Nutrition/Food

Green bread anyone…?

The other day I was sitting down to lunch with a few others at a canteen type location and while they all tucked into the catering offerings, I was preparing a lunch for myself that was about to cause some quiet sensation.

The first comment was, ‘@$*!ing hell…! Is that bread moldy!?!’ and it went on from there. Fair dos really as I was smearing cashew butter and avocado onto what looked, for all the world, like a piece of bread currently sporting a lab bacteria experiment. It wasn’t obvs.

It is quite simply my homemade bread as shown in this previous post Awesome Bread…! but this time with spirulina. The added ingredient responsible for the scrunched up noses and suspicious looks!

Quite frankly I’ve taken to adding spirulina to my bread because it’s about the only way I can actually enjoy it! The packaging, along with many websites, extol the virtues (fact) and suggest it is delicious sprinkled and added to a variety of things like smoothies, pasta sauces, stir fries, dips and dressings (fiction). It has a deep earthy taste that turns claggy and bitter in your mouth and smells like weeks old water that a bunch of flowers has sat in or a stagnant pond. This latter is not that surprising when you know it is actually blue-green algae.

Actually, blue-green algae is the more accessible term adopted for what is, in truth, a type of bacteria that grows in water by harnessing the warmth and power of the sun. Merrily it has photosynthesised itself into creation, quietly going about its bacterial business for eons when some bright spark comes along and discovers, what this unicellular ancient mariner knew all along, that it’s a powerhouse of health and goodness.

So, why spirulina?

Good question and one that, as with most things, requires a slightly lengthy answer! Well, I’m not famed for my simple answers am I? And, after all, health is a serious business.

It has been credited with many health benefits – some borne out by research and generally accepted to be true, and others that remain the subject of doubt and debate. As with all things labelled ‘superfoods’ (awful expression) its health benefits are seemingly endless. So, hopefully, it:

is an all round brilliant anti-oxidant
helps balance blood pressure and blood sugar levels
assists in the protection against stroke, cancer and anemia
helps raise the ‘good’ cholesterol HDL and lower the ‘bad’ cholesterol LDL
is generally anti-inflammatory especially in cases of allergic rhinitis
is generally immune boosting and assists the body with fighting auto-immune diseases
supports and assists healthy gut bacteria function…

…even if it does a little of each of these or simply assists with just one then it’s worth a go, right?

It’s the amount and quality of the protein that gives spirulina it’s reputation – a rare plant based protein that is a complete protein – meaning it contains all the essential amino-acids (called essential because they are vital for the body but cannot be made by the body, unlike non-essentials, so must be provided through the diet). It’s variously reported to be between 65 and 70% protein – which make it one of the highest of all known foods. It could rival eggs as the poster child for complete protein outside an animal product (I might add that a poached egg on this bread is a divine combination – a marriage of the super-proteins!)

It is similarly lauded for its essential fatty acid content. The ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 in spirulina is considered ideal. Usually we have too much Omega 6 compared to Omega 3 in our diets but it’s not that either is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ it’s really about the amount of each. They have their own benefits but the source and ratio to each other is the key factor. The ideal Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio is anywhere from 1:1 up to no more than 4 or 5:1. Spirulina is 1.5:1…!

It has no hard outer cell wall so is easy to digest and is low in fat and sodium but high in protein and packed with vital minerals especially copper and iron, but it has a good dose of others like manganese and potassium too. It has small amounts of just about every nutrient we need. Although high in several key vitamins from the B group its claim to be high in vitamin B12 is seemingly untrue. Long has a search gone on for a plant based vitamin B12 to help the diets of vegetarians and vegans (the best sources of vitamin B12 are animal products) but the truth seems to be that the vitamin B12 in spirulina is what’s known as a pseudovitamin and therefore not effective in humans.

There is (currently) an added feel good factor to spirulina as it has an almost singular reputation of not being detrimental to those communities who harvest it, unlike other fashionable foods like coconut water. It is also being investigated as a way to combat world hunger and malnutrition. That’s no casual statement as its hardy ability to grow just about anywhere and survive just about any conditions, coupled with its host of health benefits and mega protein levels, actually make it seem like a proper contender.

So get adding it to your bread mix because perhaps it does deserve that superfood moniker after all…?

The health benefits of the spelt flour and various seeds used in this bread are all explained in the bread-making article Awesome Bread…!

Brain food…

There are many aspects to a healthy body and lifestyle but the fuel we give our bodies can often feel like a far too complex subject for us to seriously tackle. However, I believe that the key to glorious healthy eating is having a basic knowledge of how your body actually works and processes food. Armed with that knowledge we can begin to give our bodies the things it really needs to keep us feeling lovely and vibrant.

Our brain cells need twice the energy that the other cells in our body need. These 100 billion ‘neurons’ in our brain never stop working, creating, connecting and rebuilding. So, it is vital to give them all the things they need to keep us a fabulous as we quite clearly are…

Essentially, fats build your brain, proteins then enable it to do its work, while carbohydrates fuel it and micronutrients defend it…so eating a balanced, varied diet is what you aim for to keep your brain (and body) happy.

Fats: At least two thirds of your brain is made of fat. The brain usesall fats (yes, even saturated) to build and regenerate itself and keep everything in the best possible working order. Keeping the oxygen, glucose (both are brain ‘fuel’) and antioxidants needed for optimum function going in and the metabolic waste going out. A key fat is the EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) Omega 3 which, like its more abundant sister Omega 6, cannot be made in the body and must be obtained through the diet. The ratio between Omega 3 and 6 is key. Most of us consume far too much Omega 6 and too little 3. To redress this try to avoid processed oils/fats (e.g. vegetable oil, margarine) and go for organic, unrefined oils/fats (e.g. olive oil, butter).

Proteins: When protein is digested, it is broken down into its constituent amino acids, which are then rebuilt into the different types of proteins needed to function e.g. neurotransmitters, enzymes and hormones. Eight of these amino acids are called ‘essential’, as your body cannot produce them and so must obtain them from your diet. Food sources of all eight essential amino acids are called complete proteins and include meat, poultry and fish, eggs and diary. Incomplete proteins, containing only some of the eight, include grains, nuts, seeds and beans.

Of course, meat and animal products, like eggs and milk, are really only as good as the feed the animal itself was given…so try to go for the best reared and best fed that you possibly can.

Carbohydrates: When carbohydrates are digested, they are broken down mostly into glucose, a simple form of sugar that provides energy to the body and brain alike. Glucose is the brain‘s primary energy source but brain cells cannot store it, therefore, require a steady supply of glucose be delivered to it through the bloodstream.Notice glucose, not sugar. Refined or added sugars, as found in most shop bought foods, hit the bloodstream too quickly and this peaks and crashes your brain, which inflames and stresses it. Or it actually deprives the brain of glucose because the high blood sugar levels trigger the pancreas to produce insulin to store the excess glucose before it ever reaches the brain. Complex carbohydrates, as found in whole fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grains, provide the brain and body with a healthier and more steady supply of glucose.

Slow down the journey of carbs through your body by combining with fats and protein. E.g. eggs on whole grain toast will keep you fuller for longer and give your brain a nice steady supply of energy.

Micronutrients: The brain relies on antioxidants to protect it from damage. Oxygen balance is key to brain health, as it can be as harmful to the brain as it is vital. Certain forms of oxygen, called free radicals, can damage brain cells but antioxidants, as found abundantly in fruits and vegetables, neutralize these before they can cause any damage. Vitamins C, D, E, K and the B complex as well as the minerals iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iodine and lithium are all sited as necessary for different brain functions.

Be aware that some vitamins (especially notable – Vitamin C) are destroyed by exposure to oxygen or heat (processing, pasturisation etc.) so try to eat some fruits and vegetables in their lovely fresh raw state!

Some foods with mega brain bounty are:

Oily fish – well, you’ve heard this countless times I’m sure. Fish is brain food! The key is in the EFA Omega 3. It’s the DHA acronym you see bandied about everywhere that counts and it’s really deliciously available in oily fish. Okay, I know there’ll be wrinkling of noses here as we are a society of cod and haddock eaters but think of the near depletion of these less healthy fish and switch to their healthier, easily available (tinned) and much cheaper brethren.

Nuts – walnuts and almonds for instance are a perfect brain snack. A perfect balance (of course – nature made them…!!) of protein, fat, fibre and vitamins with minerals.

Strawberries and blueberries – awesome sources of those power antioxidants your brain needs to keep any tricksy free radicals harmless. Vitamin C and E are especially useful to the brain.

Greek yoghurt – the full fat version (really it’s only a teeny bit fattier than that skimmed nonsense and the bit that gets skimmed is actually the healthy bit…!!) It also has tyrosine in which gives you a mental boost of alertness.

Beans – packed with B vitamins and fibre these slow release (complex) carbohydrates are a boon to mind and body. Store cupboard stalwarts and cheap too!

Eggs – (free range and organic) contain choline which is a brain nutrient extraordinaire.

Flax seeds – tricky to incorporate I’ll admit but they come in various versions and a few sprinkled here and there will never be noticed by your emotional eating self but will be cherished and adored by your brain!

