Ballast substances. Why are ballast substances needed in food?

” was formed back in those days when people considered these constituent components of products as useless ballast for the body. Carbohydrates are generally understood as ballast substances. Ballast substances include: cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, agar-agar, lignin, etc.

Distinguish between soluble and insoluble ballast substances.

It is recommended to take 30 g of ballast substances per day, but with a normal diet, the body usually does not receive so much. At the same time, the calorie content of ballast substances (2-3 kcal) can be ignored at such quantities. It is impossible to recover from ballast substances.

Consider the features of ballast substances by groups.

Soluble Ballast Substances- bind bile acids (consisting of 80% of cholesterol), as well as other metabolic products and remove them from the body. Thus, less cholesterol enters the blood, and its level decreases.

Insoluble Ballast Substances- can change their volume due to the ability to swell. They bind the liquid, increasing the volume of the contents of the intestine, which accelerates peristalsis and reduces the time the food gruel stays in the intestine. If taken in sufficient quantities, it can be a good prevention of such a common phenomenon as constipation. All ballast substances (up to lignin) can bind water. So-called swelling substances can bind a hundred times more water than 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 lowering cholesterol levels. In addition, they enhance peristalsis and bind water, which provides normal stool and prevents chronic diseases intestines.

But, unfortunately, there are negative aspects the 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 will not receive these substances. But it's scarier that overuse ballast substances, volvulus may occur due to overcrowding and clogging of the intestine. But if you take them within the recommended limits, then such a development of events is unlikely. It is much more dangerous not to receive ballast substances for a long time.

Where are such wonderful ballast substances hiding? In what products? Exclusively in products plant origin, especially from grains coarse grinding, legumes, vegetables, salads, vegetable shoots and fruits.

Below is the amount of dietary fiber found in some common foods.

No. p / p	The product's name	The amount of ballast substances in 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 in continuation of articles about healthy eating won't be redundant.

IN vegetable food contains polysaccharides and lignin, which are not broken down under the influence of digestive juice, are not digested. Until 1980, these elements were considered as dietary fiber. Technological methods were invented for processing raw materials to reduce their amount in products. And in 1982, a guide to a high-fiber diet was published in the UK.

Further studies have shown that ballast substances normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Positive

Ballast substances are resistant to the effects of digestive juices. They are not digested small intestine, end up in unmodified form. 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;
the formation of signal molecules, neurotransmitters;
cytoprotection;
tissue regeneration;
growth inhibition;
building resilience epithelial cells to the effects of carcinogens;
synthesis pantothenic acid, B vitamins.

Dietary fibers, especially pectin, form 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 harm. 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, nutritionist.

Even if there is no ban on the consumption of products containing dietary fiber, their excessive consumption contributes to:

At long-term use products rich in dietary fiber, recommend parenteral (bypassing the gastrointestinal tract) administration of vitamins, essential amino acids. Increase consumption of foods containing essential trace elements.

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, diarrhea.

Consumption rates

The daily requirement of carbohydrates for an adult is 400–500 g. Of these:

75-80% starch;
15–20% easily digestible carbohydrates;
5 % alimentary fiber.

But don't get too carried away with dietary fiber. In some diseases, they are categorically contraindicated, and their excessive consumption adversely affects health.

Ballast substances

Carbohydrates also include cell walls ballast substances that are not digested gastrointestinal tract. They cannot serve as a source of energy and plastic material, but play a primary role in the formation stool. This circumstance, as well as the expressed irritant effect cell membranes on the mechanoreceptors of the intestinal mucosa determine their leading role in stimulating peristalsis and regulating the motor function of the intestine. Deficiency of ballast substances in human nutrition leads to a slowdown intestinal peristalsis, the development of stasis and dyskinesia.

Diets should contain enough(not less than 25 g) cellulose (fiber) and other indigestible polysaccharides, the source of which are various plant products. Special meaning acquires the enrichment of the diet with fiber in old age and in persons with a tendency to constipation. Along with participation in the regulation of intestinal motility, fiber has a normalizing effect on the motor function of the biliary tract, stimulating the processes of bile excretion and preventing the development congestion in the liver and gallbladder. Ballast substances also remove excess cholesterol from the body.

All plant products without exception are a source of fiber. Most high content cell membranes are noted in wholemeal flour, millet, beans, green peas, dried fruits (especially in prunes), and beets. Significant quantities cellulose also contains buckwheat, carrot. Low content it is characterized by rice, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini.

