Health benefits of eggs

Ms H

The eggs are reproductive bodies produced by the females of fish, reptiles and birds. The birds, chicken eggs are the most commonly ate variety of eggs by human. In the past, it was thought eating foods containing cholesterol would increase the concentration of cholesterol in the blood. High blood cholesterol is linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Studies have shown that eating up to six eggs a week provide nutritional benefits without increasing the risk of heart disease. 

Nutritious values of chicken egg:

A single boiled egg contains 77calories, 6g of proteins with all of the essential amino acids and 5 g of fat.  It also contains vitamins; A, B5, B12, B2, B6, D, E, K and folate., minerals; calcium, zinc, phosphorous and selenium. Eggs contain the phytochemicals lutein and zeaxanthin, which are antioxidants beneficial for eye health. Egg yolk contains choline.

Health benefits of chicken egg:

A single egg contains 212mg of cholesterol compering to the recommended daily amount of 300mg. Eggs turn LDL (bad) cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol linked to reduction of risk of hearth disease. Eggs help you to lose weight due to its low calorie content. Eggs are incredibly fulfilling. Eating eggs as an adolescent could help prevent breast cancer as an adult. Another study showed that women eating at least six eggs per week had a 44 % lower risk of developing breast cancer than women who ate two or fewer eggs each week. The studies clearly show that eating up to 3 whole eggs /day is flawlessly safe.

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Processed Foods  in Gluten-Free Diet 

Ms H

Foods prepared with physical or chemical treatments are considered as processed foods. They are almost always high in salt, which is their main negative point.  While salt in high quantities is unhealthy, small amounts are actually good for you and crucial for the function of all of our organs. However, the salt has its antibacterial properties, which make it ideal for preservation. Humans have been preserving foods for centuries. Your ancestors used to dry, freeze, can or pickle foods to extend their shelf life. Now with an increase in packaged foods also came an increase in different preservation methods. Chemical preservation is used to delay spoilage, enhance colour and flavour, and maintain consistency and texture of foods. The common preservative in many cured or smoked meats, such as bacon, jerky, deli meats and smoked salmon is sodium nitrate which helps to reduce colour changes.

Sodium nitrate in processed meat can damage the blood vessels around your heart, which can cause them to harden and narrow, which makes it more likely that you will develop heart disease. Eating regularly sodium nitrate with food you also increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in additional to these your chances of developing certain types of cancer increases too.

Processed foods include synthetic additives; E numbers are codes for substances that are permitted to be used as food additives with in EU and Switzerland. They are commonly found on food labels.  

Example cereals are very often fortified with calcium. Whenever cereals are refined the vitamins and minerals are removed and the companies must replace them later by law. This process is called “fortifying”. The nutrients that have been added to foods afterward they are less effective synthetic substances and often harder for the body to absorb. For instance, someone who has a lactose intolerance might use a water fortified with calcium. Temporarily fortification is the only way that vegetarians can get vitamin B12 in their diet, which is highly important for brain function and nerve health.

Many of the processed foods we get from fast food chains have added saturated fats and trans fats. While these aren't good for us, they do make us feel full for longer due to their slowest digestion.

Generally the processed foods are not as healthy as getting fresh foods. Some foods are worse for you than others and are increasing your risk of many conditions and diseases. While cancer is one of the worst, regularly eating the cancer causing foods can also lead to heart disease, diabetes, chronic inflammation, and so much more.

Here is the evil food list: canned foods, refined sugar, salted, pickled and smocked foods, grilled red meat, carbonated beverages, gluten-free starches, farmed fish, hydrogenated oil, microwave popcorn.

• Food additives again 

Series of  Articles on Food Additives in Gluten-Free Foods 

Ms H

Food Additive

Stabiliser; Xanthan Gum

Ms H

Xanthan gum is frequently used in gluten-free baking giving more elasticity and stickiness to the dough or batter. It has a property of increasing the viscosity of a liquids by adding a small quantity of it. Xanthan gum helps to prevent separation of oil by stabilising the emulsion so it is used in salad dressing keeping the mixture homogeneous. Summarising it is a very useful and safe food additive when it is taken up to 15g/day.

Xanthan gum is a indigestible polysaccharide secreted a by the Xanthomonas campestris bacteria, so it is  a fermentation product.

Despite of its wide use in the food industry it can cause some side effects such as intestinal gas and bloating.  Some people in a exposure of high doses of xanthan gum can experience flu-like symptoms; nose and throat irritation.