What are ballast substances needed for? Ballast substances and weight loss
Vegetables and fruits - as often as possible
If you stick to the rules good nutrition, then you can provide yourself with all the vital substances. The higher the proportion of plant foods in the diet, the better! This food contains many biologically active substances, protecting against diseases and even healing. According to the recommendations of American cancer societies Each main and intermediate meal should include vegetables and fruits, i.e. they should be consumed five times a day. Why?
Only plants contain ballast substances
Along with excess fat consumption, the lack of ballast substances in the diet of a civilized person is one of the risk factors (and not only for cancer). The fiber found in vegetables, fruits and grains is not digestible, but it is very valuable. They stimulate digestion because, by swelling in the intestines, they increase the volume of feces, thereby ensuring regular bowel movements. They accelerate the passage of gruel through the intestines, therefore irritating and harmful substances cause less damage.
Fig.7. Healthy and other food products
More than 10 g of ballast substances per 100 g of product contain: wheat bran, whole grain, flour coarse, white beans, dried fruits, flaxseed
From 5 to 10 g of ballast substances but 100 g of product contain. unground grain flakes, dry rye bread, bran bread, peas, spinach, berries, raisins
From 1 to 5 g of ballast substances per 100 g of product contain: bread made from different types of flour, lentils, nuts, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, apples, pears, bananas
Note: Additional intake of bran or flaxseed should be accompanied by an increase in fluid intake.
Ballast substances, like a sponge, absorb harmful food components, including carcinogens such as bile acids or heavy metals, as well as cholesterol, and naturally remove them from the body. The neutralizing power of ballast substances is supported by starch, which is found primarily in potatoes, grain products and not too ripe bananas.
Ballast substances activate beneficial bacteria in the intestines and displace harmful ones. In this way they strengthen protective system, because healthy intestinal flora- premise effective activities immune system(See also “Intestines and the Immune System”).
Every day you should consume from 30 to 40 g of ballast substances. Standard diet a city dweller includes 15-20 g. Our ancestors consumed up to 100 g.
Plants contain essential vitamins
The importance of the role that vitamins play in protecting against cancer has been repeatedly emphasized. With the exception of vitamin A, almost all vitamins, especially those needed in this case, are contained in plant products. Vitamin A needs can also be met plant foods provided that the body itself produces this vitamin from its precursor, beta-carotene. In order to optimally supply the body with vitamins, you should adhere to certain principles of food selection and preparation.
Carotenes: Raw carrots provide little benefit
Carotenes, like vitamin A, are fat-soluble substances. Therefore, food should contain some amount of fat, for example a little sour cream or vegetable oil in a salad.
Carotenes do not easily leave the cellular structure. Consuming raw carrots, you get no more than 10% of the beta-carotene it contains. It is much better to lightly stew fibrous vegetables like carrots and cabbage, flavor them with juice and cook using a mixer
mousse. If you add a little fat to it, up to 70% of the vitamins will be absorbed. Carotenes are almost not destroyed when heated.
Additional vitamin intake should be carried out in several small doses. The body is unable to absorb disposable large doses. The drugs produced mainly contain beta-carotene.
It takes about 10 days to saturate the blood with vitamins. Therefore, you should take care of taking vitamins in advance if you are going to undergo a course of therapy that involves heavy loads.
Side effects there is no need to be afraid. Harmless jaundice can occur when daily consumption 30-40 mg of carotene and disappears when the dose is reduced.
Table 6. Content of carotenes
The scientific name for vitamin C is ascorbic acid. IN Lately question about him daily requirement again became controversial. For years, all regulatory tables included limits of 50-75 mg. Based on the latest research, and especially the role of vitamin C as a free radical scavenger, more high doses. The new tables contain a limit of 150 mg, and American researchers even claim that the optimal dose is 200 mg.
Vitamin C is very sensitive to temperature increases and is destroyed by oxygen. This means that during hot processing of food and its storage, losses are inevitable. Therefore, vegetables and salads should be prepared immediately before consumption, preference should be given raw vegetables, and if cooking is necessary, minimize heat exposure.
If an additional dose is needed, for example, in conditions of therapy that creates additional stress on the body, you can resort to pure ascorbic acid, sold in pharmacies in the form of powders, which is cheaper vitamin preparations. Should be taken a little at a time several times a day.
Normal and even increased need can be well satisfied by foods, since vitamin C is found in almost all fruits and vegetables. The following products are especially rich in it.
