Tag: foods

Brain always at the top? Here are some foods to keep it always shiny – Italian Cuisine

From 11 to 17 March the World Brain Week is celebrated. Here's what to eat to keep you fit and healthy at any age

With advancing age it is normal that due to the decay of nerve cells the brain age and become less snappy. Many problems, however, could be prevented by having a greater care in the course of life. According to data from the Italian Society of Neurology in Italy are about 5 million people who suffer from neurological diseases. World Brain Week is celebrated to sensitize these diseases and their prevention from 11 to 17 March. In many cases these disorders can be prevented by correcting lifestyles, includingsupply.
In fact, some foods are rich in nutrients that can help protect brain health and prevent disease. Let's see with the help of the Nutritionist Nicoletta Bocchino, which are.

What to eat to keep your mind young

"At the table, go-ahead for the foods they contain essential fats, including the precious ones Omega 3, which protect against the damaging action of free radicals by protecting neurons from aging. Blue fish, oil seeds and nuts are rich. They have an excellent antioxidant and anti-aging action even the rich foods of C vitamin like citrus and kiwi, Vitamin E is vitamin A, like seasonal fruits and vegetables, "explains the nutritionist.

Brain always at the top? Dark chocolate.

The foods are ok for the nervous system

In the daily menus you should not miss the tryptophan. "This amino acid," says Nicoletta Bocchino, "of which wholegrain cereals and legumes are particularly rich, favors the production of serotonin, the neurotransmitter of well-being. Yes also ai minerals that promote good oxygenation of the brain like potassium is magnesium, which are excellent sources of seasonal fruit and vegetables and those that support the proper functioning of the nervous system as zinc is phosphorus of which the fish is rich .

Would you like to know more? Discover in the gallery the other foods that are good for the brain

To avoid a swollen belly, just eat the right foods – Italian Cuisine

There swollen belly is one of the most common hassles, both for women and for men: it is a common fate for 20% of Italians, or 12 million people. In addition to the unpleasant sensation, the style effect is added: containing the belly inside the buttons of skirts and trousers sometimes seems an impossible mission.

An Italian study has shown that eliminating from the diet some foods you can get rid of the abdominal swelling and regularize the intestine, keeping FODMAP at bay, foods that ferment too much in the intestine and cause belly swelling. The most common mistake is to confuse the swelling with being greased: this is not always the case. If losing weight is more complicated operation – even if it can be enough even one day! – deflate the belly is easier and faster. To avoid the problem of swelling, in fact, it is sufficient to examine what we put in the plate and replace the foods that dilate, with those that on the contrary help to deflate.

Attention to fermentation
If fermentation is a technique that can add nutrients and taste to foods – in fact fermented foods such as miso, but also the yeast made with the sourdough, bring clear digestive benefits (yogurt, probiotics and fermented milk are friends of the intestine , you know), we must not even confuse this with it the fermenting capacity of foods in our belly. It is she who causes swollen belly and gas production, and those responsible in particular are oligosaccharides, fructose, lactose and polyols.

Here are some foods in which:

THE legumes they have high fermentation capacity; so be careful to consume chickpeas, lentils, beans, broad beans and peas. Also there fruit has the habit of fermenting during digestion, in the basket better not to have too many apples and pears and (unfortunately) also the sweet summer fruit (apricots, peaches, watermelons, plums and prunes).

The vegetable is not far behind. In the list of vegetables that inflate there are: artichokes, asparagus, beets, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, fennel, garlic and shallot. To complete the list, add the milk and soft and fresh cheeses. In addition, eye to carbohydrates, starting from those coming from wheat, but also rice and rye, especially if they are baked goods leavened. Finally, most of the sweetening substances like the very common honey and fructose. And also the sweeteners found in many packaged products such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol and corn syrup.

A note: it is not just what foods to eat, but also how and how many. There distribution of meals it's very important: breakfast should not be underestimated; much better to do one spezzafame snack – for example munching dried fruit – that arrive on the table voracious; in the evening, really limit the carbohydrates.

The foods that help
The picture may discourage. In reality there is still a lot of choice. For example i seasoned cheesesi and the hard ones. The animal milk can be replaced with soy or rice drinks. All the fruit are indicated among the fruit citrus fruits (which we can also use for cooking!), kiwi, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and bananas (which also make the heart so good).