Tempeh – a soya protein that keeps the blood sugar stable and is super healthy all round. It’s heaps cheaper than meat and to get the same benefits you’d have to buy organic, grass reared beef…But,okay, it’s not that easy to find, as in, it won’t be in a local supermarket often but any independent health food shop or Chinese style Asian market will have it…but try to get a really good quality one that has been as organically produced as possible.

Cold pressed oils – olive, avocado, flax and walnut – I also use these on my body instead of moisturiser but that’s another story…

Herbs – sage and rosemary are considered to be the most powerful brain tonics while basil, nutmeg and coriander are linked with brain mood. Chilli and ginger also affect the brain as they open up those tiny blood vessels and get the blood flowing (also assisting the circulatory and digestive systems – all good)! You sweat from the ‘heat’ and your brain is lavished in oxygen and iron rich blood. Bliss.

Treat your brain to lots of laughter and moderate exercise. Turn off that TV and ask it to learn a new skill, think positive, solve puzzles, draw and listen to music or read…and get some proper sleep…not necessarily in that order or all at once but start as you mean to go on!

Banana bread or muffins…(no added sugar)

Got some of these…?

It happens. Those good intentions of eating the whole bunch through the week. Well, this is a perfect way to use them and, in fact, I go to my local Co-op and search out the most over-ripe ones deliberately. So horrified is the lady there that she gives me them discounted and clearly thinks I’m a loon.

Makes 6 largish muffins or 1 loaf .

Pre-heat oven to about 190

200g of flour (I use a combo of wholemeal and Spelt – too little gluten will make the muffin heavier – but experiment with just about anything you fancy or have lying around)

1 tsp of baking powder

½ tsp of bicarb of soda

100g of dried fruit (I use strawberries, cranberries, cherries and blueberries. Supermarkets pre-pack and pre-weigh these…the darlings. But anything you fancy obvs. Go crazy. Figs are lush in this. Also, feel free to use fresh berries and fruit but all fresh with no dried can make the end result a bit mushy)

4 medium size super ripe bananas

1 tbs of butter – I believe in butter and strongly disapprove of any other versions and ‘spreads’…urgh even the word is grim.

A good dash of vanilla essence – I use a cap full

1 large egg

120ml of milk or quarter pint-ish? – sometimes the mixture doesn’t need as much or even any milk. It depends on the squishiness of the bananas and the amount of butter you’ve hurled in. You just need to judge this by eye when the time comes.

In a mixing bowl put the flour, baking powder and bicarb and mix well. Then add the dried fruit.

Mix well to coat. Then squish the bananas into this mixture and give them a good bashing.

I like to get involved so I tend to use the best universe-given implements around and mush the bananas into the mixture with my hand. It’s very therapeutic…this is the point when recipes usually say twee things like ‘kids’ll love it!’ but I unashamedly admit that I love it!)

In a separate bowl place the butter – I melt it for simplicity’s sake with a quick blast from the microwave but you could just do the following with soft butter and beat it (all very violent isn’t it?) all into submission – and add the vanilla essence.

When the butter has cooled a bit (if nuked) break the egg into this and whisk together with gusto.

Add the whole lot to the dry mixture. Gently combine. Don’t over mix.

Then slug some milk in if needed. Dunno exactly how much really I just sling some in until it looks right (helpful eh?!?) Remember sometimes it doesn’t really need it! ‘Til it looks like this:

Divide into the muffin tin, or pour into loaf tin, and cook, rotating if necessary, for about 30 mins – depending on your oven and if you’re using a loaf tin it will definitely take longer (maybe another 15 mins or so) but once a cocktail stick (I use a chopstick – because it’s to hand) comes out clean, well, clean-ish (as the texture of this is so dense) it is/they are done baby!

Allow whole loaf/muffin tin to cool on a rack for a while, maybe 30 mins, and then remove the loaf/muffins onto the rack and allow to cool fully before storing in air tight container until needed for healthy snacking. Or sling a scoop of ice cream over while they’re warm for a lush dessert…which ain’t so healthy but totally rocks.

The unrefined and different varieties of flour make for a less spongey and springy product. This combo makes a dense and compact loaf which I much prefer. I want a rib-sticking, slow release snack for energy but with mega taste. You must, as ever, do as you please…

Added Sugars – the legal class A drugs…

This might seem a bit over the top but the truth seems increasingly hard to avoid. Everyone and everything has the knives out for sugar…and about flipping’ time!! It’s become embedded in our lives as the go-to substance for a treat or reward and, as an answer to stressful times, it’s synonymous with comfort. All experts agree that heaps more sugar is consumed now than ever before.

Yes, we can process sugar, of course, and we do need, and can find good use for, a dash of it when nature includes it in a natural food but, the fact is, we simply consume way too much for our bodies to process. The immediate burst of energy it gives is all very well till the crash that rapidly follows and the constant cravings that this spike and trough roller coaster triggers. Fatigue and headaches, lack lustre mid afternoon lulls and dehydration. Then there’s the weight gain…and many other linked nasties…

We are talking about what are often referred to as ‘added sugars’ not the ones found naturally occurring in raw foods but the ones that are ‘made’, refined and packaged to utilise in foods as taste enhancers etc.

The whole debate about refined sugars vs unrefined and white vs brown etc. is essentially bogus. See this sugar post for further discussion and general sugar chit chat.

I’m sure you all get it by now but in case you’ve been away a lot, skiving from class and/or just attending a very long course in avoidance, then these are the types of things sugar currently stands accused of:

Tooth decay

Accelerating the ageing process

Behavioural problems – especially in children

Anxiety and depression

Increasing the risk of weight gain and obesity

Hampering the immune system

Causing type 2 diabetes

Cardiovascular and heart disease

Macular degeneration

Renal failure and kidney disease

High blood pressure

Reducing the body’s natural ability to fight bacteria

Interfering with mineral absorption

Causing gastric issues such as ulcers

Arthritis and all inflammation within the body

Causing liver fat and damage

Linked to various cancers

Linked to just about every brain disease

Being more addictive than cocaine or alcohol

…and the list goes on and on…

…enough to make you stop and think, at least, before ignoring the levels of sugar you perhaps consume in a day…?

The GDA (Guideline Daily Allowance) for sugar is a mind boggling 90g per day. This is from both naturally occurring (fruit sugars, lactose in milk etc.) and added sugars but allows for a staggering 50g of added sugar which is around 12/13 teaspoons!! That’s a couple of cans of soda or half a packet of biscuits! Hmmm, wait a minute, that sounds like a whole heap but when you actually start looking at the foods we eat in a day and see that added sugar lurks in just about every food that is processed, even in a presumed basic way like breads, yoghurts and cereals…it’s easy to eat way above this guideline…

In fact, savoury packaged foods very often have sugar added, as does all low fat or ‘fat-free’ food (fat removal leaves food bland and vague and sugar is a main stay of the flavour and texture replacements), touted healthy foods like cereal bars and fruit juice are loaded with many forms of sugar, AND bear in mind many modern varieties of fruit (especially apples) have been bred to increase their ‘sweetness’ so even ‘natural’ products are now poisonous – it’s like all Grimm’s fairy tales rolled into one..!

I sense from the questions I’m being asked that people are frankly, and quite rightly, confused and getting a tad irritated over the whole SUGARGATE wrangle!! We will explore breaking the addiction to sugar and ridding ourselves of our acquired sweet tooth in a different post but for now let’s identify the enemy shall we?

For starters let’s begin a ‘hidden sugar’ list for all those who are trying to avoid it completely. Just to reiterate, what we are talking about here isn’t the carbs that the body breaks down into sugars (that’s a whole different post…) but the actual added ones that are liberally used in food throughout the prepared food market place. Some of you will want (and need) to avoid all sugars as much as humanly possible to retrain your taste buds and send a strong message to your body to start using the fuel it has stored (essentially fat) and return itself to the normal and natural process of fuelling the body through the use of a varied and balanced range of whole grains (complex carbohydrates), fats and proteins…which we will self-lovingly feed it…won’t we?

As always and ever read ingredients lists and don’t be tricked by the often subliminal messages the packaging sends you. A green label doesn’t mean healthy…it’s just a green label…

Always look at the per 100g values NOT the portion values and as a rule of thumb less than 5g is low sugar content, and more than 15g is high. Well, that’s the official guidelines rule of thumb malarkey but you’ll need to go lower than these figures to break your addiction. I mean, IF you’re addicted, of course…

Look out for these:

Agave syrup/agave nectar

Barley malt/barley malt syrup

Beet sugar

Brown rice syrup

Brown sugar

Cane sugar/cane crystals/evaporated cane juice/dehydrated cane juice/cane juice crystals

Caramel

Carob syrup

Caster sugar

Coconut sugar/coconut palm sugar

Confectioner’s sugar

Corn syrup

Date sugar

Demerara sugar

Dextrin

Dextrose (D-glucose)

Deionised fruit juices

Fruit juice/fruit juice concentrate

Fructose/crystalline fructose

Fructose/glucose syrups

Glucose (dextrose)/glucose syrup

Golden syrup

Grape sugar

High-fructose corn syrup/corn sweetener

High Maltose syrups

Honey

Icing sugar

Invert sugar

Isoglucose

Grape sugar

Golden syrup

Lactose

Maise syrups

Malt extract/malt syrup

Maltodextrin

Maltose

Maple syrup

Molasses

Muscovado sugar

Nectars/fruit nectars (peach, pear etc)

Palm sugar

Raw sugar

Rice sugar/ rice syrup

Saccharose aka sucrose

Sorbitol

Sorghum/sorghum syrup

Sucrose aka saccharose

Sugar/white sugar/table sugar/granulated sugar

Syrup/corn syrup

Treacle

Turbinado sugar

Xylitol

Xylose

Any others you see or know about let me know…!