Approximate content of vitamin C in foods (mg per 100 g)
Measured currants - 300
Parsley - 190
Paprika - 130
Broccoli - 120
Cauliflower - 70
Spinach - 60
Strawberries - 60
Lemon juice - 50
Oranges - 10
Grapefruits - 40
Vitamin E protects cells
Most vitamin E is found in plants from which oils are obtained. This substance prevents oils from going rancid, i.e. it protects them from exposure to oxygen. Such antioxidants are also needed human body, so it consumes tocopherols, as vitamin E and some other natural compounds are collectively called. For example, vitamin E protects food fatty acid from oxidation by oxygen radicals and it provides the same protection to fat molecules, in large number part of cell walls.
The normal need for the vitamin can be met by food. But for many " normal people"For example, in smokers, this requirement may be higher than the average, estimated at 12 mg per day. Therefore, you should constantly strive to satisfy at least the basic need for this vitamin through a nutritious diet. Foods containing vitamin E are listed in the following table:
Approximate content of vitamin E in foods (mg per 100 g)
Vegetable oils - 50
Herring, mackerel - 10
Legumes - 13
Wheat sprouts - 8
The richest in vitamin E are soybean oils, as well as sunflower, palm, flaxseed and wheat germ oils. Olive oil contains half less vitamin E, the health-improving effect of this product is associated primarily with the content of unsaturated fatty acids in it.
Natural or synthetic?
Most of the vitamins included in the preparations are fully or partially synthesized. Many consumers ask the question: is the effect of substances released from the retort comparable to natural products, because in the first case there are no naturally accompanying substances?
In principle, synthesized vitamins are in no way inferior to natural ones. But it should be borne in mind that food products, along with vitamins, contain a number of vital important substances. Latest research confirmed that such accompanying substances are also very important in the process of protection against cancer. This group includes the so-called secondary plant matter. play their role ballast substances and unsaturated fatty acids. It seems that such accompanying substances, in addition to their direct effect, also affect the process of vitamin reinforcement protective forces body. For at least partial use of related substances, vitamins are taken with meals or washed down with appropriate drinks: carotene - carrot juice, and vitamin E is added to muesli with nuts.
Professor at the University of Hohenheim Bezalski emphasizes that in the process of providing the body with vitamins, it is important not so much to comply with quantitative requirements as to consume “leading substances.” In this case, groups are defined food products, especially rich in vitamins.
Leading substances
Carotene
250 g vegetables or 400 ml vegetable juices
absorbed on average 4-10 mg
Vitamin C
250 g fruit or 200 ml fruit juice
absorbed on average 75-150 mg
Vitamin E
about g wheat germ oil, 20 g nuts
absorbed on average 10-30 mg
Selenium
250 g wholemeal bread, fish regularly
absorbed on average 50-100 mcg
Daily consumption of appropriate foods satisfies the basic need for vitamins and protective substances plant origin. The most preferable in this sense are dark green and orange vegetables and fruits, such as carrots, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, citrus fruits or apricots, as well as dried fruits.
Dietrich Beiersdorff
Why does someone want to eat all the time? Why do some foods satisfy hunger and others not?
If you have ever asked yourself these questions, then you will be interested to know that the feeling of fullness, among other things, depends on the fullness of the stomach. And fullness, in turn, strongly depends on the volume of food eaten. So, it turns out that the larger the volume eaten, the more pronounced the feeling of satiety.
“But how can that be? — you might ask, “after all, the more I eat, the sooner I’ll get fat?!” We’ll try to figure out this controversial point now.
In fact, the contradiction here is apparent. Dr. Semenov always draws our attention to the fact that We gain weight from excess calories, not from excess food.. Take a look at the calorie table and compare: 100 grams lard(such a small piece) contains 800 kilocalories. 100 grams of wholemeal bread - 150 kilocalories.
What makes a low-calorie meal low-calorie?
Plant foods are a source of ballast substances
Vegetables, fruits, bran (that is, low-calorie foods) carry enough fiber in their cells, consisting of cellulose, pectin, and lignin. In dietetics they are usually called ballast substances. This is where the treasured secret of how to eat and lose weight lies!
Dietary fiber is interesting because are not digested by the human enzyme system. Fiber—consisting mostly of cell walls—passes through almost the entire intestine unchanged. It would seem, what is the use of it? After all, fiber for weight loss is almost not digested!
Why do you need ballast substances for weight loss?
THEIR benefits are difficult to overestimate.
First of all, this “ballast” is useful for accelerating weight loss... The feeling of fullness occurs because the dietary fiber contained in fiber serves as a kind of filler that provides volume. At the same time, absorbing water, they are able to swell and increase in size. The stomach is filled, satiety occurs, and fiber does its job of losing weight.
In addition, dietary fiber serves as an excellent substrate and habitat for beneficial intestinal microflora . But these microbes help our body provide not only normal functioning digestive system, but also health in general. And without healthy microflora proper metabolism is impossible, which is the key to losing weight and getting rid of excess weight.