Herbal products also contain pectin substances , which have the ability to adsorb various slags, including exo- and endogenous toxins, heavy metals. This property of pectins is widely used in medicinal and preventive nutrition(carrying out unloading apple days in patients with colitis and enterocolitis; the appointment of marmalade enriched with pectin for the prevention of lead intoxication, etc.). Pectic substances are part of fresh fruits, roots, leaves and green parts of the stem. Most of them are found in apples, plums, blackcurrant and beets.

The ability of pectin substances in the presence of organic acids and sugar to form jelly (jelly) is widely used in the confectionery industry in the production of jams, jams, marshmallows, marshmallows, marmalade, etc.

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The word "ballast" usually means something useless, superfluous, unnecessary. But such a definition does not apply in any way to ballast substances that play essential role in our diet and have a huge impact on our health.

Ballast substances are food components contained in plant foods and not able to be digested in the human body. The intake of these substances in the body is guaranteed if we eat a lot fresh vegetables and fruits, that is, which are not subjected to culinary processing.

The main ballast substances are dietary fibers that are found in any plant, fiber is their main representative. Dietary fibers, in turn, are polysaccharides of different structures with huge macromolecules. There are bacteria that can break down such compounds with unprecedented ease, but human enzymes cannot.

Previously, it was believed that ballast substances are useless for the body, since digestive juices do not contain enzymes that could break down these substances. However, it was simply not known that part of the dietary fiber is digested by the enzymes of microorganisms living in the large intestine. At the same time, in addition to gases, fatty acid that a person can digest.

Ballast substances are divided into the following types:

Lignin (grains, vegetables, fruit pits).
Alginates (agar-agar (algae)).
Pectin (vegetables and fruits, especially apples).
Cellulose (vegetables, fruits, grains).
Fiber (cereals, fruits and vegetables).

What is the role of ballast substances?

Positive influence of ballast substances

The positive effect of ballast substances is that they give a feeling of satiety for a long time, and also bind and remove bile acids thereby lowering cholesterol levels. In addition, they provide normal stools and prevent chronic bowel disease. Slow down the rate of digestion, which is important aspect in terms of nutrient use. Slow intake of nutrients prevents release into the blood a large number carbohydrates. With the slow absorption of nutrients, their influx occurs constantly along with the blood. Also, ballast substances cover the nutrients, protecting them, activate the blood circulation of the gums, since they have to be chewed longer. Ballast substances have no calories.

Ballast substances are the most important source make-up intestinal microflora, the corresponding composition of which determines the full vital activity of our body. The bacterial flora actually destroys numerous toxins, carrying out the synthesis of vitamins, fats, carbohydrates and amino acids, including essential ones. Therefore, the use of ballast substances is an excellent prevention of dysbacteriosis.

In addition, ballast substances are excellent sorbents, which actively absorb objectionable compounds with their micropores. Medicine uses artificial sorbents, for example, Activated carbon. Dozens of diseases requiring their use have been established: various poisonings, kidney disease, biliary tract, liver, pancreatitis. Also, "artificial ballast substances" help in the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system. Therapeutic action ballast substances due to the direct absorption capacity. Under the influence of ballast substances, many toxic and excess metabolic products are eliminated - cholesterol, urea, various allergens, and others. At the same time, the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins improves, lipid metabolism normalizes, in other words, a rejuvenating effect is observed.

By the way, ballast substances also fight against excess weight, because they inhibit the digestion of fat in a person by binding part of the fat to themselves, and in this form the body brings them out. In addition, they slow down the breakdown of so-called complex carbohydrates from cereals, legumes, soy shoots, potatoes or nuts. This inhibits the production of insulin, and as a result, there is no clogging of the arteries and strokes.

There are over twenty different types ballast substances, which for the most part have long foreign names and are hidden in fruits, vegetables, salads, legumes, potatoes, nuts and whole grains. For example, cellulose and pectin, glycogen and hemicellulose, dextrin and starch. Ballast substances are generally divided into two large groups that are equally important for health: soluble and insoluble. Insolubles tend to retain water. They are good for digestion. Soluble dietary fiber, on the other hand, serves as food for important bacteria and has great value for health: they protect against cancer and stomach stones, regulate blood sugar and lower cholesterol.

Negative influence of ballast substances.

Microorganisms form gases, and this can lead to bloating, damage to the epithelium (the lining of the intestinal tissue), the binding of calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, due to which the body does not receive these substances, as well as volvulus due to intestinal overcrowding. However, such a risk is unlikely. Much more dangerous risk diseases caused by insufficient consumption of ballast substances.