And let’s throw in the other sweeteners while we are at it shall we…? There is growing evidence that ‘artificial sweeteners’ are actually increasing the likelihood of the metabolic syndrome more usually associated with added sugars. They also stand compellingly accused of failing to satisfy any sugar cravings and indeed triggering further cravings leading to increased intake. More on this anon, of course…

Acesulfame K

Aspartame

Cyclamate

Neotame

Saccharin

Sucralose

Awesome bread…!

Ok, firstly I have to admit I make this in a bread machine…if that makes me wrong then I don’t wanna be right, baby! Yes, I like making bread from scratch and the visceral feel of it is luscious and the getting down and dirty with the ingredients is compelling but…I’ve got heaps of books lying around unread…so it’s all about priorities. A friend makes a sourdough loaf (which is lovely) born from a jar rescued from an episode of Quatermass, which takes ALL DAY to wrangle. Lord have mercy…and say no more…

Second point about this bread is that it is something I made for myself initially without thought to recipe posting but only thinking of my diet. It’s a splendid mix of complex slow release carbohydrates with proteins and micro nutrients that make it almost a dietary sin NOT to eat!

Incidentally, as always and ever, I use the word ‘diet’ as in food intake (literally ‘the diet’) rather than those ridiculous Tenko style regimes of eating that only fools put themselves through in vain efforts to lose weight. Diets don’t work!! It’s an eating life style change that is needed…and breathe…(someone burn this soapbox please, I’m boring myself….)

So it goes something like this (I know people bang on about the exact science of baking but I have made this loaf a hundred times and each time with some variation and fluctuation in amounts for various reasons (usually because I’m too busy talking…) and it’s ALWAYS turned out gorgeously):

340ml of warm water (what with my eye sight and the ancient plastic jug I measure with this is an average figure!)

500g of wholegrain spelt flour (I suspect other whole grain flours work but there’s a gluten content fluctuation wrangle which I simply cannot get into here – anyway the steely eyed silver fox Mr Hollywood has covered this a zillion times)

1 and a half teaspoons of fast acting yeast

2 tablespoons of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil (cos that’s what I have – other olive oils will work too – avocado is a good option)

Handful of mixed seeds – I use pumpkin, sunflower, linseed (flaxseeds) and sesame seeds because that’s what comes in the packet I buy! Also, I know ‘handful’ isn’t very useful but I never measure it and it’s a question of taste too. I s’pose it’s anywhere between 50 – 100gs

Optional – 75g of mature organic cheddar – or just break a chunk off and grate it in like I do…don’t judge me! I like a more ‘savoury’ bread so this completes that taste spectrum but just leave it out if you don’t fancy it. Please yourself. Please.

I don’t add any salt and I add the ingredients to the machine in the order above. I then set the machine to rapid bake (shortest baking time setting) and press start.

It’s arduous I must say…I am completely knackered after all that effort and need to sit down and read my book for an hour…well, for 58 minutes actually cos after that it’s done!

Now my machine produces the most wondrous loaves, perfectly cooked and browned on all sides and the bottom…but not the top. Dunno why and I suspect there’s a knack but I’ve got into the habit of chucking it under the grill for a few minutes to sort it out that way. Bit Heath Robinson I’m sure but nonetheless delicious. Actually…I only did this once and completely for show. Now I can’t be arsed so I just eat it with it’s paler top. Tastes the same after all…

Obviously, due to the lack of anything resembling a preservative this loaf will not keep for very long. Depending on how many people and how much bread you eat etc. it will keep for a few days in an airtight container but get crumblier and probably be in need of a toasting to rejuvenate it! To avoid this I slice it when it is cool and freeze it to use whenever desired (I place pieces of foil between the slices to prevent them sticking together and me having to launch them at the counter top in an attempt to free a single slice…the voice of experience!) It toasts beautifully from the freezer in a toaster and provides an anytime chance for a healthy snack.

If you are not making this in a bread machine then be aware that the gluten in spelt is much more delicate than it’s modern cousin wheat and needs more careful handling. Halve both the kneading and the proving times than those of wheat, especially the latter because if the loaf goes too far during the proving process it will collapse and ruin. The more fragile nature of the gluten in spelt also means it is easier to digest and often those who are wheat intolerant can manage it.

Spelt has a far broader range of nutrients (especially minerals) than it’s modern day relatives and the wholegrain element of it is the clincher. I cannot say this often enough but fibre is an utterly vital part of your dietary intake, yet it has to be the most overlooked.

Seeds are a gift from nature to our health. Portable and easy to fling into just about anything, they pack a substantial nutritional punch for their size! Their speciality is minerals and these elements of our body’s function are often mysterious I think so I’m listing them here to show, at least, how intrinsic they are to our survival.

Pumpkin seeds are noted for their high mineral content, especially zinc (used throughout the body to maintain efficient flow of all processes, boosts immune and nervous system function, used to metabolise carbohydrates and protein, maintains the prostate, helps the formation of insulin and collagen, used in the contraction of muscles) and manganese (helps metabolise fats and proteins to create energy, used in the forming of healthy bones, tissues, nerves and cartilage and for a healthy reproductive system). The seeds have vitamin E (proper functioning of the reproductive and immune systems, prolongs the life of the red blood cells, maintains nerves and muscles, helps metabolise polyunsaturated fatty acids, powerful antioxidant value (especially fats in cells), anticoagulant – said to reduce the risk of heart disease, reduces blood pressure and promotes healthy hair and skin) but also versions of vitamin E that are also a key part of the complex antioxidant processes within the body, providing the body with a better antioxidant platform than just regular vitamin E by itself.

Sesame seeds are noted for their mineral content too. They are high in copper (used to make red and white blood cells, vital for infant growth and brain development, assists immune system (and helps defend against infection), used for strong bones and blood vessels, protects nerve tissue and as an antioxidant it mops up and deactivates free radicals), magnesium (part of the strong bones and teeth triad of minerals and helps build body tissue, used in the muscles to create contractions, assists nerve function, used to activate metabolism and energy production, used in enzyme activation for regeneration, said to be useful against PMS as it combines with calcium to form a natural muscle relaxer) and calcium (essential for strong bones and teeth, used in nerve and muscle function and signalling, used in the muscles for contraction (including heartbeat), blood clotting, said to lower risk of colon cancer, regulates fluid balance) but also contain iron (needed for making haemoglobin (in red blood cells) that transport oxygen/carbon dioxide to and from cells, used in growth, energy production and metabolising B vitamins, helps fight fatigue and resist disease through assisting the immune system, assists the body remove unwanted substances) and phosphorous (used in all the chemical and metabolic processes of the cells and their structure, works with calcium to grow and maintain strong bones and teeth, involved in regulating the heart, kidney function and nerve impulses, helps maintain the HP balance of blood).

Sunflower seeds are high in polyunsaturated fats (Omega-3 and Omega-6 the two essential fatty acids the body needs yet cannot make), the antioxidant vitamin E (also cardiovascular benefits and anti-inflammatory effect on the body’s systems) and the minerals magnesium and selenium (powerful antioxidant (working with vitamin E) mopping up free radicals, used in proper functioning of the immune system, reduces inflammation, used in male reproductive system).

Linseeds (flaxseeds) are noted for their Omega-3 content. Of the two essential fatty acids Omega-3 is the harder one to get into our dietary intake and flaxseeds are a brilliant way of doing this. Incidentally, the ground up version is widely available in supermarkets now and can be flung in just about everything, which is especially useful if you’re not a fan of the other great way to get this essential fat – oily fish! Omega-3 is vital for reducing the inflammation throughout your body, keeping cells lubricated, key part of the regulation of fat storage and release, inhibits the thickening of arteries and is thought to battle the growth of cancers. It also becomes a gum like fibre when ‘processed’ and slows the digestion of foods to allow for the proper ingestion of nutrients.

Eggs are eggs right…? Part 3

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, on each store bought egg there is a Lion Brand Stamp. This means the egg is produced in a place that has vaccinated its hens against salmonella and also tells you something about the way the hen is being treated. Just to the right of the stamped Red Lion is a number, each indicating the farming method:

0 – organic

1 – free-range

2 – barn

3 – caged

In the last post we looked at the darkest of these – number 3. Please read that and further articles, of which there are many brilliant ones on the net, to fully comprehend that warning you off these isn’t just some hippy-dippy beaded protest, it’s a real and diabolical human travesty against hens that we must not be a part of. Please. I thank you…

So, what of the other ways of farming hens…? The RSPCA only cautions against ‘caged’ eggs. Everyone agrees that the caged system is grim, but the real controversy starts beyond those methods. The numbering system implies a better condition and better product as it counts down and the price counts up. BUT are they really that much better? Is there a clear winner in the short term and a long term solution? First let’s look at the other options beyond the caged system.

