Tag: Expert

The expert: why it’s good to eat an orange a day – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Why is it good to eat an orange a day? This fruit at the table is one of the most consumed and praised especially due to its good vitamin C content. But there are many reasons why it is worth not giving up the goodness of this food, which gives its best especially if consumed whole or in freshly peeled cloves, rather than the drinking version (juice or squeezed juice) less rich in this nutrient, which is very sensitive to air and heat, and fibre. «The latter, present above all in the albedo, the white part that surrounds the pulp, are able to slow down the assimilation and absorption of sugars and fats and provide long-lasting satiety explains the nutritionist Salvatore Ercolano. “Eating an orange a day, for example at breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack, helps keep your appetite under control and counteract weight gain.” But the benefits of this fruit are also many others. This is why it is good to eat an orange a day.

Keeps the skin elastic

«Eating an orange a day allows you to stock up first of all on anthocyanins present in abundance especially in those with red pulp, capable of neutralizing free radicals and protecting against wrinkles. The vitamin C present in this fruit is also fundamental for the production of collagen, a protein produced by the skin that keeps it soft” says nutritionist Salvatore Ercolano. «The consumption of even just one orange also ensures good quantities of copper and zinc, two minerals which respectively stimulate the production of elastin, a protein that keeps the skin compact and the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, which preserves its luminosity.

Protects against aging

Few people know: one of the benefits of eating an orange a day is that it promotes longevity, due to the anti-aging properties at the center of several Education. «Among the many advantages it boasts is the presence of antioxidants, such as carotenoids, which in addition to fighting free radicals, protect against the weakening of the skeleton and osteoporosis and which are also precious for preserving eye health explains nutritionist Salvatore Ercolano. «Then there is another reason to eat an orange a day: the presence of prebiotic fibres, excellent allies for keeping the good intestinal bacteria in balance, facilitating the production of metabolites with anti-inflammatory action, which protect against overweight, obesity and chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes.”

Protects the heart and immune defenses

«Flavonoids, in particular anthocyanins, present mostly in blood oranges are antioxidants whose intake in the diet is associated with the reduction of oxidative stress, a condition which over time damages the arteries and increases the risk of suffering from stroke, atherosclerosis, hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders”. Eating an orange a day allows you to enjoy the benefits of a truly natural supplement of precious nutrients to boost the body’s defenses. «This fruit provides minerals such as magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and selenium and B complex vitamins, including folates, useful for the correct functioning of the immune system.

How to cut orange

Water and coffee: which before and which after? The expert answers – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Water and coffee: which one do you drink first and which one do you drink after? And then, is drinking water always necessary in this case? After all, when you go to a bar there are no rules: there are those who serve it (usually in the South) and those who don’t, or those who only serve it natural or only sparkling. Yet there is a rule. In fact, there is more than one rule. The first already clarifies many things: «A glass of water should always be drunk before coffee”says Mauro Illiano, professional taster, founder of “Napoli Coffee Experience”, member of the board of experts of the Slow Food Coffee Coalition and, among other things, editor of the first guide to Italian coffees and roasters.

When do you drink water with coffee?

First water and then coffee, therefore, and it is not a matter of taste or preference. «Water – explains Mauro Illiano – cleans the oral cavity. Except for the first coffee in the morning, provided it is drunk on an empty stomach, during the day coffee is often drunk after eating or drinking something else. With a little water you eliminate any possible contamination that could affect the tasting experience: you can perceive all the scents of the coffee, both through taste and smell.”

What is the purpose of water with coffee?

The tasting of coffee, in fact, is not limited to the moment in which we drink it: it continues afterwards, and also through the aroma of the blend as well as through its flavour. «After drinking coffee, its lipid part – which is the same that remains on the cup or on the walls of the spoon – also remains in our oral cavity and its scents then return retronasally, sometimes even for an hour. It is one of the many pleasures that coffee gives. Drinking it with your mouth clean from a sip of water is a simple way to not deprive yourself of it”, Illiano further points out.

Why shouldn’t water be drunk after coffee?

