Tag Archives: vitamins

Dried Fruit, Healthy Diet From Natural Sources

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Dried fruits are eaten all over the globe and are a popularly consumed culinary delight especially in the months of winters. They have been in use in since ancient times, dating back to around 4000 BC. The first occurrence of dried fruits has been recorded in the region of present day areas of Turkey, Iran and Syria, known back then as Mesopotamia. Dried fruits have long been known for their high nutritional value, sweet taste and longevity. Dried fruits are made synthetically and are not grown naturally. However, their synthetic production does not mean large scale use of chemicals.
Many people do claim that in order to maintain the good coloration of the fruit, many commercial producers treat dried fruits with sulfur dioxide. This makes a dried fruit bad for health making it dangerous for people who already have problems like asthma. Many people however disregard this blame and claim the drying methods to be very safe and healthy. There are many ways of drying the fruits which include natural as well as synthetic and the usually claimed ways of drying fruits include no chemicals and harmful methodologies. In order to make dried fruits, not all the fruits can be used. Only a very few of them can be used for the purpose as all other, on drying, can become unusable and unfit for consumption.

Some of the most commonly used fruits for this purpose are pears, pruned, dates, peaches, plums, strawberries, apricots, mangoes, blueberries, peaches, figs, cranberries and apples. These fruits, in order to be dried, are either exposed to sun for drying or left to dry out naturally. As far as the synthetic ways of drying are concerned, specialized dehydrators or dryers are used for the purpose. Resins, plums, dates, prunes, pears, figs, apples, apricots and peaches have been classified as the traditional dried fruits while cherries, mangoes, cranberries, strawberries and blueberries are sweetened before they are actually dried. Hence each kind of a dried fruit could use a different method and requirement for drying. Apart from the region known to the ancient people as Mesopotamia, dried fruits have also been widely used centuries ago in Egypt and the Middle East and have been a popular part of the Mediterranean cuisine. One of the common ways, apart from the traditionally used natural and synthetic ones, is to oven dry the candidate fruits. Using some layers of cheese cloth over the fruit, the drying process can be led with the oven door left slightly open and the steam allowed escaping. This method does not require too much of heat and for it to be successful the oven has to be set at the lowest possible temperature. Usually, the highest of 145 degree Fahrenheit is recommended.

Due to their high content of nutrition, dried fruits are recommended by most U.S doctors and world’s leading health agencies. Typically, a dried fruit would contain almost as much nutritional value as a fresh fruit, hence these are considered to be very healthy for consumption. However, the high value of sweet in some of the dried fruits does not allow for too much of their consumption. In addition to providing all the essential nutrients to the body, dried fruits also provide mass immunization from a number of chronic diseases. The great combination of protective bioactive ingredients, healthy nutritional value and a nice taste has now made dried fruits popular all around the globe. However, their high resistance to spoilage and long lasting shelf life has made them a good food item to store and use not only to maintain good health but also use for quick servings when nothing else is ready and someone arrives at home. They are also largely stored by many families where children need to eat at odd times. It is a pretty good and rather recommended idea as children only eat junk food when they feel hungry at odd timings. Such eating orders are not uncommon amongst children. The, why not serve them with something healthy rather than compelling them to go out and get things that might not be god for health at all. In countries where dried fruits are mass produced, people use them largely in homes due to their easy and cheap availability. In such countries, exotic drinks and food items are also made using dried fruits.

Some of the main nutrition’s of a dried fruit would be Vitamin A, potassium, sodium, calcium, Vitamin K and dietary fiber along with others. Like fresh fruits, they contain no cholesterol, saturated fats, fats, and trans fats. Hence they are fit for use by all kinds of people.

Anti Aging Products

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We age and our skins are the most visible parts where aging is evident. More than anywhere, aging shows on the face and it is there that most anti-aging products focus on. Anti-aging products are based on moisturizers and are promoted to slow and/or reverse the signs of aging which are chiefly wrinkles, fine lines, blemishes, discolorations and other environmental damages to the skin.

Skin aging can present as any of the following: laxity or sagging of the skin; rhytids or appearance of wrinkles; and photoaging. Photoaging is due to the damage to the skin from exposure to the sun and can show as erythema or redness, dyspigmentation or brown discolorations, solar elastosis or yellowing of the skin, keratoses or abnormal skin growths and loss of firm skin texture.

The basics of aging is rooted in the breakdown of the skin’s two most important structural molecules: collagen and elastin. They are both proteins and are responsible for the skin’s structural integrity. Collagen is fibrous and provides the skin’s tensile strength and thus the firmness. When it starts to break down, the skin sags and wrinkles begin to appear. Elastin, on the other hand, is responsible for the skin’s flexibility. It is elastin that lets the skin return to its normal shape and original position every time it is stretched and the skin is stretched always either by our movement or by environmental factors such as cold or hot weather.

These two proteins are so important to determining the appearance of the skin that every anti-aging product makes strong references to them. However, it is simply a marketing hokum and bad science to think that anti-aging products packing collagen and elastin will slow or reverse skin aging. In truth, these molecules when supplied by skincare products are too big to be absorbed into the skin. Even if absorbed, supplying a vital molecule for skin firmness and elasticity from outside does not necessarily translate to the body utilizing it for the same purpose. The best solution is supplying the skin with ingredients that can stimulate the natural production of collagen and elastin.

