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Ginger Tea

Ginger contains protein degrading enzyme or Ginger protease (GP), named Zingipain, which curdles milk below 70 degrees C. So when you are making ginger milk tea, boil ginger in water first (which will be 100 C) to deactivate this GP and then add milk or boil water and milk well before adding ginger. I prefer the first choice and it works very well.

ONIONS: Why do they make us cry ?

Onions are particularly good at absorbing and storing sulfur. When you cut an onion, liquidy contents are released from cells. Previously separated enzymes meet the sulfur-rich amino acids and form unstable sulfenic acids, which then rearrange into a chemical known as syn-propanethial-S-oxide. This chemical easily vaporizes, and causes a burning sensation in our eyes. In an attempt to keep our precious eyes from being damaged, our brain quickly triggers a tear response to rinse the offending irritant akin to a botanical warfare.

https://toriavey.com/how-to/all-about-onions-history-chop-tears/

About Dosa & Idli fermentation

As you may know, dosa and idli are fermented products similar to wine, beer, curd, etc. Specific lactic acid (mostly Lactobacillus strains) present in small amounts in the raw ingredients (the rice and dal) which are multiplied during soaking and resting process, breakdown the raw ingredients in to easily digestible, beneficial products. The production of lactic acid from these bacteria inhibits the growth of common food pathogens as well as food poisoning organisms such as Salmonella, Shigella, and E.coli. 

Fermentation leads to increase in Vitamin B and C and a decrease in phytate (the hard to digest component of legumes). Additionally, methionine (an essential amino acid – meaning the body cannot produce it naturally and it must come from the diet) significantly increases. A combination of rice and dal makes it a complete protein, containing all 20 essential amino acids that our body needs. Legumes contain the amino acid lysine which is lacking in rice, and rice is high in methionine and cysteine, which is lacking in legumes.  An amazing knowledge of our ancestors !

In addition, the carbon dioxide released makes these dishes soft (pores on dosa/idli are formed when this gas escapes).

Reference:  doi:10.1007/s13197-010-0148-4.

What is Glycemic index & glycemic load ?

The glycemic index (GI) is a numeric score to a food based on how drastically it makes the blood sugar rise. Foods are ranked on a scale of 0 to 100, with pure glucose (sugar) given a value of 100. The lower a food's GI, the slower blood sugar rises after eating that food. In general, the more processed a food is, the higher its GI, and more fiber or fat in a food, the lower it's GI.

What is the glycemic load GL) ? GL is an equation that takes into account the planned portion size of a food as well as the GI of that food. Glycemic Load = GI/100 multiplied by the grams of net carbohydrate (net carbohydrate is the total carbohydrate minus the dietary fiber). In theory, a large amount of a low GI food may increase your blood sugar as much as a small amount of a high GI food. 

Watermelon, for example, has a high GI (72). But a serving of watermelon (of 120 g) has so little carbohydrate that its glycemic load is only 4. You could check GI & GL of common foods at : https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/1/glycemicindex.pdf

Rice:

Rice is primarily composed of carbohydrate, which makes up almost 80% of its total dry weight. Most of the carbohydrate in rice is starch. Starch is the most common form of carbohydrate in foods. Starch is made up of long chains of glucose called amylose and amylopectin. Different types of rice have varying amounts of these compounds, which affects the texture of the rice.

Basmati rice is rich in amylose, meaning it does not stick together after cooking. Sticky rice, or glutinous rice, is low in amylose and high in amylopectin, making it sticky after cooking. This makes it ideal for risottos, rice pudding, and eating with chopsticks. These compounds also affect how easily the body can digest the rice. The body takes longer to digest high-amylose rice because the amylose slows down starch digestion. In contrast, the body digests sticky rice very easily. While many people find sticky rice more palatable, quick digestion can lead to unhealthful spikes in blood sugar levels, especially in people with diabetes.

Reference : https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318699#nutrition

Dietary Fiber and human health

Dietary fiber is the component in food not broken down by digestive enzymes and secretions of the gastrointestinal tract. This fiber includes cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectins, gums, mucilages (all carbohydrates) and lignin, the only non-carbohydrate component of dietary fiber.

High fiber diets cause increased stool size and may help prevent/cure constipation. Cereal fiber, especially bran, is most effective at increasing stool size while pectin has little effect. Lignin can be constipating.

Fiber may protect against the development of colon cancer ; populations consuming high fiber diets have a low incidence of this disease. The slow transit time (between eating and elimination) associated with a low fiber intake may allow more time for carcinogens present in the colon to initiate cancer. But constipated people do not have a higher incidence of colon cancer than fast eliminators, so fiber's role in colon cancer remains unclear.

Dietary fiber may limit cholesterol absorption by binding bile acids. High fiber diets lower serum cholesterol and may prevent cardiovascular disease. Some fibers, such as pectin and rolled oats, are more effective than others, such as wheat, at lowering serum cholesterol.

Dietary fiber is found only in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. Whole wheat bread contains more fiber than white bread and apples contain more fiber than apple juice, which shows that processing food generally removes fiber.

Ref : http://chemistry.elmhurst.edu/vchembook/547cellulose.html

Egg :

A chicken egg takes about 26 hrs to form fully in a hen.

The color of a yolk is influenced by a hen’s diet. Marigold petals are often fed to brighten yolk color.

White or brown eggs? No matter their shell color, all eggs are generally similar in terms of nutrient status, unless a hen has been fed higher amounts of a certain nutrient via fortified feed.

Spin the egg : Hard boiled eggs will spin smoothly whereas the liquid in a raw egg makes the raw egg wobble.

https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/fun-facts

Saffron

Saffron is the world's most expensive spice because each saffron flower is hand-picked to collect just three stigmas per flower.

https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/fun-facts/fun-fact-saffron

Jaggery

Jaggery is an unrefined sugar product made in Asia and Africa. It is mostly made from Sugarcane or date palm. It is more nutritious than sugar as it is not spun during processing to remove the nutritious molasses.

India produces about 70% of the world's jagger. 

How is Jaggery Made? This is a 3-step process : Extraction of sugarcane/palm juice. Clarification to separate sediments and straining. Followed by concentration of the clear liquid  by boiling in large pans. The yellow, dough-like paste is then transferred to molds, where it cools into jaggery.

Jaggery like products have different names : Gur: India; Panela: Colombia; Piloncillo: Mexico; Tapa dulce: Costa Rica; Namtan tanode: Thailand; Gula Melaka: Malaysia; Kokuto: Japan.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/jaggery#section2