A Background to Dietary Fiber

Written by Brian D. Johnston


You may publish this article in your newsletter, on your web site, or other publications, so long asrepparttar article’s content is not altered andrepparttar 142738 resource box is included. Add byline and active link. Notification ofrepparttar 142739 use of this article is appreciated, but not required. Total word count included resource box is 900.

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Fiber isrepparttar 142740 part ofrepparttar 142741 plant that is resistant to hydrolysis (A chemical decomposition in which a substance is split into simpler compounds byrepparttar 142742 addition orrepparttar 142743 taking up ofrepparttar 142744 elements of water) by human digestive enzymes and, withrepparttar 142745 exception of lignin, fibers are complex carbohydrates. These include pectin, gums, mucilages, hemicellulose, polysaccharides cellulose, and nonpolysaccharide lignins. Fibers are water-soluble except cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, all of which form part of cell walls. Soluble fibers are sticky and combine with water to form gel-like substances. Pectin is a water-soluble fiber found in soft fruits and vegetables. Gums that are common food additives are also water-soluble, found in stems and seeds of some tropical plants. In general, fruits are higher in pectin and vegetables are higher in cellulose. Although cellulose and hemicellulose are not hydrolyzed, intestinal bacterial can digest some fiber to produce lipid fragments known as short-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids are absorbed inrepparttar 142746 colon and yield energy when metabolized.

Water Insoluble fibers pass throughrepparttar 142747 gastrointestinal track unchanged, absorbing up to 15 times their weight, important since they providerepparttar 142748 digestive tract with ‘bulk’ that helps facilitate food throughrepparttar 142749 intestines to be evacuated as solid waste; hence, fiber often is called "nature’s natural laxative". Cellulose’s ability to absorb water produces softer stools and regular bowel movements. Also, insoluble fiber may prevent colon and rectal cancer and help to control diverticulosis (A sac or pouch inrepparttar 142750 walls of a canal or organ [e.g., GI tract] that becomes inflamed and causes pain and stagnation of feces. Source: The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food & Nutrition Guide, p. 145). Water-soluble fiber, as found in beans, fruit, and oat bran lowers cholesterol by binding torepparttar 142751 cholesterol found in liver bile, to help control diabetes.

Overall, dietary fiber does not provide much nourishment torepparttar 142752 human diet because ofrepparttar 142753 inability to break down these carb sources for energy, yet reduces available kcalories by providing a sense of satiety and by absorbing some nutrients including fat. However, fiber also absorbs and eliminates essential fatty acids, food substances that are essential for good health and energy metabolism.

Also, dietary fiber may be a detoxifier since it binds with some toxic substances before elimination. But a diet extremely high in fiber is not a good idea since it impairs calcium, iron, and zinc absorption inrepparttar 142754 intestine.

Coffee Characteristics and How it Helps You Choose the Perfect Coffee for You!

Written by Randy Wilson


Coffee characteristics are sometimes thought to be something onlyrepparttar coffee connoisseur would be concerned with. However,repparttar 142737 following definitions of coffee characteristics will enable you to have a better understanding of what flavors, aromas and colors are beneficial and not so beneficial to your coffee drinking pleasure.

Acidity: is a pleasant quality that points out a coffees flavor and provides a liveliness, sparkle, or snap torepparttar 142738 drink. The acidity of a coffee may be assessed as lively, moderate, flat, or dull.

Aged: is a coffee bean that's been stored for at least a year or more before roasting. The coffee bean has then lost it's acidic coffee characteristics, becoming richly sweet and heavily bodied.

Aftertaste: isrepparttar 142739 sensation of brewed coffee vapors, ranging from carbon to chocolate and spicy to turpentine as they are released fromrepparttar 142740 residue remaining inrepparttar 142741 mouth after swallowing.

Alkaline: is a clawing sensation atrepparttar 142742 back ofrepparttar 142743 tongue caused by alkaline and phenolic compounds that have bitter but not necessarily displeasing tastes; coffee characteristics of dark coffees roasts and some Indonesian coffees.

Aroma: is an odor or fragrance of brewed coffees.

Bouquet: is a frequently used term, often used when referring torepparttar 142744 smell of coffee grounds. Aroma is often distinctive and complex. Some terms used to describe it include: caramel (candy or syrup-like), carbon (for a dark roast), chocolate, fruity, floral, malty (cereal-like), rich, round, and spicy.

Astringent: is a puckering, salty sensation felt onrepparttar 142745 front side ofrepparttar 142746 tongue when a cup of coffee is first sipped.

Baked: is a taste and odor contaminant that gives coffee a flat distinct and uninteresting taste. The corruption is caused by not enough heat over too long of a period during roasting "specifically, when roasts take longer than approx. 18 min.."

Balance: isrepparttar 142747 term to describerepparttar 142748 coffee flavor when one coffee characteristic doesn't intrude on another. Also whenrepparttar 142749 coffees taste is not plain so that it's flavor is still playful.

Bitter: a coffee characteristic of over-extracted brews as well as over-roasted coffees, and those with various taste defects. It's a harsh, unpleasant taste detected towardsrepparttar 142750 back ofrepparttar 142751 tongue and normally found only in Dark Roast's.

Bland:repparttar 142752 pale flavor often found in low grown robusta coffees. Also caused by under-extracted coffees.

Blend: is a mixture of two or more individual varieties of coffees.

Body: is an impression ofrepparttar 142753 weight ofrepparttar 142754 coffee inrepparttar 142755 mouth. May range from thin to medium to full, buttery, or syrupy.

Bright: is a tangy acidity, often described as bright.

Briny: isrepparttar 142756 salty sensation caused by excessive heat after brewing is complete.

Buttery: Isrepparttar 142757 rich and oily flavor and texture, qualities of some Indonesian varieties, for example: Sulawesi.

Caramelized: Is a sweet, almost-burnt, syrupy flavor not unlikerepparttar 142758 taste of caramelized sugar.

Creme: isrepparttar 142759 tan foam that forms when you brew espresso. The creme makes a "cap" which helps retainrepparttar 142760 smells and flavors ofrepparttar 142761 espresso withinrepparttar 142762 cup.

Earthy: Isrepparttar 142763 positive coffee characteristic when applied to dry processing;repparttar 142764 herbal, musty, mushroom-like range of flavors, characteristics of Indonesian coffees. For washed coffees, tasting "earthy" is a defect.

Exotic: is a characteristic ofrepparttar 142765 coffees from East Africal Exotic refers to unusual flavor notes, such as floral and berry-like (containing black currant or blueberry notes, for example). Contrary to Latin American coffees, whose coffee bean characteristic is clean, acidic flavors providerepparttar 142766 standard, and are generally not exotic.

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