On the contrary, obviously, all this does not happen if water is drunk after coffee: «TheWater aids swallowing and therefore if you drink it after coffee it makes this pleasant sensation disappear says Illiano. However, if it often comes naturally to drink after drinking the cup, there is a reason: «It happens when the coffee is not good: it is burnt or too bitter for example. In these cases needing to drink is a natural and unconscious reaction: it serves to cleanse the mouth of unpleasant flavors and odors. It is precisely for this reason that it is often said that drinking water after coffee, when you are on the balcony of the bar, is rude towards the barista: he could interpret it as a way to tell him that he did not prepare us the cup we would have liked to drink .

Still or sparkling: which water to drink with coffee?

Among the things to know for optimal coffee tasting, there is also that What makes the difference is the water: when you drink it before coffee, it must be natural. «A low-mineral or sparkling water alters the approach to the palate, enhancing the hardness. That is: it makes the coffee taste more bitter if it is bitter, or more acidic if it already tends towards sour.”

Should chocolate be eaten before or after coffee?

Not just water, however: not infrequently, especially at the bar, coffee is served with chocolates or biscuits. What to do in these cases? «Except for particular pairing experiences between food and coffee, they should not be eaten before or after because they alternate the perception of the taste of the coffee: a very bitter chocolate can make the coffee perceived as less bitter than it actually is, and vice versa. A biscuit is even worse because it is generally very sweet: the shock of flavors that can result risks ruining the experience.”

Is drinking extra virgin olive oil bad for you? The expert answers – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

After water and turmeric, water and lemon and apple cider vinegar, the new trend, among people who are attentive to their health, seems to be that of drink extra virgin olive oil in the morning and on an empty stomach. A special elixir which, as videos and testimonials on social media assure, would be able to bring countless benefits to the body and even help us lose weight. But is it really like that? We asked the nutritional biologist Concetta Montagnese, researcher at the CNR Institute of Food Sciences.

The properties of extra virgin olive oil

The expert confirms that extra virgin olive oil is truly a very precious, indispensable food with multiple beneficial effects. Let’s understand together if drinking extra virgin olive oil actually has benefits. «It is a powerful anti-inflammatory, which helps us fight cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Rich in important monounsaturated fatty acids, including oleic acid, and polyphenols, in particular oleocanthal, it also contains lots of vitamin Ebeneficial for the immune system and the skin. Thanks to its antioxidant compounds, it helps cells stay younger”, explains the nutritionist. «Some studies have also associated a high consumption of extra virgin olive oil with the prevention of tumors.

The right quantities

To benefit from this anti-tumor effect, a consumption of more than 20 grams per day is recommended, which is equivalent to more than two tablespoons. And the protective effect seems stronger as the amount of consumption increases. However, we know that extra virgin olive oil is a very caloric food (100 grams contain around 900 calories): doesn’t it make you fat? «The Italian guidelines suggest taking some between 20 and 40 grams per day, two to four tablespoons“, says Montagnese, “because when we talk about a balanced diet we must not only refer to the number of calories, but also to the nutritional values and composition of the food. Extra virgin olive oil contains 99% fats, but mostly the good ones, which help keep the body healthy and are also essential for the correct functioning of the metabolism. This precious food it is therefore also indicated in cases of obesity and metabolic syndrome. If anything, it is its deficiency that is harmful: extra virgin olive oil is one of the cornerstones of the Mediterranean diet and cannot be replaced with any other type of food or condiment.”

In the morning on an empty stomach

However, it is not necessary to drink extra virgin olive oil in the morning and on an empty stomach, a practice that we see more and more often on social media. «To date, no study has shown that drinking oil in the morning is more effective than using it as a condiment in main meals. Its consumption, during the day, is certainly good for you and keeps the body healthy, but, more than taking it alone, combining it with some foods can help improve the absorption of important bioactive compounds (for example, antioxidants in tomatoes), with beneficial effects. It is somewhat fashionable to look for a magic potion for health, and therefore prepare elixirs to be consumed in the morning or on an empty stomach, but it is enough to consolidate the healthy habits of the Mediterranean diet – and use oil as a condiment, preferably raw, and in sautéed – to derive all the possible benefits”.

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