Tag: drinking

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”.

What to do after drinking and eating too much – Italian Cuisine

How to dispose of the excesses of particularly elaborate lunches and dinners? Here's how to regain well-being and energy and free yourself from the sense of heaviness

It is impossible not to overdo the table when in company. Who hasn't gone overboard on holidays? Food, whatever the occasion, is above all conviviality and pleasure. But what to do after you drank and ate too much? What are the precautions to follow on the same day and in the following ones to counter the effects of a particularly elaborate meal? "The first thing to avoid is eating only a salad or fruit, a mistake that is often made after lunches and dinners in which one has exaggerated with portions of food and quantities of wine and in general alcoholic and carbonated drinks," he says. the dietician Patrizia Gaballo. Instead, it is better to simply reduce the portions in the next meal and bring balanced menus to the table. "Another useful suggestion to follow is to choose foods that can help the body get rid of the" toxic "substances produced by metabolic processes, which risk promoting a generalized sense of malaise that can manifest itself with heaviness, headache, tiredness and swelling , says the expert. So here's what to do after drinking and eating too much.

The tips to follow immediately

After drinking and eating too much, avoid consuming any leftovers, which risk straining the body even more and feeling burdened. If you have eaten and drunk too much for lunch, you can also skip dinner. This helps the body to cleanse itself of accumulated toxins. If, on the other hand, you have exaggerated at dinner, you can skip breakfast when you wake up. To compensate and eliminate excess sodium and counteract fluid retention, the advice is to drink plenty of water, also thanks to the consumption of herbal teas and herbal teas and plants with a detox action. «Fennel, for example, promotes diuresis and counteracts the sense of swelling. Mallow, on the other hand, is excellent for the intestine, while the artichoke, thanks to its cholagogue action, stimulates the work of the liver, an organ involved in the metabolization of fats and substances such as alcohol ".

The tailor-made menu for the next day

The next day it is essential to bring easily digestible meals to the table. For lunch and dinner, yes to a large portion of vegetables. "Thanks to the richness of fiber, they help restore hormonal imbalances due to an excessive intake of carbohydrates with a high glycemic load, for example in particularly elaborate first courses rich in sauces, sauces and desserts," says the expert. "The supply of antioxidants, of which they are also excellent sources, instead counteracts the production of free radicals and inflammatory substances that damage cells. The ideal is to associate them with a single source of easily digestible proteins. So no to the classic salad with mozzarella and ham. Better to choose fish, to be seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, to fill up on fats that facilitate metabolism ". Two typical menus to follow the next day? "For lunch, a fennel and citrus salad with salmon, for dinner instead of raw radicchio dressed with extra virgin olive oil and scrambled eggs".

small guide to gluten free drinking – Italian Cuisine

Are grappa, whiskey, gin and vodka gluten free? And the liqueurs? Which cocktails are safe and which are not? How can a celiac orient himself in the purchase of spirits and spirits? We find out with expert guidance

A glass of grappa after dinner, an amaro, a fresh limoncello in summer, or a gin-based cocktail. Alcoholic beverages (always responsibly and with measure) are a pleasure, even for those suffering from celiac disease: but as in many areas of taste, those who cannot consume gluten must always keep their eyes open. "We have to make a distinction between alcoholic beverages," he explains Laura Diodovich, Project Professional AFC – AiC (Italian Celiac Association) Marche, which specifies: «it is in fact necessary to distinguish between distillates which are always good, and which do not necessarily have to bear the words "gluten free", as long as they are free of flavorings or other substances, and liqueurs. The latter are considered at risk: this means that they are only suitable if they have the wording “gluten-free” . From AiC therefore, you have a traffic light green for grappa, gin, whiskey, tequila, vodka etc., even when they come from raw materials containing gluten. How is it possible? We asked those who deal with spirits for work.

Gluten-free spirits: spirits, 100 per 100 safe

Luca Sala Trade Marketing Manager of Meregalli Spirits, a leading company in Italy in the distribution of national and international wines and spirits, explains how the gluten contained in the raw material of gin, whiskey, vodka, obtained from cereals, does not pass into the distillate because: «distillation serves precisely to separate the heavy parts from the light ones, leaving all residues as production waste. Also what is called "head and tail" or the initial and final part of distillate (where a trace could be found) is thrown away. Particular attention should be paid to Gin because some flavors are made by maceration, so they may have gluten . After all, the list of aromas that may contain gluten “is endless, but it's not just aromas that are at risk. To be sure of a gluten-free product, you should work in an aseptic laboratory, an environment that almost no one has in the distillery or liqueur factory .

More explanations about Gin come from the distillery Bunches of Altavilla: «Gin, if obtained through the distillation process, is to be considered gluten-free. In particular, Gin Mazzetti, being “London Dry”, is obtained precisely from the distillation of a macerate with traditional stills, which makes it gluten free . Absolutely sure is grappa, as the Mazzetti d'Altavilla experts demonstrate: "First of all, since it is a distillate that uses pomace as a raw material, therefore the skins and seeds (called grape seeds) of the grapes, gluten is not contained in the raw material . Secondly, the same distillation process foreseen in direct steam stills means that the final distillate, resulting from the condensation of the steam coming from the stills, cannot – even if there is a presence – acquire any trace of gluten through this processing method " .

Liquors without contamination

More complicated is the discussion with regard to liqueurs: contamination, explains Luca Sala di Meregalli, «occurs by presence in the raw material or by contamination by external agents. The same goes for the aseptic laboratory . To be sure of the absence of contamination, it is necessary to have certifications available. This is what they do in Mazzetti d’Altavilla: "our liqueurs are all consumable even by those with gluten intolerances. Not being distilled in purity, in this case the certification that the raw material does not contain gluten and does not foresee the possibility of contamination with materials containing gluten. For blended products, it would be good to indicate the gluten-free symbol on the bottle or on the packaging to ensure its consumability by those with intolerances. We are gearing up for this! " A brand or a legible wording on the label would certainly make life easier for those suffering from celiac disease, at least as regards the choice of what to drink.