Among the vegetables have effects that limit the swelling celery, tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and green beans. To close in sweetness, glucose and maple juice are sweeteners that do not swell.

After having done a skimming of the products that are brought to the table, within ten days, the first benefits should be noted. Otherwise, the swelling could be an important indicator of irritation to the colon or some intolerance, which must be diagnosed by a qualified specialist and that can also be treated by eating.

Barbara Roncarolo
March 8, 2016
updated by Carola Traverso Saibante
February 2019

DISCOVER SALE & PEPE COOKING COURSES

All you need to know about fermented foods – Italian Cuisine

What do the Trentino Alto Adige and the Korean cuisine have in common?

Use of the fermented cabbage: others are not family members sauerkraut and the exotic kimchi, related specialties obtained through an ancient but valid method of production, even today, under many points of view.

The fermentation is in fact present in the gastronomic cultures of the whole world which, since the dawn of time, have used it for keep food. So, from the sour cream typical of Eastern Europe to spicy South American sauces, there are many preparations that must taste and look to the action of yeasts.

It is an ancient knowledge that draws its origins from the need to preserve foods of various kinds at the time when there were not many technological remedies. Even today in some oriental markets we see fermented foods exposed and in all cases there is no doubt that fermentation aids the digestion process, not to mention that it is often associated with longevity and that, according to a recent Swedish study, would also give bone strength, fighting the physiological fragility of age.

THE microorganisms, through the production of enzymes, modify some elements, especially sugars, giving rise to compounds and aromatic substances which, in turn, change the taste, consistency and quality of food.

In addition to the aforementioned sauerkraut and kimchi (which, unlike the local recipe, is enriched with chilli and spices and, therefore, rather spicy) are very widespread, especially in Japan, fermented with soy. The best known are the miso, savory pasta that is used a bit like our nut to flavor soups and soups, and the tempeh, fermented and pressed buns of beans that, in the vegan kitchen, replace the meat. Particular is then the natto, in which the soy beans are wrapped in a filamentous paste.

Of course, some of these foods have strong flavors which is not easy to get used to, but can be added to the dishes in small quantities, as a condiment, to dilute the intense taste and begin, however, to take advantage of its many properties.

In fact, these foods are naturally rich in probiotic ferments and act positively on the balance of the intestinal flora, on the immune system and ondigestibility of vitamin complexes. Furthermore, they provide enzymes, vitamins C, K and of group B and have strong properties antioxidants, purifying, disinfecting and digestive.

Get them at home
As it was said, fermentation techniques were born to preserve fresh food for a long time. Thus, it is not difficult to make at home the simpler versions based on crunchy vegetables like cabbage, turnips, radishes, cauliflower, celery, fennel, cucumber. The vegetables, perfectly cleaned and sliced thinly, are arranged in layers in a glass or ceramic jar sprinkle with salt and adding, in some recipes, red pepper, herbs, spices, vinegar or lemon juice. Then, they are covered with a weight and with a gauze (must be able to circulate the air) and let it ferment, in a cool and dark place (not in the fridge), for a few days: 3-4 to 2-4 weeks for sauerkraut. Finally, clean the jars and store them in the fridge, where they last for about a week.

To keep them longer in the pantry, the closed pots can pasteurize, as is done for other preserves, making them boil for about half an hour.

Fermented vegetables can be used as side dish, alone or mixed with fresh, raw and cooked vegetables. The most spicy ones are perfect as a condiment for rice and noodles.

The preparation of the smetana, one sour cream to be used to complete velvety soups and to accompany boiled or steamed vegetables. Mix 250 g of fresh cream and 250 g of greek yogurt. Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of lemon juice, cover with a towel and let stand at room temperature for 8 hours, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate for 12 hours before using it: it lasts about 1 week.

Almost obligatory then mention the kefir, a sort of fermented milk of Caucasian origin that seems to have been known even by Marco Polo.

Roberta Fontana
June 2016
updated by
Emanuela Di Pasqua
February 2019

DISCOVER SALE & PEPE COOKING COURSES

Photo: Flickr / FoodCraftLab

Gordon Ramsay Recipes