Number 2 refers to the ‘barn’ farmed hens and their eggs. Now, doesn’t the word ‘barn’ conjure up all sorts of homestyle images of the sun setting on wheat fields and idyllic country life? Ahh how nice! Well, not for the hens, of course, as it’s basically it’s a huge metal hangar (not so romantic now eh?) The British Egg Information Service (www.britegg.co.uk) says of barn hens:

The hen house conditions for barn hens are set by the EU Welfare of Laying Hens legislation and stipulate a maximum stocking density of 9 hens per square metre of useable area (which is still pretty crowded btw – MB). Hens must be provided with nest boxes. Adequate perches, providing 15 centimetres of perch per hen, must also be provided. Litter must be provided, accounting for one-third of the ground surface – this is used for scratching and dust bathing.

The RSPCA agree that this is generally ok and allow their Freedom Food logo to be used on these eggs but it’s hardly ‘freedom’ is it? Well, it’s definitely a step up from the cages and at least there can be some perching and dust bathing and the multi-tiered barns allow for some up and down flying too. However, critics say the birds are trampling about in their own waste products, stressed by overcrowding, disorientated by the artificial light and never take in a scrap of fresh air their whole lives. The birds are stuffed together and still fed continuously for maximum egg production so does the chance of spending a few moments on a 15cm perch really equate to adequate conditions for the hens and does it therefore make for good healthy hens and eggs?

Further to this, it seems that the next level of egg production, labelled ‘Free Range’ and stamped with the number 1, is only the barn version but with ‘access’ to outside space during the daylight hours. There’s a hitch here straight away. Hens are naturally not keen on going out into wide open spaces as they fear aerial predators. The British Lion Code legislation requires vegetation (ground) and outdoor shading or a veranda (for those Tennessee Williams style hens that want to sit rocking in a porch swing smoking a cheroot) but hens prefer overhead covering to their vegetation (so they can feel safe scratching about for insects and dust bathing) so they tend NOT to go out of the pitifully few and small portals (ironically called ‘pop-holes’) that are provided and remain in the barn…so essentially a barn hen with a bigger price tag. Are these eggs producers likely to create safe outside spaces for their hens? No, of course not, it wouldn’t be economically viable to them I suspect…right? And hens shouldn’t smoke anyway…naughty hens…

Critics further slam (‘slam’ is so tabloid isn’t it?!) these methods by pointing out that the hens spend an inordinate amount of time subsequently jostling with each other inside rather than risk the outside and continue to bully, and even cannibalise, each other (so often have part of their beak removed – not very ‘free’ range is it?) not to mention wading through their own waste products which can lead to ammonia burns. Hmmm…not so good huh?

The ‘Organic’ eggs stamped with the number 0 are the same as Free Range but with legislation governing the soil and feed. Both these have to be certified as organic to meet the EU and British Lion Code standards. I think it’s telling that the organic standards are the EU stipulated ones (although be aware that many other countries in the EU have yet to comply with the EU laws governing caged hens so…) but the Lion Code people add a further stipulation, rather smugly I feel, ordering the ‘pop-holes’ for organic hens be larger. But this is admitting that the other hens are having to ‘pop’ through an inadequate hole isn’t it?! Oooh we’ve made their access to the outside world, fresh air, sunlight and chance to display natural habits (and the smoking veranda no doubt) bigger! Aren’t we just the nicest? Don’t you just love us now? And you don’t really mind us charging you more for that either do you? Ahhh thanks mugs…er…we mean, thanks lovely consumers…

Ok sarcasm is the lowest form of wit (but the hardest to master…) and I think you get the point. Is it a scam? Are we being jipped? Incidentally, I like the fact that the organic eggs pictured above say ‘eggs of different sizes’. Naturally hens lay different sized eggs and usually never the ‘large’ variety unless forced…the size (in this case) does not matter. Large eggs are only used in recipes as a failsafe and a medium, more naturally sized egg (at least for the hens ‘vent’ – don’t get a visual), is perfectly adequate. Think on…anyhoo I digress…

Also – farm shop eggs and farmer’s markets don’t have to be stamped as they operate outside the British Lion Code system so check with them that they are not just caged hens.

Only a small percent of eggs come from a barn or organic system in this country the majority being ‘colony’ ‘enriched cages’ and ‘free range’. Half the eggs produced in this country come from the caged systems. The supporters of ‘colony’ eggs (enriched cages) will talk of the better stability for the hen and that cages allow for their waste to be carried away and how they can control all the elements and create a consistent product, even boasting that the yolks are naturally coloured (from Maize) BUT isn’t it the unsettling nature of the system that means we should choose the eggs from the freer, less ‘treated’, less stressed hens? And some ‘experts’ argue that the nutritional value between caged soya etc fed hens and organic is marginal. But this is like eating fortified flour or cereals – the natural version of a vitamin is the best and a synthesised version is an isolated fake one that has MUCH less benefit. DO NOT be fooled! Vitamins and minerals work in groups and with a natural synergy, they depend upon each other in fact! I almost ‘shouted’ that last bit…I’m getting over excitable in my old age…

So you could argue that none of this is ideal. There is clearly room for improvement all round and in every system of egg production, but until that happens I’d say avoid caged hen products as much as possible, don’t you think? The price difference for better quality and more humanely produced eggs is around 25% more but even at this slightly higher price they are an excellent source of high quality protein (again, you get out of the egg what has been put into it…good or bad) and much cheaper than most other sources like meat – and worth it – especially as both the health of the hen and your health are at stake.

Additives…the big picture…

Food additives are defined as natural or synthetic substances used in the commercial processing of food in order to preserve, add flavour, colour and/or texture. Home made food is eaten straight away or further preserved by freezing, but commercially produced foodstuffs need to have a longer shelf life for purposes of transportation and storage. Bacterial growth would ‘spoil’ most foods long before they arrived in the supermarkets, let alone your fridge or cupboards, without additives.

Food additives are closely controlled by EU law and there is an extensive process through which the additive has to go to be placed on the list of allowable substances. An argument often put forward is that if microbes are killed, or at least their growth slowed, by these preservatives then what are they doing to the cells in our body?! EU regulation is very strict and rigorous testing is used to determine whether there is any danger to humans on any level as well as the projected long-term use. The ADI (Allowable Daily Intake is then further reduced by a safety factor of (usually) 100. Some additives are considered so safe they don’t even have an ADI however. So, those that do have ADI’s can be eaten at will due to the safety factor? Or should we be circumspect about the potential bioaccumulation of the strictly controlled additives especially? Once a substance has passed through the EU testing process it is given an E number. This approval is then monitored and is also reviewed in line with any emerging scientific data.

The E stands for Europe, which really goes some way to demystifying the whole shebang. When I first became aware of E numbers, and probably ever since I’ve heard the name, there has been a negative connotation to them. Hyper active kids, headaches etc. I’ve always supposed this to be true as I’m sure many other people have too. But do they really deserve such condemnation?

To determine this we need to look at what the E number is actually for. The claims, from not only government bodies but from health experts too, are that the majority are completely harmless at any level and some are even potentially good for you. Many are just for show (colour and emulsifiers) and others are there to preserve and stabilise.

Most additives are now legally required to be listed in the product ingredients. These days, in response to the negative connotations to E numbers, manufacturers usually go with the full names of the additives (and the reason for their use – but not the ADI limits I notice!) rather than simply using the E number. But as we will see, the issues of their safety and necessity are not as easy to unravel as you might expect. What is seemingly clear and evident is often not as cut and dried as it perhaps should be. It was ever thus within the food industry eh?

So let’s educate ourselves and see what’s what…

Antioxidants E – numbers from 300-399

When foods are exposed to oxygen they begin to break down and decay (oxidation) and this causes discolouration, rancidity and can change/destroy the nutritional value of the item (e.g. they are used to prevent vitamins combining with the air and being destroyed). Antioxidant additives are used to stop or delay these processes. Foods made using fats or oils are likely to contain antioxidants too even if they are low in fat, as they help prevent decomposition especially when unsaturated fats are involved. The decomposing fat reacts with the oxygen creating the release of peroxides which we know by that characteristic rancid fat smell. Grim…

Many processed and prepackaged products contain an antioxidant; a majority contain citric acid (although vitamin C** (ascorbic acid/E300) is also widely used). Citric acid (which occurs naturally in fruits such as lemons) is used extensively to prevent discolouration, help increase the antioxidant effects of other substances and, in some cases, help regulate the PH balance (marmalade, jellies etc). Ascorbic acid is used to prevent discolouration but largely to replace vitamin C**, or add it back in to, any products where it might have been lost in processing or needed for an extra vitamin boost to the product (fruit juices etc. especially orange juice).