Therefore, the most effective ingredients in anti-aging products stimulate cell renewal or protect the skin from further damage. The commonest effective active agents in such products include retinol, epidermal growth factor, alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs), coenzyme Q10, peptides, anti-oxidants and sunscreens.

Retinol or Vitamin A1 is presented as retinyl palmitate and is one of only a handful active agents proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Other vitamins included as anti-oxidants are Vitamins E and C. They protect the skin from damages by mopping up harmful free radicals.

Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) is an extensively studied compound proven to reduce sagging, fine lines and wrinkles. It is a combination of 53 amino acids and it stimulates collagen production as well as elastin, guaranteeing structural strengthening and elasticity of the skin. Also used for its healing and anti-inflammatory properties on the skin, it won a 1986 Nobel for its discoverer.

AHAs, also called alpha hyaluronic acids, and beta hydroxyl acids promote exfoliation of the skin epidermis by dissolving the “glue” holding dead skin cells together. By exposing new skin cells, the skin looks younger naturally. These active agents are naturally occurring on the skin as hyaluronan which is inhibited by the enzyme hyaluronidase. Certain anti-aging products include agents that blocks the actions of this enzyme, therefore, allowing the natural hyaluronan to keep acting.

Coenzyme Q10 is a special anti-oxidant found in skin cells. It is also needed to remove unstable molecules such as free radicals which are damaging to the skin. However, with age, the natural store of the enzyme is depleted, necessitating replenishment from anti-aging products. Coenzyme Q10 comes in different formulations. The nano-emulsion formulation is known to penetrate deeper and provide a better anti-aging action.

Sunscreens are the last essential ingredient of anti-aging products. They are important to stem further aging of the skin especially photoaging by protecting it from the harmful effect of ultraviolet solar radiation. Sunscreens are even more important especially in formulations where exfoliating agents such as AHAs are present. By removing layers of dead cells from the skin, the skin is more exposed to harmful UVA rays. Sunscreens can offer a coat of protection when used with such agents.

Yeast Nutritional Supplement

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Although more known for their use in cooking, yeasts are basically microorganisms and belong to the Fungi Kingdom. They have innumerable species and by far, only 1% of these species have been fully discovered by scientists. The discovered and rightly described species, sum up to around 1500 in number.
Yeasts are living organisms and reproduce mainly in two ways. Either they grow on another organism and stick top it unless they become mature or they come out of a single parent. The two process are known as asexual reproduction and budding respectively. Due to its easy handling, yeast supplement has been largely used for study in biological research. Since many millennia now, yeasts have also been popularly used in baking and the process of fermentation. Hence, from the companies that make alcoholic cocktails to homes, yeasts can be seen everywhere.

Although yeasts had been in use since thousands of years, their identity was lost for quite some time and their uses were not known to most people in the last few centuries. Diggings in Egypt brought out bakeries and breweries as old as 4000 years old. Even there, yeast was being used for baking and brewing purposes.

In the modern era, Yeast Supplement was first viewed microscopically by a Dutch naturalist named Anton van Leeuwenhoek in the year 1608. However, his research was different from what people know about this microorganism today. At that time, yeasts were not considered to be living organisms. It was in 1857 that the world renowned French scientist, Louis Pasteur proved them to be living organisms and fit for brewing alcoholic drinks.  As far as it use in baking is concerned, it has rather continued since ages. Some of the oldest uses of yeasts by modern man in baking have been those of the Dutch who sold it commercially even in the 18th century for making bread. The specie that they used is known as Saccharomyces Cerevisiae.  By the same time, the brewing quality of this microorganism had also been studied in more detail.

Most people only know the use of yeast supplement in fermentation only as far as brewing alcoholic beverages is concerned. However, only a very few people know that it can also be used for fermenting sugars. Scientists have identified different yeast for fermenting different items and this is how they are being largely used in the food industry around the world. Some of the most popular yeasts are baker’s yeast that is used to produce bread, red rice yeast that is used to ferment red rice and brewer’s yeast that is used in the fermentation of beer.
There is also a kind of yeasts that is used to make wine and sugar alcohol. Each of the kinds of yeasts has its own scientific name but for commercial use and production, they have been given the names of the food item that they are used for. This eases their trade with lay persons. For instance, the red rice yeast supplement is known to scientists as Monascus Purpureus. The use of yeasts extends further to the fermentation of non-alcoholic beverages as well. It is also not necessary that only one type of this microorganism would be used for just one type of food. There are many kinds of yeasts that are used in baking as well as brewing alcoholic items.

Although the oldest proof of the use of yeasts have been found from the archeological sites of ancient Egypt, it is quite possible that they could have been used before that time as well. Whatever might be the use of yeasts was to them, to a modern man, they are something very useful. Numerous kinds of yeasts have been used in the production of probiotics and nutritional supplements. Although yeasts can severely spoil food and by forming on the layer of food items such as jams, juices and cheese, they have had a long history of undesirable role in people’s lives, they can also work in a very positive manner for human body.
Also, many types of yeast have been discovered that cause diseases, yeast extracts on the other hand are now being largely used by the food industry for the purpose of flavoring. S

Naturally, the composition of this microorganism has been designed to provide a human body with vitamins, amino acids, enzymes and minerals and helps proper growth and function of metabolism, growth and immune systems. Biological advantages of yeasts are now known to the whole world and it is also being widely used for treatments in the beautification industry. Further research might bring us with more astonishing results about an organism that we cannot even see with a naked eye.