What products contain ballast substances, and in what form should they be consumed?

Ballast substances are found only in herbal products, especially in products from grains, legumes, vegetables, salads, vegetable shoots and fruits: oranges, cherries, strawberries, apricots, cranberries, gooseberries, apples, plums, peaches, eggplants, radishes, pumpkins, beets, Rye bread, cereals, tomatoes, zucchini, lettuce, potatoes.

In order for the body to work "like a clock", you should consume at least 30-35 g of ballast substances per day. Of these, 15-20 g should be coarse grain products, the rest - vegetables and fruits. It is recommended to eat apples (with skins rich in dietary fiber), dried fruits, bananas, carrots, kiwi, raspberries, broccoli, and nuts. Once a week, you should include a dish with beans or lentils in your diet.

But if before the food rich in ballast substances was not given enough attention, introduce it into the menu gradually. In this case, it is necessary to remember two basic rules - chew food thoroughly and drink plenty of fluids, then there will be no problems with the intestines.

Of course, with some diseases (for example, with peptic ulcer in the stage of exacerbation acute gastritis etc.) coarse foods are contraindicated. But only during exacerbations! Our digestive tract cannot sustain a “sparing diet” for a long time. After a few weeks of eating purified foods, intestinal lethargy develops, accompanied by dysbacteriosis. Science has thus finally recognized an ancient and seemingly obvious truth. Simple, “live”, rich in “ballast” food is health and longevity. Refined, complexly cooked food under culinary processing is decrepitude, illness and early old age.

In order to fully verify that the above products are really rich in ballast substances that have a beneficial effect on our body, we will consider some of them.

Below is the content of ballast substances in 100 g of the product:

Oatmeal - 10 g
Wheat - 17.7 g
Wheat bran - 45.4 g
Rice - 4.5 g
Rye bread - 14 g
Peas - 16.6 g
Corn - 9.7 g
Lentils - 17 g
Soybeans - 21.9 g
White beans - 23.2 g
Grunkol cabbage - 4.2 g
Cauliflower - 26.3 g
Carrots - 12.1 g
Prunes - 5.0 g
Whole grain pasta - 8.0 g
Wholemeal bread with bran - 8.3 g

There is also another way to use these products!

This is a way to dry food. An internationally renowned company, Hydraflow Industries Limited, has many years of experience in the production of EZIDRI dryers. The Hydraflow seal of quality guarantees the high reliability of EZIDRI dryers, thanks to the directional warm air flow system, which ensures the highest standards of natural, delicious dried products without the use of preservatives and various additives. Dryers of the EZIDRI brand make it easy to adjust the desired temperature regime, as well as other conditions for drying products. These dryers help preserve food all year round with a natural taste, and most importantly, thanks to its technical specifications, these dryers have the property of preserving enzymes and various ballast substances unchanged.

Bibliography:

Sapin M. R. Human Anatomy, 1993
Novikov A. F. Fiber is a magic sponge, 2001
Gaivoronsky I.V. Functional Anatomy digestive system, 2006
Krylov. N. A. Human anatomy in diagrams and drawings, 2006

The word "ballast" usually means something useless, superfluous, unnecessary. But this definition does not apply in any way to ballast substances, which play a crucial role in our nutrition and have a huge impact on our health.

Ballast substances are such food components contained in plant foods and are not able to be digested in the human body. The intake of these substances into the body is guaranteed if we eat a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits, that is, which are not cooked.

Previously, it was believed that dietary fiber is useless for the body, since digestive juices do not contain enzymes that could break down these substances. However, it was simply not known that part of the dietary fiber is digested by the enzymes of microorganisms living in the large intestine. At the same time, in addition to gases, fatty acids are released, which a person can digest.

Ballast substances are divided into the following types:

Lignin (grains, vegetables, fruit pits).
Alginates (agar-agar (algae)).
Pectin (vegetables and fruits, especially apples).
Cellulose (vegetables, fruits, grains).
Fiber (cereals, fruits and vegetables).

What is the role of ballast substances?

Positive influence of ballast substances

The positive effect of ballast substances is that they give a feeling of satiety for a long time, and also bind and remove bile acids, thereby lowering cholesterol levels. In addition, they provide normal stools and prevent chronic bowel disease. Slow down the rate of digestion, which is an important aspect in terms of nutrient utilization. The slow intake of nutrients prevents the release of large amounts of carbohydrates into the blood. With the slow absorption of nutrients, their influx occurs constantly along with the blood. Also, ballast substances cover the nutrients, protecting them, activate the blood circulation of the gums, since they have to be chewed longer. Ballast substances have no calories.