**However, this is contentious (isn’t everything?!) as many noted experts have pointed out that added elements such as ascorbic acid, retinoic acid and types of tocopherol (…er…sorry getting carried away!) I mean, added elements labelled as vitamin C, vitamin A or vitamin E, are not the actual vitamin at all but just a lab created isolation of them (synthetic versions needed to replace the naturally occurring versions lost during processing – especially vitamin C which is destroyed by heat). The essential theory being that vitamins are complex compounds that need to work within a set of multi level parameters and so creating an individual molecular compound from them might well work as a preservative or antioxidant etc. but does not therefore consequently also work within the body as a fully fledged vitamin. I.e. you’re getting the vitamin just not any benefit. The American company ‘Real C’ use the analogy: ‘If you compare Vitamin C to an egg, ascorbic acid would be just the egg shell with nothing inside’. Hmmm…

There are only a few available to producers in the EU and the most popular/frequently used in processed foods are:

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C/E300)
Citric acid (E330)
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole/E320)
Tocopherols (vitamin E group/E306-309)

BHA and BHT are considered safe in the small doses used by the food industry (for the protection of fats and oils in foods) as they perform better at high temperatures than their natural equivalent vitamin E, but they remain contentious to pressure groups.

Synthetic and natural versions are often used in combination as this can increase their effectiveness. The arguments for the inclusion of antioxidants extend past their usefulness for food preservation etc., but to their reported use in the body for fighting free radicals. These ‘unpaired’ electrons are a danger as they ‘attack’ other molecules to gain a pairing. Antioxidants, vitamin C and vitamin E especially, stabilize these electrons by ‘donating’ one of theirs and as they are stable in either state (paired or unpaired) they do not become a free radical themselves. Increasingly, however, the results from major clinical trials are claiming that too many antioxidants in the body can be dangerous. A good intake is found in balanced, varied diets with fruit and vegetables, but the imbalance forms when the ‘added’ antioxidants are also factored in from processed and fortified foods. Some of these research reports are arguing that some antioxidants do indeed become, at least temporarily, radicals as they are only neuralised by another member of the antioxidant team. Again, this supports the need for a balanced diet of varied antioxidants to ensure there is no imbalance in the levels of a particular antioxidant, which might leave the body vulnerable without enough other antioxidants to restore the balance. Think on…

MAP or EMAP (Modified Atmospheric Packaging or Equilibrium Modified Atmospheric Packaging) are further examples of antioxidant additives at work. The process essentially replaces the oxygen within the sealed packaging (meats, seafood, crisps, salad bags etc.) with higher levels of CO2 (anti-bacterial and anti-fungal) and Nitrogen (inert gas used as a filler) and used extensively to prevent further ripening or spoilage and discolouring. Which also explains why the salad ‘goes off’ so quickly after the bag is opened – the rush of oxygen begins to decompose the leaves immediately.

Preservatives – E numbers 200-299

Various ways to make food last longer have been employed throughout history. Unless another method of preserving the food has been used, like freezing or canning, then any food that has a clearly prolonged shelf life is likely to include preservatives. More traditional preservatives such as sugar, salt and vinegar are still used to preserve some foods but just as likely is some kind of added (probably synthetic) preservative. Most are added to prevent the growth of molds and yeasts but they have some anti-bacterial properties too.

Microbes are everywhere. They are in the air, in the earth, inside our bodies and in the food we eat. Microbes will multiply in the right atmosphere by their millions, and in a really short time, so the certain ones that break down foods are the ones the preservatives are attempting to stop or at least slow them down. Different microbes react to different preservatives so there are many used in many everyday products and foods. Without them the food would not only deteriorate quickly it would also subsequently allow bacteria that cause deadly illnesses like botulism and salmonella poisoning to spread (especially in animal products).

A common example is that dried fruit (drying is a form of preserving in itself) is often treated with sulphur dioxide (E220) to stop further deterioration. One very important use of preservatives from a food safety angle is its use in processed meats such as ham, bacon, salami and sausages. They are usually treated with nitrite and nitrate during the curing process as bacteria in the meats can cause fatal food poisoning. It is often argued as an example of the benefit of preservatives, in fact, that the tiny ‘safe’ amount of the preservative used far outweighs the potential damage from the deadly bacteria’s they negate.

Many advantages are gained from adding preservatives and generally preserving food. It not only keeps food safer for longer from deterioration or poisonous bacteria, but this allows for increased availability of out of season produce or items that are not native to be transported. Convenience for the consumer is another added value (although can mean the price of the goods is higher) and not only does this mean less wastage but also prevents the need for regular shopping, which is an advantage to many.

Most popular/frequently used in processed foods:

Benzoate preservatives:

benzoic acid (E210)
sodium benzoate (E211)
potassium benzoate (E212)
calcium benzoate (E213)

Sulfite preservatives (E220 – E224)

Nisin (E234)

Propionic acid (E280)

Nitrite preservatives:

sodium nitrite (E250)
potassium nitrite (E249)

Sorbic acid (E200)

Potassium sorbate (E202) – a synthetic preservative used for its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.

There has been a lot of contention over the use of preservatives in food and there are a number of them in frequent use that have been targeted as not particularly good for us. They are regulated and maximum levels are set to well below amounts that could be deemed at all dangerous. Concern is largely over the accumulation of these ‘tiny, harmless amounts’ over time could increase the risk of cancer. Also, sugar and salt, whether added for flavour or to assist the preservative nature of processed foods, are also under fire. Their over bearing presence in processed food is a mainstay of the argument against it. I’ve discussed the horrors of sugar at length previously, here. And discussed salt here.

Common preservatives that are listed as those to avoid are nitrates (Potassium nitrite and sodium nitrite (E249 and E250) – preserve colour and help fight bacteria – stabilising and flavouring too AND nitrItes are considered worse than nitrAtes), sulphites (prevents discolouration), sodium benzoate (preserves against fermentation or acidification), BHA/BHT (preserves fats and oils – as an antioxidant) however without these there is no longevity to foods and there might be many more cases of food poisoning.

Some health experts associate nitrates and nitrites with asthma, headaches and nausea in some individuals. Sodium nitrite is said to converted to nitrous acid within the human digestive system, and this substance has been associated with high rates of cancer in laboratory animals. Reports show allergies to benzoic acid and sodium benzoate can cause severe reactions.

These preservatives are also argued to be safe (not only by the regulators and manufacturers but by some health officials too) and in some cases the preservative is actually promoted as beneficial. These are commonly used and include ascorbic acid (vitamin C)**, critic acid (and to enhance sour flavours) and sorbates (fight bacteria and yeast).

**see above

So, while it is more than likely ‘urban legend’ that bodies are not decomposing in the ground due to the large amount of preservatives eaten in a lifetime (although some sources are adamant it is true and it’s possible that they are adversely affecting the bacteria that usually break down the body after death) it is safe to say that they’re not exactly good for you. The body is still required to break down the chemical and foreign compounds and it would really rather not have to do it too often…and research shows the digestive system struggles to extract any nutritional value from highly preserved foods.

Food colouring E – numbers from 100-199

Colours are added to foods to make them look more appealing or more like the colour that consumers associate with that food. ‘We taste with our eyes’ it is said to describe the results of tests that show consumers thought something tasted better if it was the expected colour. They are also used to replace the natural colour lost during food processing or storage, to enhance the natural colour or to make products a consistent colour. They are even used to give a colour to an item that might otherwise be colourless like the Skittles above. Some groups argue that adding colour is unnecessary and misleading as well as raising concerns over their safety.

The EU laws currently allow 45 colours and also control what foods they are used in and maximum amounts allowed – usually extremely small amounts in all cases. The EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) tests for safety (and re-evaluates these results) and issues the ADI’s.

Colours commonly used:

Curcumin (E100), a yellow colour extracted from turmeric roots.
Plain caramel (E150a), which is used in products such as gravy and soft drinks
Riboflavin (vitamin B2 – E101)
Beta-carotene (E160a)
Amaranth (E123)

Colourings for food are either synthetic, created from natural sources or ‘nature identical’. Natural food colourings come from plant sources such as fruit skins, vegetables, grasses and roots. The red colourant carminic acid (E120/cochineal) comes from the dried and crushed bodies of a type of insect.

Manufacturers often prefer synthetic colours as they are stable and consistent, often brighter than the original, and usually cheaper to make. It also means a colour like, the above-mentioned carminic acid, can be recreated without the inclusion of the insects! An added advantage is that the synthetic colours need no further processing to be added to foods as they are water soluble as opposed to the oil soluble natural and nature identical colours which need a further processing stage to be useable.

However some colours, especially those called the ‘azo dyes’ are associated by some pressure groups to behavioural problems in children (especially ADHD) and others with skin problems and certain cancers. The UK Food Standards Agency requires a mandatory warning of the presence of six artificial colours (that combined with the preservative sodium benzoate have been linked to increased hyper activity in children), passed a voluntary ban(!) and publish a list of brands that produce items without these colours.

