb can last anywhere from 15 to 50 minutes and may even persist for several hours. It is effective against the taste of sucrose (sugar), stevia, xylitol, and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.

The Gymnemic acids apparently have no long-term effects on taste and they do not influence bitter, salty, or sour taste perception. Which means that the overall taste of the food eaten will be different.

In 2005 a group of Neuroscience students took part in a laboratory exercise utilising Gymnema. The students reported that sugar felt like melting sand on the tongue and M&Ms tasted chalky, salty, and bitter.

Are there health benefits?

Extracts of this plant are widely used in Australian, Japanese, Vietnamese and Indian medicine.

Several studies have found that the Gynnemic acid compounds can also attach to receptors on the intestinal walls. This helps to reduce absorption of sugar molecules in the gut. A process that increases insulin production and regenerates insulin-secreting islet cells, creating favourable insulin levels. Both processes can help lower blood sugar levels.

The Gymnemic acids also reduce the body’s ability to metabolise carbohydrates in the intestine.

Studies have found that the use of Gymnema significantly reduces the desire for consuming high-sugar sweet foods. This means fewer calories. A consistent calorie deficit will help with weight loss.

Hence, there are benefits of using Gymnema for treating obesity and diabetes.

Several studies have also confirmed the link between excessive sugar intake and increased inflammatory markers in animals and humans.

The ability of Gymnemic acids to reduce sugar absorption in the intestines may also allow it to decrease inflammation caused by excess sugar intake.

This herb also appears to have anti-inflammatory properties of its own. The leaves are considered immunostimulatory, meaning they can regulate the immune system, reducing inflammation. This is thought to be due to its content of tannins and saponins, which are beneficial plant compounds.

In conclusion,

This herb sounds really interesting and I would love to try a ‘taste exercise’ like the students did. Trying different foods after using some of the extract.

On a medicinal note, it is good to see herbs used in practical applications to treat serious health issues such as diabetes and obesity.

I hope you also found this information interesting,

Till the next post,

 

Live clean n Prosper.

Sources – US National Library of Medicine,  Science Direct,Wikipedia, Medical News Today

Gut Health and Strawberries

Today’s post is about Gut Health and Strawberries.

Lately there has been a lot of focus on Strawberries. All scandals aside, these sweet berries are very good for us. In particular, Strawberries are very good for supporting our gut health.

Very early on in my blog, I wrote about how a healthy gut and its ‘microbiome’ is linked to our overall health.

 So, what is the Gut Microbiome?

Our ‘gut microbiome’ is made up of the trillions of microorganisms and their genetic material that live in our intestinal tract. These microorganisms live in the digestive system and play a key role in digesting food we eat; they also help with absorbing and synthesising nutrients.

The gut microorganisms are involved in many other important processes that extend beyond the gut. These organisms contribute to metabolism, body weight, immune regulation, as well as brain functions and mood.

Our gut began to populate with bacteria very early in life. As we grow, there continue to be many things that can shape the bacteria that live in our gut. We all live our day-to-day lives in different environments with different combinations of habits and surroundings. Because of this, our microbiome is like a bacterial fingerprint, uniquely individual.

Some things are difficult to change, like genetics, stressful events or illness. There are other factors we can modify or control, such as our lifestyle behaviours – particularly diet.

 What is a ‘Healthy Gut’?

Generally speaking, a healthy gut has a barrier that is effective at keeping the contents of the gut, such as its micro biota, undigested food particles and toxins, from escaping into the bloodstream. Apart from performing all of its usual digestive and regulatory functions, a healthy gut has several other important jobs, including helping to fight off infection.

 What about the Strawberries?

Recent research has found that Strawberries contain ‘anti-inflammatory’ compounds that reduce gut inflammation and increase healthy gut bacteria.

Strawberries are also rich in Potassium, which helps reduce high blood pressure.

The presence of ellagic acids and flavonoids in strawberries protect hearts from bad cholesterol.

Strawberries also contain Fisetin which contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that Fisetin could help to protect brain cells against the effects of ageing. The Journal Annals of Neurology published that eating strawberries more than twice a week has been shown to delay cognitive ageing by up to 2.5 years.

 

We have always enjoyed eating Strawberries and it has been great to learn how good they are for us. Not that we needed a reason to eat more of them.

Till the next post,

Live clean n Prosper

Those ‘Healthy’ recipes and Sugars

Today I am talking about the ‘healthier’ recipes and sugars.

There are many magazines and books available that contain healthy recipes lately. It can be quite a task choosing one that suits your needs. Manufacturers, authors, cafes and restaurants use the term ‘healthy’ very loosely in recent times, as most of us are aware.

Healthy is a buzzword that has been used to describe all sorts of foods.

Focus on Sugar

You may be trying to limit your intake of sugars as part of a healthier diet.  Most people would like to think that recipes for ‘health’ foods and snacks would have less sugars and processed ingredients.

The use of dates or other dried fruits has become popular as a way to sweeten cakes, bliss balls and other desserts.

Fresh fruit contains lots of fluid, which fills us up. Dried fruit is stripped of its water content, which then concentrates the sugar. To put this in perspective:

– Half a cup of fresh cranberries contains 2g of sugar. One cup of dried cranberries contains a whopping 37g, or 9 teaspoons.

– One date is over 60 per cent sugar and 30 per cent of this is fructose.

In my experience, including these ingredients in the recipe is instead of adding processed sugars, as they are sweet enough.

Recently I was looking through a free recipe magazine. Of particular interest were some ‘Bliss Ball’ recipes, as it’s always good to get some new ideas. I was always of the belief that these great little snack balls were developed to help people to make better snack choices.

Consequently it is very disappointing to see that these recipes also included brown sugar in the ingredient list.

Less is Best

People are becoming used to cakes and slices being very sweet. It appears that the authors feel that the addition of extra sweeteners is necessary.

It is a scientific fact that sugar is addictive. Therefore the more sugar we eat, the sweeter we want our food to be. It is a vicious circle that leads to certain decline in our health.

That many people are still having issues with weight gain, is not surprising, with these types of recipes being published as a healthier option.

At the end of the day, everyone is looking for his or her own version of a healthy diet. Each of us has different needs and goals.

Our preference is to reduce our sugar intake. Over the past couple of years we have managed to remove added sugars from most of our diet. We have found that over time, the less sugar we consume, the less we crave or can eat.

Till the next post,

 

Live clean n Prosper