digestion - Articles and Posts from Slashfood

Posts with tag digestion

Top 10 Hardest Foods to Digest

Posted Apr 27th 2007 1:42PM by Sarah J. Gim
Filed under: Science, Grains, Vegetables, Dairy, Chocolate, Fruit, Spices, Meat, Health & Medical

Sure, we know that chicken nuggets are "bad" for us because they're deep-fried, but what about chili peppers? Aren't they supposed to be highin vitamin C and have lots of antioxidants? And what about broccoli? Beans? Milk?!?!

Even "good" foods can be trouble for people who have gastrointestinal problems. MSN's Health and Fitness channel has put together a list of 10 Foods Tough to Digest, along with the types of problems they might cause. What are they? Chicken nuggets, spicy foods, chocolate, citrus juice, mashed potatoes, raw onions, ice cream, broccoli, beans and sugarless gum.

Literally watching what we eat

Posted Nov 14th 2006 11:03AM by Nicole Weston
Filed under: British Isles, Science, Health & Medical

Looking for new ways to get some perspective on how our bodies process food, some UK scientists have built an artificial stomach that simulates digestion. The machine is made from plastics and metals, all strong enough to withstand the acids that are part of digestion, and is controlled by computers, able to mimic all the physical and chemical reactions associated with eating. It is even capable of vomiting.

The designer, Dr Martin Wickham, is hopeful that "his model will help scientists understand more about how food gets processed in the gut, and which nutrients get absorbed." This knowledge could lead to new definitions of superfoods, which are supposedly the healthiest of foods, determining which nutrients are absorbed the fastest and how to get the most from what we eat. There are commercial applications, as well, and companies have already shown an interest in borrowing the machine to test out some of their new food products (health-type products) release a specified nutrient to the stomach that the company claims it does.

Beans, beans the no-longer musical fruit...

Posted Apr 27th 2006 12:03PM by Nicole Weston
Filed under: South America, Science, Vegetables, Food Oddities, Newspapers

Many people love beans and they are a staple in the diet of hundreds of thousands of people all across the globe. The problem with beans is that they can have unwanted social side effects, like farting. Scientists in Venezuela have been working furiously, trying to eliminate or reduce this problem and have finally come up with a solution.

Farting is the end result of a process that begins when the soluble fiber in beans, not already broken down in the small intestine, is broken down by the large intestine. They found that adding two strains of bacteria, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, to the beans, reduced soluble fiber by 60% and lowered the level of another gas-causing compound known as raffinose by 88%. This means that there were fewer farts. It also increased the insoluble fiber in the beans by almost 10%, adding more nutritional value of the beans, in addition to uncovering the root of a social problem.

Tropical Fruit: Papaya

Posted Apr 13th 2006 8:12AM by Nick Vagnoni
Filed under: Breakfast, Fruit, How To, Garden Party

The papaya is easily one of the prettiest and most eye-catching tropical fruits widely available today. Whenever I have people over for brunch I try to set one out. The limes aren't just there for decoration, either. The acidity of the lime juice compliments the melon-like sweetness of the papaya perfectly. The variety here is likely a Mexican Red papaya, which is much larger than the pear-sized Hawaiian varieties. Some say the latter are more intensely flavored, but for my time and effort, the larger varieties are the way to go. They yield much more meat, are easier to peel and serve and, of course, make for a very impressive presentation. When ripe, a papaya will be mostly yellow on the outside and yield slightly to the touch. Remember, the lime juice is key. Papayas also contain an enzyme called papain, which supposedly settles the stomach and helps all sorts of digestive ailments.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]

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Top 10 Hardest Foods to Digest

Literally watching what we eat

Beans, beans the no-longer musical fruit...

Tropical Fruit: Papaya

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