EFSA reduced the ADI of these three of the six most contentious colours too:

Sunset yellow – E110 – typically found in orange flavoured drinks and cordials, apricot jam, marmalade and packet soups.
Ponceau 4R – E124 – (banned in the US as a result of its link with cancers). Used in dessert toppings, jellies, trifles, soups and salami.
Quinoline Yellow – E104 – used to dye smoked haddock (an alarming yellow colour!) and egg products like scotch eggs. But more typically found in lipsticks and some medications

However, it did not reduce these three:

Carmoisine – E122 – used in jams, yoghurts and jellies.
Tartrazine – E102 which is the colour most strongly linked to hyperactivity in kids. Tartrazine is actually a yellow dye and can be found in a lot of yellow coloured foods (such as ice cream) and is the base for the creation of many other colours (used as a primary yellow).
Allura red – E129, typically found in sweets, soft drinks but also in medicines.

The research and studies conducted have proved to be inconclusive regarding any links to problems caused by these colours at the amounts allowed etc. As with any of these issues if you are concerned about the potential harmful effects then it’s best to avoid the foods with any substance of concern contained in them.

Emulsifiers E numbers 400-499

Emulsifiers are the chemicals needed to create an emulsion. Therefore an emulsifier is an additive that keeps two substances, which would usually naturally separate from each other, mixed. In food this is usually oil and water. There are oil-in-water or water-in-oil versions used*. They are used in many food products and are vital for the texture, ‘conditioning’, stability, even taste and indeed structure of the product, many of which would look very unappealing and/or be more vulnerable to spoiling without the emulsifier. Products like bread would be uneven (large holes would be visible) have less size and a drier texture without emulsifiers. Ice cream, margarine and mayonnaise are other foods that are completely reliant on emulsifiers for their structure and texture.

*(Due to emulsifiers having two distinct parts to themselves, one that likes to be in oil and one that likes to be in water, when they are added to either version (oil-in-water or water-in-oil) they will coat the appropriate element and keep it from clumping together and consequently separating into their own layer within the product. So, in essence, in water-in-oil emulsions the emulsifier coats the water molecules to prevent them separating from the oil and vice versa in oil-in-water emulsions).

Nature has many perfect emulsions such as the usually quoted example of milk, where the fat molecules are perfectly suspended in the surrounding aqueous solution. These are usually some form of protein or phospholipids (enables oil-in-water emulsion – e.g. lecithin)

Commonly used emulsifiers are either purified natural versions or synthetic versions that are ‘copies’ of the natural and have very similar structures. The most usual are:

Lecithin (E322)
Mono/di glycerides of fatty acids (E471)
Esters of monoglycerides of fatty acids (E472a-f)

Gelling agents, thickeners and stabilisers

Similarly to the emulsifiers these are used to create shape and texture and therefore make the food look and ‘feel’ good. Thickening and stabilizing additives work with the emulsifiers to do this, especially in water-based products that would be runny and/or unappealing without them, or would deteriorate during processing, transportation or cooking. The longevity and regularity of the structure of processed foods relies on these additives and indeed marks the key difference between what we make for ourselves, without these additives, and the foods we buy fully expecting long shelf-life, the ability to freeze and store etc.

Without gelling agents many jams, jellies etc. would never set and remain stable (pectin added), fruit pie fillings would become runny and soak through the pastry long before reaching a consumer, and their use in soya protein products ensures that the soya product remains in tact even at high cooking temperatures.

Gelatine provided a key way to gel and set foodstuffs for many years but the animal source means that more often all-dietary issue inclusive alternative options are used such as carrageenan. Gelatine is made by boiling animal carcasses (all bones and tissue) and the collagen turns to gelatin that can then be used as a powder or in sheets. Its effectiveness is also reduced by the presence of acid so pectin works better with high fruit content items such as jam.

The most commonly used are:

Gum arabic (E414) from plant secretions (sap of the acacia tree)
Guar gum (E412) extracted from guar beans
Locust bean gum (E410) from the endosperm of seeds of the carob tree
Xanthan gum (E415) from fermenting glucose or sugar
Agars (406) extracted from specific red algae
Carrageenan (E407) extracted from several types of, usually farmed, red seaweed (as used in the jelly crystals element of the trifle mix above*)
Pectin (E440) extracted from fruit such as citrus peel or remainder pulp from pressed apples
Starch (E1401-1451) isolated from many different sources such as potatoes, corn, wheat and cassava and from chemical modifications
Carboxymethyl cellulose (466) made through a process of reacting cellulose with acids (a very common thickener)

*The jelly crystals element of the trifle mix also uses two chemicals disodium phosphate (a multi functional additive which can be used as an acidity regulator, stabilizer, emulsifier and/or to prevent coagulation) and potassium chloride (usually used as a salt substitute and/or and flavour enhancer).

Specific thickening agents added (whether gelling agents and/or stabilisers) are also used to provide bulk and fibre as their gum like properties are tasteless, odourless and have practically no calorific content.

Flavouring and Flavour enhancers Flavour enhancers – E numbers 600-699

The brain creates taste as a combination of taste and smell and even sight. Consumers have a taste expectation based on visuals, olfactory aspects either before or during eating, and past experiences. The flavourings are added to actually impart flavour or enhance it (either by intensifying it or supporting it without adding another taste).

Common everyday flavour enhancers like salt and sugar are used to bring out the flavour in savoury and sweet foods by supporting the original taste. Others like lactic acid and citric acid are used to assist in the creation of specific sour or fermented tastes. The most famous (or infamous) flavor enhancer is monosodium glutamate/E621, which has been much vilified for it’s reported side effects (the so-called Chinese Restaurant Syndrome) although repeated testing has reported it as safe to use. The additional taste of umami (a Japanese scientist discovered this ‘taste’ and added it to the existing sweet, sour, bitter, salty – deriving it from seaweed) that MSG provides is a much sort after extra element in foods and other more ‘natural’ versions are available to provide this much desired flavour layer.

Lab created artificial sweeteners and other flavour enhancers routinely come under fire from health groups as they are thought to breakdown into toxic and neurotoxic chemical compounds when inside the body and increase the risk of disease in many parts of the body.

Natural flavourings are costly and often inefficient to extract so imitation copies are made and provide a cheaper, more stable (for longer term storage) and more reliably consistent additive. Flavourings are added to a wide range of foods and usually in very small amounts just to give a particular taste or smell. Flavourings are additives but they don’t have E numbers because they are controlled by different laws. An ingredients list will say if flavourings have been used (sometimes adding natural when appropriate), but individual flavourings are usually not named.

Nutritional additives – fortification

Fortification is the practice of adding micronutrients to food products. Directly to the product or to the animal feed that will therefore boost the content of the meat or other animal products as a consequence. The practice began in the West in the 1920’s with the USA ‘fortifying’ salt with iodine, with the 1930’s and 40’s seeing the mandatory addition of vitamin D to milk and various vitamin B’s to flour. The UK followed suit with the mandatory fortification of flour with calcium, iron, and B vitamins thiamine (1) and niacin (3) – none of which are required subsequently to be listed in the ingredients list. Similarly margarine is fortified with vitamins D and A. The idea was to provide a mass public health benefit when fears were that these nutritional elements were lacking in the general national diet (or within deemed vulnerable groups) by adding fortifying micronutrients to mass consumed products (bread, water, salt etc).

The FDF (Food and Drink Federation) gives three reasons for fortification – restoration, substitution and enhancement. The micronutrients are added back to white and brown flour (not whole grain) because they are contained in the bran that is removed during the milling and refining processes (restoration). Margarine has added vitamins to give it the similar levels to that of butter allowing for an alternative product with similar nutritional value (substitution). Many breakfast cereals have micronutrients added to them by the manufacturers to increase the commercial value (enhancement – and this must be revealed on the product label). Commonly fortified foods include breakfast cereals, soya milk, infant formula milks and many baby foods.

Vitamin D fortification is currently much discussed as the natural food sources are few and the risk from sun damage is of increasing concern to many. There has been much talk of the addition of folic acid into a variety of foods (the USA already does this) as it is often recommended as a supplement to certain sections of the population. However, it is this very ‘blanket delivery’ that the pressure groups, against such ideas, contest.

The supporters of fortified foods claim they can play an important role in a healthy balanced diet and provide the opportunity for easy and consistent intake as opposed to supplements that may be more randomly taken, and perhaps not at correctly metered delivery levels. Strict regulations control the additives both in the UK and overall by the EU. The fortification process can therefore be used to safely deliver various nutrients to the groups that need them without them needing to change their eating patterns and without further expense to the consumer (but you can bet your life the manufacturers will increase the unit price to compensate themselves). Developing countries have had huge success with these policies and in the UK, successful examples that are sited, as support for the system, are the decrease in key nutrient deficiency in women (folate, iron, vitamins D and B2 etc.), the eradication of iodine deficiency (provided by dairy foods and credited to the sterilisation process the cow’s teats go through), and the benefits to vegetarian and other specific diets groups of the fortification of foods to compensate for and/or enhance them to reclaim any potential short fall through the consumption of only plant sources.

The official governing bodies claim these fortifications have made huge differences to the rates of common deficiencies, however, pressure groups against the fortification criticise the lack of review of these laws (not reviewed since 1981) claiming that they are not relevant as the national diet has changed hugely since their introduction (the war years that triggered the inclusion of calcium, for instance, were times of low dairy intake compared to now when the intake is high). These pressure groups also say that the milling process damages higher levels of nutrients than the industry claims and replacement vitamins are not as effective, and certainly not as natural (as discussed above in ‘antioxidants’), as the original the grains contained. Further criticism is that many manufacturers are being accused of using fortification as a way to promote and entice the buying of their processed foods which is in turn increasing the consumers intake of sugars, fats and salt.

