Comments on: Smart Fuel: Sea Vegetables http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/ Serving up health and fitness insights (daily, of course) with a side of irreverence. Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:44:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Mark’s Daily Apple » Blog Archive » Smart Fuel: Sashimi http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-82181 Mark’s Daily Apple » Blog Archive » Smart Fuel: Sashimi Thu, 29 May 2008 15:16:06 +0000 http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-82181 [...] Sea Vegetables [...] [...] Sea Vegetables [...]

]]> By: Sasquatch http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-25232 Sasquatch Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:39:11 +0000 http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-25232 Migraneur, I think the percentage of free fatty acids is just a proxy for the amount of damage the oil has sustained during processing and storage. Anything that has been chemically traumatic enough to separate a fatty acid from its glycerol backbone may have also had other chemical effects. Maybe it affects the flavor as well; I don't know. I think triglycerides are the main form of fatty acid transport in the blood. The only times the fatty acids are separated from the glycerol are during absorption through the intestinal lining, and during transport from the blood across your cell membranes. So except for these brief periods of membrane crossing, fats are typically triglycerides. Interestingly, your blood level of triglycerides depends mostly on how much carb you consume, rather than fat. It's counterintuitive, but it's because your liver synthesizes triglycerides from carbs. Migraneur,

I think the percentage of free fatty acids is just a proxy for the amount of damage the oil has sustained during processing and storage. Anything that has been chemically traumatic enough to separate a fatty acid from its glycerol backbone may have also had other chemical effects. Maybe it affects the flavor as well; I don’t know.

I think triglycerides are the main form of fatty acid transport in the blood. The only times the fatty acids are separated from the glycerol are during absorption through the intestinal lining, and during transport from the blood across your cell membranes. So except for these brief periods of membrane crossing, fats are typically triglycerides.

Interestingly, your blood level of triglycerides depends mostly on how much carb you consume, rather than fat. It’s counterintuitive, but it’s because your liver synthesizes triglycerides from carbs.

]]> By: Migraineur http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-25192 Migraineur Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:39:37 +0000 http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-25192 Sonagi - I was glad to hear that hijiki should be avoided - I tried the stuff years ago and I couldn't stand it. :) It reminded me of very dark, squishy, starchy noodles. Sasquatch - thanks for the clarification. If you're still following this post - what the problem with free fatty acids? I know that, in my blood stream, they are preferable to triglycerides, but my bloodstream is different from a bottle of olive oil. Though with the amount of the stuff I consume, maybe it's not THAT different. ;) Sonagi - I was glad to hear that hijiki should be avoided - I tried the stuff years ago and I couldn’t stand it. :) It reminded me of very dark, squishy, starchy noodles.

Sasquatch - thanks for the clarification. If you’re still following this post - what the problem with free fatty acids? I know that, in my blood stream, they are preferable to triglycerides, but my bloodstream is different from a bottle of olive oil. Though with the amount of the stuff I consume, maybe it’s not THAT different. ;)

]]> By: Sasquatch http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-25136 Sasquatch Fri, 25 Jan 2008 05:42:51 +0000 http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-25136 Hi Migraneur, What they're referring to is "free oleic acid", which means fatty acids broken off their glycerol backbone. It's just another way of describing the free fatty acid content, since oleic acid is the major fatty acid in olive oil. As a side note, if their oil had more than 1% free oleic acid, they couldn't call it extra virgin, so that's not a very impressive figure. Hi Migraneur,

What they’re referring to is “free oleic acid”, which means fatty acids broken off their glycerol backbone. It’s just another way of describing the free fatty acid content, since oleic acid is the major fatty acid in olive oil.

As a side note, if their oil had more than 1% free oleic acid, they couldn’t call it extra virgin, so that’s not a very impressive figure.

]]> By: Sonagi http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-25094 Sonagi Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:20:28 +0000 http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-25094 Seaweed. Yum, yum, yum. And so easy to prepare. Arame makes a great salad. Wakame tastes good in soups. Nori is low in sodium, and toasted nori makes a great snack. If you live near an Asian supermarket, look for packages of Korean nori, called "kim." It's toasted in sesame oil, which gives it a really nice, savory flavor. Hijiki is high in metals and should be avoided. While you're picking up seaweed at your local Asian grocer's, you might also toss into the cart some wood ear mushrooms, which are reputed to have powerful blood cleansing properties. I use reconstituted wood ear and fresh shitake mushrooms in miso and hot and sour soups. If there's a produce section, grab some Chinese or Indian bitter melon, but be warned - it IS bitter. You can also get Chinese bitter melon in dried form, and decoct it into a tea. Dried seaweed and mushrooms all keep very well. If you have thyroid problems, you'll want to avoid all seaweeds, except for nori, as they are exceptionally high in iodine. Seaweed. Yum, yum, yum. And so easy to prepare. Arame makes a great salad. Wakame tastes good in soups. Nori is low in sodium, and toasted nori makes a great snack. If you live near an Asian supermarket, look for packages of Korean nori, called “kim.” It’s toasted in sesame oil, which gives it a really nice, savory flavor. Hijiki is high in metals and should be avoided.

While you’re picking up seaweed at your local Asian grocer’s, you might also toss into the cart some wood ear mushrooms, which are reputed to have powerful blood cleansing properties. I use reconstituted wood ear and fresh shitake mushrooms in miso and hot and sour soups. If there’s a produce section, grab some Chinese or Indian bitter melon, but be warned - it IS bitter. You can also get Chinese bitter melon in dried form, and decoct it into a tea. Dried seaweed and mushrooms all keep very well.

If you have thyroid problems, you’ll want to avoid all seaweeds, except for nori, as they are exceptionally high in iodine.

]]> By: Migraineur http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-25056 Migraineur Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:51:24 +0000 http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sea-vegetables-2/#comment-25056 VAS, I kind of have the same question. A booth in our farmer's market boasts that their olive oil is "less than 1% oleic acid." If that's true, then their olive oil isn't olive oil, since olive oil is about 70% oleic acid! I assumed that what they meant was "less than 1% acid," but which acid? They can't be talking about fatty acids, since all fats and oils are made up of fatty acids. Anybody know? VAS, I kind of have the same question. A booth in our farmer’s market boasts that their olive oil is “less than 1% oleic acid.” If that’s true, then their olive oil isn’t olive oil, since olive oil is about 70% oleic acid! I assumed that what they meant was “less than 1% acid,” but which acid? They can’t be talking about fatty acids, since all fats and oils are made up of fatty acids.

Anybody know?

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