Besides, food bolus saturated with ballast substances and dietary fiber, puts pressure on the intestinal walls, stimulating peristaltic movements. You will significantly reduce the risk of constipation if you have enough vegetables and fruits in your diet that contain fiber, which is beneficial for weight loss.
Finally, ballast substances are an excellent natural absorber of toxins, poisons, carcinogens, comparable to activated carbon and helping you lose weight. “Rough” foods that add enough fiber to your diet are not only good for losing weight or staying in shape, but also reduce the risk of developing cancerous tumors, food poisoning, and also allows us to eat plenty and lose weight at the same time.
Excess fat is also adsorbed, including cholesterol, which clogs blood vessels and interferes with weight loss. The process of absorption of nutrients slows down. Ballast substances help lose weight, reduce the load on some organs (in particular, the liver), and we remain full and energetic much longer. It turns out that the fiber we consume, based on the sum of its effects, actively contributes to quick and easy weight loss!
To lose weight, eat a variety of vegetables and fruits!
So, now we know that the feeling of fullness depends, in part, on the amount of food eaten. But maybe with a large volume low calorie content have only a few products that allow us to eat and lose weight?
Everything is just the opposite: only some of plant food so high in calories that it makes sense to limit its consumption. These are fructose: grapes (raisins), dried apricots, prunes; protein: peas, beans, soy; oily: nuts, avocados and some others.
Do you doubt whether it is possible to eat a varied and tasty diet, observing calorie restrictions, and lose weight? In vain! There are hundreds of recipes using all kinds of ballast substances and fiber. Only a few of them are presented on our website. S.P. Semenov especially recommends using various salads, including fish and meat, to improve your diet.
Add ballast substances and bran to food
Well, if you can’t reduce the calorie content of your favorite dish for weight loss, add a small amount to it wheat bran, containing fiber that is already familiar to us. In general, make it a rule to always keep this valuable product on hand. With almost zero calorie content, bran contains the necessary dietary fiber, increases the volume of the dish and gives it a unique, pleasant taste.
From Dr. Semenov’s weight loss session, our patients learn a lot of secrets on how to eat and lose weight. Receive if desired and detailed instructions By dietary nutrition, consultations on all issues of interest regarding weight loss. You can only get answers on how to create your personal diet in accordance with the characteristics of your body, and how to use fiber for easy weight loss. professional doctor, whose experience has already given health and beauty to many people. Join them and be healthy!
Plant foods contain polysaccharides and lignin, which are not broken down when exposed to digestive juice, are not digested. Until 1980, these elements were considered as dietary supplements. Technological methods for processing raw materials were invented to reduce their quantity in products. And in 1982, guidelines for a high-fiber diet were published in the UK.
Further studies showed that ballast substances normalize operation gastrointestinal tract.
Positive
Ballast substances are resistant to digestive juices. They are not digested small intestine, unchanged, end up in . Alimentary fiber:
Some of the ballast substances (pectin, hemicelluloses) are broken down in the intestines with the help of. The process of hydrolysis of dietary fiber by microorganisms contributes to:
- regulation;
- thermal supply of the body;
- strengthening immunity;
- maintaining homeostasis;
- formation of signaling molecules, neurotransmitters;
- cytoprotection;
- tissue regeneration;
- growth inhibition;
- increasing sustainability epithelial cells to exposure to carcinogens;
- synthesis pantothenic acid, B vitamins.
Dietary fiber, especially pectin, forms ionic complexes with heavy metals, radionuclides and remove them from the body.
Indigestible, even with the help of microorganisms, lignin binds and removes bile salts that irritate the intestinal wall.
Negative
In some cases, taking ballast substances will be harmful. With intestinal spasm, additional irritation of its walls with dietary fiber leads to increased pain. Therefore, before using dietary fiber for the treatment and prevention of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, biliary system, obesity, atherosclerosis, you should consult a gastroenterologist or nutritionist.
Even if there is no ban on the consumption of products containing ballast substances, their excessive consumption contributes to:
At long-term use products rich in dietary fiber, parenteral (bypassing the gastrointestinal tract) administration of vitamins and essential amino acids is recommended. Increase the consumption of foods containing essential microelements.
An excess of dietary fiber negatively affects the balance of serine, threonine, glutamic acid, vitamins A, C, E. Causes a feeling of discomfort in the intestines, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Consumption standards
The daily requirement of carbohydrates for an adult is 400–500 g. Of these:
- 75–80% starch;
- 15–20% easily digestible carbohydrates;
- 5% dietary fiber.
But you shouldn’t get too carried away with dietary fiber. For some diseases, they are strictly contraindicated, and their excessive consumption has a negative impact on health.