Raising agents

Raising agents are additives (liquid or powder) that are there to ensure the product not only rises but also has an even texture. For instance, a well known raising agent, bicarbonate of soda/baking soda (E501) or technically sodium bicarbonate, reacts with the mixture around it (the acidity in it as well and the moisture) when heated and produces bubbles of gas (carbon dioxide) which expand and raise the mixture around it and then becomes encased in the mixture as it cooks and sets creating a uniform and stable structure and texture. Baking powder is bicarbonate soda and cream of tartar mixed (with a starch usually) to be a more all-in-one raising agent because the cream of tartar (E336(i) – a by-product of wine making) provides the acidic element needed to trigger the bicarb soda.

Natural processes like whipping air into egg whites or batter, sifting flours and rubbing fats into them all assist in the raising and structure of baked goods, and similarly using water to create steam during the baking process will raise the mixture around it up till it sets when cooked, such as the process used in making Yorkshire puddings. Yeast is another natural raising agent multiplying in heat and fermenting therefore forming the carbon dioxide and alcohol that will expand and burn off in the cooking process leaving a firm structured and well risen product…well, that’s the theory…

Sweeteners

Sweeteners were developed to replace sugar after sugar was discovered to be the cause of tooth decay and linked to obesity related diseases. The idea behind them being to provide the sweetness but not the same energy intake and still give the sweet element to taste that many people are used to, and perhaps even addicted to. Sweeteners cannot completely replace sugar as the sugar element in some processed foods, like cakes, also performs other functions such as retaining humidity (humectant) and provides bulk and structure to the finished product.

Typical products that use sweeteners heavily are:

Sodas, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks etc.
Sweets/candy – chewing gum and mints are reliant on sweeteners.
Desserts, ice creams etc.
Many baked goods and processed foods both sweet and savoury, including dressings and sauces
Breakfast cereals
Many medicines

Commonly used sweeteners are: (they are gauged for their sweeteness against sucrose – the chief compound in cane and beet sugars aka table sugar…yeah the white stuff that you all know I love to hate…!)

‘Intense’:

Aspartame (E951) – sweetness value 200 times higher than sucrose.
Aspartame-K (E950) – a synthetic compound that mixes well with other sweeteners to create either more complex taste or greater levels of sweetness. It has a sweetness value 300 times higher than sucrose.
Saccharin (E954) – a synthetic compound that is rarely used alone now and 300 times sweeter than sucrose.
Sucralose (E955) – the ‘strongest of sweeteners with sweetness value of 600 times that of sucrose.

‘Bulk’:

Sorbitol (E420) – carbohydrate like structure but only just over half as sweet as sucrose. A preferred sweetener for diabetic purposes.
Xylitol (E967) – created to match the sugar sweetness of sucrose so it is much sweeter than sorbitol. Used in similar quantities therefore to sugar and sold in shops in bags to use as such. It is a naturally occurring substance in many plants and suitable for diabetics and even heralded as an active anti-cavity aid as it prohibits the growth of bacteria (it’s chemical composition means bacteria and yeasts cannot make use of it to ‘feed’ themselves).

‘Artificial’ or ‘intense’ sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and acesulfame-K are many, many times sweeter than sugar and are only needed subsequently in very small amounts. Increasingly these are used in combinations to create ‘superior taste profiles’ which mirror the complexities of the natural taste of sugar and require fewer sweeteners over all. The defense of their use therefore notes that this not only creates tooth-friendly foods but also reduces calories significantly due to the minute amounts used.

‘Bulk’ sweeteners like sorbitol (used as a combination humectant, sweetener and emulsifier), xylitol and maltitol (E965 – used as a combination sweetener, humectant and stabilizer) can have from 35% – 100% similar sweetness to sugar and so they are used in similar amounts to sugar. They are also tooth-friendly and are considered suitable (or at least more suitable) for diabetics as they have a significantly reduced glycemic index, although they have laxative properties if consumed in large amounts resulting in mandatory warnings on the products packaging.

Sweeteners also became popular as part of weight loss programs. Sugar began to be replaced with non-calorific or reduced calorie sweeteners in many popular items (this was also a boon for diabetics (especially sorbitol) as mentioned above).

However, the opposition to sweeteners is strong with pressure groups claiming no good and proper evidence exists to prove that sweeteners do anything whatsoever to help weight loss, especially. In fact, they say the evidence is strongly available to show the opposite. In essence, the theory is that sweeteners cannot trigger the ‘reward centre’ in the brain in the same way as sugar and then the brain triggers further appetite stimulation to intake the calories (especially carbohydrates) that the sweeteners have created a desire for (in the mouth). Similarly some anti-sweetener groups say that the brain triggers insulin release just based on the expectation that the sweetener creates in the mouth, regardless of the reward centre, potentially causing insulin spikes etc. More on this in a future post…

Some sweeteners have been linked to cancers in lab animal testing research further raising concerns over their safety especially cumulatively when eaten many times in many products throughout a day. Other noted issues are sleep and anxiety disorders, triggering epilepsy and interference with the progress and efficaciousness of medications – especially anti-depressants (sweeteners are often in medicines too). I’d say the evidence stacked against sweeteners (especially aspartame, aceslulfame-k, saccharin and sucralose) and their effects on fundamental body systems and functions are enough to avoid then until a convincing and conclusive study proves otherwise!

My previous missives (rants) about sugar are here and here!

Re the labeling of the Hartley’s jelly above with the following: ‘Contains a source of phenylalanine‘. Phenylalanine is considered an essential amino acid and needs to be taken into the body through diet (animal protein and dairy products contain good sources) and it is needed for vital neurotransmitter functions. However, it is said to be harmless to a majority and the warning is there to protect those with an inherited metabolic disorder that means they cannot tolerate it. It is present in aspartame (therefore Equal, NutraSweet etc.) and a further issue is the bioaccumulation of consuming many products containing phenylalanine. Intolerance aside phenylalanine is contested as anything from a mild anti-depressant to a laxative and blamed for hypertension and headaches.

Anti-caking agents

Anti-caking agents are added to food products to ensure they remain free flowing and prevent them from clumping together, and subsequently this means the product can retain it’s long shelf life and be used at any point in an even manner. Main examples are powders like dried milk or cream, drinking chocolate, soup or cake mixes and items like icing sugar, grated cheeses and salt. The additive is needed as without it there is a high possibility that minute water absorption (atmospheric humidity) would cause the product to clump together and rehydrate, causing it to spoil and/or be difficult to use. Sometimes the anti-caking element is added before processing and is often for the safeguarding of the machinery involved as much as the end result produced and it’s journey onwards. Sugar and powdered milk will lump and stick together during processing, packing and storage without the early addition of the agents.

The most commonly used anti-caking agent (multi-functional additive) is:

Silicon dioxide (E551) also called silica and is essentially sand (although amethysts and quartz are versions too…although not used in food processing…!) It is also thought to be a useful mineral to our general health being part of collagen and used to make our hair and nails. It is found naturally in many foods like fruits, oats, nuts, beans and leafy greens and is added as an active ingredient to supplements as well as its use in flavourings and powdery mixes and as an enhancer.

Other manufactured and mineral based anti-caking agents include magnesium carbonate (E504), calcium silicate (E552), dicalcium phosphate (E341) and sodium aluminosilicate (E554). Naturally sourced agents are potato starch, kaolin, and talc.

That’s it! Phew…!

Read a chart complied from various countries laws regarding E numbers ad their safety:

http://curezone.com/foods/enumbers.asp

I understand what Stefan Gates means when he said he thought he might be committing professional suicide by making his series about E numbers back in 2010 as he started out to vilify them and ended up celebrating them. Mostly.

See his fascinating blog here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/food/2010/08/are-e-numbers-really-bad-for-y.shtml

Other thoughts:

Basically if it is a natural, unprocessed food and not in any packaging, it probably only contains natural e-numbers which are unlikely to cause problems. If you are buying packed or processed foods then look on the labels. By law in Europe and the United States most classes of packaged foods have to show their ingredients. In Europe many of these will show up as e-numbers.

The major issue with eating foods with lots of E numbers in them is that they tend to have lots of sugar or fat in them, meaning you take in the wrong proportions of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. And that’s much worse for you than a strictly controlled chemical preservative.

E numbers tend to be prevalent in cheap, nutritionally low food. Whilst the E numbers themselves may not be harmful, the food it is in is. A preference for natural food, or food which we make from scratch using fresh ingredients can only be a good thing. Not only are ready meals and snack food bad for us, they are also on average much more expensive.

