Brominated Vegetable Oil

Ms H

 Brominated vegetable oil is derived from corn or soy oils that reacted with elementary bromine. The atoms of bromine bond to the triglycerides of the oil molecules resulting brominated vegetable oil. It is an emulsifier used as a food additive in the industry. Primary brominated vegetable oil is added to citrus-flavoured soft drinks to prevent the separation of flavouring. The brominated vegetable oil is mixed with the less dense flavouring oil to produce oil mixture whose density matches that of water. Coca Cola declared their drinks do not contain brominated vegetable oil. Research into the health effects of brominated vegetable oil is limited, but there are concerns that bromine might accumulate in fatty tissue in the body and cause harmful effects. Use of brominated vegetable oil in drinks has been banned in the UK and EU for many years.

Food Additive Carrageenan

Ms H 

The carrageenan is linear sulphated polysaccharide that extracted from red edible seaweeds. There are three main types of carrageenan; κ-carrageenan has one, ι-carrageenan has two and λ-carrageenan has three sulphate groups per disaccharide. They have stabilising, thickening and gelling properties so they are widely used in the food industry. They are particularly benefited in dairy and meat products due to their strong binding to food proteins. Carrageenan is especially common in non-dairy milks such as almond milk and coconut milk.

People with lactose intolerance or on vegan diet might actually be increasing their exposure if they use these products. The animal studies show that carrageenan can cause intestinal damage or ulcer. Some human studies associate carrageenan in ulceration and inflammation although it is not a known  carcinogen.There is still some doubt about its safety if it consumed regularly.

Buckwheat Pancakes with Spinach and Feta Cheese

Buckwheat and spinach enrich the blood, helping to increase the red blood cells and restore metabolic balance.

Ingredients for 4 persons

130g -140g 4 medium ½ cup 60ml 2 tbsp 1tsp 150g 100g 100g 3tbsp

buckwheat flour eggs milk corn oil salt spinach finely chopped Feta cheese Ricotta cheese Greek yogurt water

Method:

·      Place the flour in a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt add the egg and the milk. Using a wooden spoon stir in well.

·      Gradually add around 100ml water, little by little, stirring continuously until all the flour has been incorporated and the mixture is lump-free. Then stir a ½ tablespoon oil into the batter.

·      Preheat the oven to 180⁰C

·      Place the crumbled feta cheese, 3 eggs ricotta cheese, Greek yogurt and a pinch of salt in a bowl mix them well, then add the chopped spinach to the mixture and combine them.

·      Make 8 pancakes

·      Spread some of the filling over a pancake and roll it up. Repeat with the rest of the pancakes.

·      Arrange the pancake rolls in a greased baking dish. Pour the remaining filling over the pancakes and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Serving:

Serve them hot with salad.

Gluten-Free Grains 3

Ms H

In this part I continue with the list of gluten-free grains and their  cooking instructions.

Teff

Teff has a sweet light nutty flavour and slightly sticky consistency.  Teff is good source of calcium and fibre.  They are used as a thickener.

Cooking instruction: add 1 cup of teff grain to 3 cups of water boil and simmer it for 25 minutes.

Cornmeal whole grain

Cornmeal is a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron and B-6 vitamin. It is good for high blood pressure and gallstones. It can be served for breakfast, dinner and dessert.

Oat

Oats are good source of protein and incredibly high in calcium, potassium and magnesium. Oat contains anti-oxidant, enhances the immune system and protects against heart failure. It mostly used for breakfast and desserts.

Montina

Montina is high in fibre and protein.

Sorghum

Sorghum contains large amount of fibre and protein, it protects against diabetes and lowers the cholesterol. It is used for porridge and it also ground into flour.

 Gram flour

Gram flour is chickpea flour consists of 25% of protein, carbohydrates, B-6 vitamin, potassium, iron and magnesium. It also contains anti-oxidant, vitamin E and protease inhibitors, which halt the DNA producing cancer cells. It has a distinctive taste. You can use it for pancakes, dumplings.

Soy

Soybeans are very rich in nutrients. Soybeans contain the very high level of protein, rivalling meat, fish and eggs making it an idea for vegetarians, a lot of fibre and are rich in calcium, magnesium. You should keep it in your mind the soy products are fermented or refined and the process changes the original nutritional values.

 Rice

At least a dozen types of rice provide different textures, tastes and nutritional value. Brown and wild rice contain the whole grain; the germ and the bran of the grain. Consequently, brown and wild rice are considered healthier because they contain more nutrients; 85% carbohydrates, 8% protein, 7% fat, magnesium and abundant amount of fibre. In contrast, white rice has smaller nutritional profile.

Rice flour is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. You should be aware of that there are two types of rice flours; glutinous and non-glutinous. Read the label thoroughly. Rice flour is used in cakes, pancakes, bread, noodles and as a thickening agent. Add 1 cup of brown rise to 2 1/2 cups of water boil and simmer for 35- 40 minutes.

Tapioca

Tapioca is extracted from cassava root available as starch used for thickening and as pearls, which needed to be soaked before cooking in order to rehydrate. It mostly consists of carbohydrates.

GM crops

Corn is the substitute cereal in gluten free diet, recommended, considered safe, but in some cases it induced abnormal reaction in patience. In some cases GM crops are used in food.  You must see it the genetic modification is essential in effective farming. The effects of genetic modification in crops have been tested on animals but not on humans. Soya has its similar history. You cannot forget that all of the processed foods labelled gluten-free or not, can consist of GM ingredients, which side effect is not fully known yet.