Ballast substances, contrary to their name, are the key to our health and slimness.
What it is?
Ballast substances are plant fibers that are part of some foods and are not absorbed by the body. But, despite this property, they are beneficial for your figure and health, because these substances are responsible for cleansing the body of all kinds of poisons and toxins.
Ballast substances include fiber, cellulose and pectin. They are found in products of plant origin: cabbage, radishes, carrots, apples, legumes.
Improve digestion
Cereals and legumes contain insoluble ballast substances, which, swelling in our stomach, push food further and thereby stimulate intestinal function. In addition, they promote reproduction in it beneficial bacteria which improve the digestion process.
But to help ballast substances fully perform this function, you need to drink a lot of water (1.5-2 liters per day) and chew food well.
Helps you lose weight
Ballast substances swell in the body, filling the stomach. Therefore, by supplementing the main dish with foods rich in plant fiber, we eat up with a much smaller portion and stay full longer. Ballast substances have one more thing useful property- they remove excess waste from the body complex carbohydrates. Usually such carbohydrates give us energy, but if there are too many of them, they are stored on the sides.
How much should you eat?
On average, we consume about 18-20 g of ballast substances per day. Experts say this is not enough. Daily norm- 25 g. However, if you have consumed too little ballast substances for a long time, you should increase their volume in the diet very slowly. Otherwise, it may lead to constipation.
If you are unable to consume food required amount ballast substances, consult your doctor. He may recommend that you take them separately.
Reduce cholesterol levels
Soluble ballast substances regulate blood sugar and reduce cholesterol levels. It goes away along with excess bile acid, which is removed by plant fibers. Plus they reduce the risk of stomach cancer and gallstones. Soluble ballast substances are found mainly in vegetables and fruits.
To extract from ballast substances greatest benefit, foods rich in them are best consumed raw. After all beneficial influence of these substances is reduced if vegetables or fruits have been heat treated.
"was formed back in the days when people considered these components of products as useless ballast for the body. By ballast substances we mainly mean carbohydrates. Ballast substances include: cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, agar-agar, lignin, etc.
Distinguish between soluble and insoluble ballast substances.
It is recommended to take 30g of ballast substances per day, but with normal nutrition the body usually does not receive that much. At the same time, the calorie content of ballast substances (2-3 kcal) with such quantities can be ignored. It is impossible to recover from ballast substances.
Let's consider the features of ballast substances by group.
Soluble ballast substances- tie up bile acids(consisting of 80% cholesterol), as well as other metabolic products and remove them from the body. This way, less cholesterol enters the blood and its level decreases.
Insoluble ballast substances- can change their volume due to their ability to swell. They bind liquid, increasing the volume of the intestinal contents, which accelerates peristalsis and reduces the residence time of food gruel in the intestines. If you take them in sufficient quantity, this can be a good prevention of such a common phenomenon as constipation. All ballast substances (including lignin) can bind water. So-called swelling agents can bind an amount of water that is one hundred times greater than the amount of the substance itself.
Obviously positive influence ballast substances on the body. It consists in the fact that they provide a feeling of satiety for quite a long time, and also bind and remove bile acids, thereby reducing cholesterol levels. In addition, they enhance peristalsis and bind water, which provides normal stool and prevents chronic diseases intestines.
But, unfortunately, there are also negative aspects use of ballast substances. Microorganisms form gases and this can lead to bloating, damage to the epithelium (intestinal mucosa), binding of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, as a result of which the body does not receive enough of these substances. But what’s worse is that when excessive consumption ballast substances, intestinal volvulus may occur due to overcrowding and blockage of the intestines. But if you take them within the recommended limits, then such a development is unlikely. It is much more dangerous to not receive enough ballast substances for a long time.
Where are such wonderful ballast substances hidden? In what products? Exclusively in products of plant origin, especially from whole grains, legumes, vegetables, salads, plant shoots and fruits.
Below is the amount of ballast substances contained in some common food products.
| No. | The product's name | Amount of ballast substances per 100g of product |
| 1 | Cereals | 10,0 |
| 2 | Wheat germ | 17,7 |
| 3 | Wheat bran | 45,4 |
| 4 | Rice | 4,5 |
| 5 | Rye bread | 14,0 |
| 6 | Peas | 16,6 |
| 7 | Corn | 9,7 |
| 8 | Lentils | 17,0 |
| 9 | Soya beans | 21,9 |
| 10 | White beans | 23,2 |
| 11 | Cauliflower | 26,3 |
| 12 | Carrot | 12,1 |
| 13 | Prunes | 5,0 |
| 14 | Whole grain pasta | 8,0 |
| 15 | Wholemeal bread with bran | 8,3 |
I think this information is a continuation of articles about healthy eating will not be superfluous.