Additives…food fortification…

Nutritional additives – fortification

Fortification is the practice of adding micronutrients to food products. Directly to the product or to the animal feed that will therefore boost the content of the meat (or other animal products) as a consequence. The practice began in the West in the 1920’s with the USA ‘fortifying’ salt with iodine, then in the 1930’s and 40’s they began the mandatory addition of vitamin D to milk and various vitamin B’s to flour. The UK followed suit with the mandatory fortification of flour with calcium, iron, and B vitamins thiamine (1) and niacin (3) – none of which are required subsequently to be listed in the ingredients list. Similarly margarine is fortified with vitamins D and A. The idea was to add fortifying micronutrients to mass consumed products (bread, water, salt etc.) as a mass public health benefit when fears were that these nutritional elements were lacking in the general national diet (or within deemed vulnerable groups i.e. ‘poor people’).

The FDF (Food and Drink Federation) gives three reasons for fortification – restoration, substitution and enhancement.

Restoration – the micronutrients are added back to white and brown flour (not whole grain) because they are contained in the bran that is removed during the milling and refining processes.

Substitution – margarine has added vitamins to give it the similar levels to that of butter allowing for an alternative product with similar nutritional value.

Enhancement – and this must be revealed on the product label – many breakfast cereals have micronutrients added to them by the manufacturers to increase commercial value.

Vitamin D fortification is currently much discussed as the natural food sources are few and the risk from sun damage is of increasing concern to many. There has been much talk of the addition of folic acid into a variety of foods (the USA already does this) as it is often recommended as a supplement to certain sections of the population (pregnant women or those planning pregnancy in particular). Commonly fortified foods include breakfast cereals, soya milk, infant formula milks and many baby foods. However, it is this very ‘blanket delivery’ that the pressure groups, against such ideas, contest.

The supporters of fortified foods claim they can play an important role in a healthy balanced diet and provide the opportunity for easy and consistent intake, as opposed to supplements that might be more randomly taken, and perhaps not at correctly metered delivery levels. Strict regulations control the additives both in the UK and overall by the EU. The fortification process can therefore be used to safely deliver various nutrients to the groups that need them without them needing to change their eating patterns and without further expense to the consumer. Developing countries have had huge success with these policies and, in the UK, successful examples that are sited, as support for the system, are the decrease in key nutrient deficiency in women (folate, iron, vitamins D and B2 etc.), the eradication of iodine deficiency (provided through dairy foods and credited to the sterilisation process the cow’s teats go through), and the benefits to vegetarian and other specific diets groups of the fortification of foods to compensate for and/or enhance them to reclaim any potential short fall through the consumption of only plant sources.

The official governing bodies claim these fortifications have made huge differences to the rates of common deficiencies, however, pressure groups against the fortification criticise the lack of review of these laws (not reviewed since 1981) claiming that they are not relevant as the national diet has changed hugely since their introduction (the war years that triggered the inclusion of calcium, for instance, were times of low dairy intake compared to now when the intake is high). These pressure groups also say that the milling process damages higher levels of nutrients than the industry claims and replacement vitamins are not as effective**, and certainly not as natural, as the original the grains contained. Further criticism is that many manufacturers are being accused of using fortification as a way to promote and entice the buying of their processed foods which is in turn increasing the consumers intake of sugars, fats and salt.

**Noted experts have pointed out that added elements such as ascorbic acid, retinoic acid and types of tocopherol (this means added elements labelled as vitamin C, vitamin A or vitamin E) are not the actual vitamin at all but just a lab created isolation of them (synthetic versions needed to replace the naturally occurring versions lost during processing – especially vitamin C which is destroyed by heat). The essential theory being that vitamins are complex compounds that need to work within a set of multi level parameters and so creating an individual molecular compound from them might well work as a preservative, antioxidants etc. but does not therefore consequently also work within the body as a fully fledged vitamin. I.e. you’re getting the vitamin just not any benefit. The American company ‘Real C’ use the analogy: ‘If you compare vitamin C to an egg, ascorbic acid would be just the egg shell with nothing inside’.

Hmmm…think on! Another reason to avoid fruit juice that isn’t freshly squeezed, right? What?!?…Er, please have you learned nothing?!? The other reason is….? That’s right…! Evil sugar (fructose)…

Additives…flavouring, flavour enhancers…

Flavouring and Flavour enhancers – E numbers 600-699

Our ‘taste’ experience is created in the brain using a combination of taste and smell (either before or during eating) and even sight. We also have a taste expectation before we even try something based on these visual and olfactory aspects along with our past experiences.

The food industry uses flavourings to actually impart flavour or enhance it (either by intensifying it or supporting it without adding another taste). Common everyday flavour enhancers like salt and sugar are used to bring out the flavour in savoury and sweet foods by supporting the original taste. Others like lactic acid and citric acid are used to assist in the creation of specific sour or fermented tastes.

Lab created artificial sweeteners (see sweeteners etc. post) and other flavour enhancers routinely come under fire from health groups as they are thought to break down into toxic and neurotoxic chemical compounds when inside the body and cause harmful inflammation and increase the risk of many common chronic diseases.

The most famous (or infamous) flavor enhancer is monosodium glutamate/E621. A Japanese scientist (Kikunae Ikeda) noted there was a taste that he seemed unable to place within the usual four already established and accepted tastes – sweet, sour, bitter and salty. So he isolated and discovered this extra ‘taste’ in 1908, named it umami and added it to the existing four. He derived it from seaweed originally although it is made from ‘bacterial fermentation’ nowadays (like vinegar and yoghurt are). The additional taste of umami that MSG provides is a much sort after extra element in foods and other more ‘natural’ versions are available to provide this much desired flavour layer.

MSG has been much vilified for it’s reported side effects (the so-called Chinese Restaurant Syndrome but now more known by the more PC term of MSG symptom complex) although repeated testing has reported it as safe to use. Just as a point of interest the initial person who sparked the MSG backlash (a certain Robert Ho Man Kwok) made a passing remark about feeling awful after a Chinese meal but cited many possible elements of the meal that could have triggered the reactions, but for some reason MSG became the target and the others were never blamed similarly. I am continually amazed at the levels of sodium overall in Chinese take away style food and always feel peculiar after it whether there’s MSG or not. Anyhoo…

Natural flavourings are costly and often inefficient to extract so imitation copies are made and provide a cheaper, more stable (for longer term storage) and more reliably consistent additive. Flavourings are added to a wide range of foods and usually in very small amounts just to give a particular taste or smell. Flavourings are technically additives but they don’t have E numbers because they are controlled by different laws. An ingredients list will say if flavourings have been used (sometimes adding natural when appropriate), but individual flavourings are usually not named. Food legislation requires that a product that is not flavoured wholly or mainly by the one advertised on the packaging (in words or in images) must clearly say ‘flavoured’ or ‘flavour’.

So as always and ever check the ingredients list for any information you need. Try to see past the packaging and the carefully placed wording that might trick you ‘inadvertently’ into buying something under false pretences…

Additives…raising agents, anti-caking agents…

Raising agents

Raising agents are additives (liquid or powder) that are there to ensure the product not only rises but also has an even texture. For instance, a well known raising agent, bicarbonate of soda/baking soda (E501) or technically sodium bicarbonate (as used in the Jaffa Cakes above*), reacts with the ingredients around it (the acidity and the moisture) when heated and produces bubbles of gas (carbon dioxide) which expand and raise the mixture around it and then becomes encased in that mixture as it cooks and sets, creating a uniform and stable structure and texture. Baking powder is bicarbonate soda and cream of tartar mixed (with a starch usually) to be a more all-in-one raising agent as the cream of tartar (E336(i) – a by-product of wine making) provides the acidic element needed to trigger the bicarb soda.

Natural processes like whipping air into egg whites or batter, sifting flours and rubbing fats into them all assist in the raising and structure of baked goods, and similarly using water to create steam during the baking process will raise the mixture around it up till it sets when cooked, such as the process used in making Yorkshire puddings. Yeast is a perfect natural raising agent – multiplying in heat and fermenting to create the carbon dioxide and alcohol that will expand and burn off in the cooking process leaving a well structured and risen product.

*Three are actually listed in the ingredients list above – sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda E500(i)), ammonium bicarbonate (E503(ii) actually part of the group of acidity regulators and anti-caking agents and used as an acidity regulator) and disodium diphosphate (E450(i) actually part of the group of emulsifiers and used for that purpose.

Anti-caking agents

Anti-caking agents are added to food products to ensure they remain free flowing and prevent them from clumping together, and so this means the product can retain it’s long shelf life and be used at any point required in an even manner. Main examples are powders like dried milk or creamer, drinking chocolate, soup or cake mixes and items like icing sugar, grated cheeses and salt. The additive is necessary as without it there is a high possibility that minute water absorption (atmospheric humidity) would cause the product to clump together and rehydrate, causing it to spoil and/or be difficult to use. Sometimes the anti-caking element is added before processing and is often for the safeguarding of the machinery involved as much as the end result produced and it’s journey onwards. Sugar and powdered milk will lump and stick together during processing, packing and storage without the addition of the agents.

The most commonly used anti-caking agent (multi-functional additive) is silicon dioxide (E551) – as used in the instant custard mix above – also called silica and is essentially sand (although amethysts and quartz are versions too…but not used in food processing…!) It is also thought to be a useful mineral to our general health as it is part of collagen and used to make our hair and nails. It is found naturally in many foods like fruits, oats, nuts, beans and leafy greens and is added as an active ingredient to supplements and as an enhancer.