Ballast substances are the most important source of nutrition of the intestinal microflora, the corresponding composition of which determines the full vital activity of our body. The bacterial flora actually destroys numerous toxins, carrying out the synthesis of vitamins, fats, carbohydrates and amino acids, including essential ones. Therefore, the use of ballast substances is an excellent prevention of dysbacteriosis.

In addition, ballast substances are excellent sorbents, which actively absorb objectionable compounds with their micropores. Medicine uses artificial sorbents, such as activated charcoal. Dozens of diseases requiring their use have been established: various poisonings, kidney diseases, biliary tract, liver, pancreatitis. Also, "artificial ballast substances" help in the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system. The therapeutic effect of ballast substances is due to the direct absorption capacity. Under the influence of ballast substances, many toxic and excess metabolic products are eliminated - cholesterol, urea, various allergens, and others. At the same time, the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins improves, lipid metabolism normalizes, in other words, a rejuvenating effect is observed.

There are more than twenty different types of dietary fiber, most of which have long foreign names and are hidden in fruits, vegetables, salads, legumes, potatoes, nuts and whole grains. For example, cellulose and pectin, glycogen and hemicellulose, dextrin and starch. Ballast substances are generally divided into two large groups that are equally important for health: soluble and insoluble. Insolubles tend to retain water. They are good for digestion. Soluble dietary fiber, on the other hand, feeds important bacteria and is of great health value: it protects against cancer and stomach stones, regulates blood sugar and lowers cholesterol.

Negative influence of ballast substances.

Microorganisms form gases, and this can lead to bloating, damage to the epithelium (the lining of the intestinal tissue), the binding of calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, due to which the body does not receive these substances, as well as volvulus due to intestinal overcrowding. However, such a risk is unlikely. Much more dangerous is the risk of diseases caused by insufficient consumption of dietary fiber.

What products contain ballast substances, and in what form should they be consumed?

Ballast substances are found only in vegetable products, especially in products from coarse grains, legumes, vegetables, salads, vegetable shoots and fruits: oranges, cherries, strawberries, apricots, cranberries, gooseberries, apples, plums, peaches, eggplants, radishes, pumpkins , beets, rye bread, cereals, tomatoes, zucchini, lettuce, potatoes.

Of course, for some diseases (for example, with peptic ulcer in the acute stage, acute gastritis, etc.), coarse foods are contraindicated. But only during exacerbations! Our digestive tract cannot sustain a “soft diet” for a long time. After a few weeks of eating purified foods, intestinal lethargy develops, accompanied by dysbacteriosis. Science has thus finally recognized an ancient and seemingly obvious truth. Simple, “live”, rich in “ballast” food is health and longevity. Refined, complexly cooked food under culinary processing is decrepitude, illness and early old age.

In order to fully verify that the above products are really rich in ballast substances that have a beneficial effect on our body, we will consider some of them.

Below is the content of ballast substances in 100 g of the product:

Oatmeal - 10 g
Wheat - 17.7 g
Wheat bran - 45.4 g
Rice - 4.5 g
Rye bread - 14 g
Peas - 16.6 g
Corn - 9.7 g
Lentils - 17 g
Soybeans - 21.9 g
White beans - 23.2 g
Grunkol cabbage - 4.2 g
Cauliflower - 26.3 g
Carrots - 12.1 g
Prunes - 5.0 g
Whole grain pasta - 8.0 g
Wholemeal bread with bran - 8.3 g

There is also another way to use these products!

This is a way to dry food. An internationally renowned company, Hydraflow Industries Limited, has many years of experience in the production of EZIDRI dryers. Hydraflow's quality mark guarantees the high reliability of EZIDRI dryers, thanks to the directional warm air flow system, which ensures the highest standards of natural, delicious dried products without the use of preservatives and various additives. Dryers of the EZIDRI brand make it easy to set the desired temperature, as well as other conditions for drying products. These dryers help preserve products all year round with a natural taste, and most importantly, due to their technical characteristics, these dryers have the property of preserving enzymes and various ballast substances unchanged.

Bibliography:

Sapin M. R. Human Anatomy, 1993
Novikov A. F. Fiber is a magic sponge, 2001
Gaivoronsky I. V. Functional anatomy of the digestive system, 2006
Krylov. N. A. Human anatomy in diagrams and drawings, 2006