The Minerals in Your Food

THERE was a time when the role that minerals play in nutrition was not appreciated. The emphasis in nutrition was on proteins, fats (such as butter, lard, oils) and carbohydrates . Then men began to discern that good health depended also upon other factors, such as vitamins, and that even certain minerals, found in the body in very small amounts, were indispensable.

Concerning these minerals we are told that they carry a clear message: “Man cannot exist elsewhere.” Also that “had man [come into existence] on another planet, he would have had a different mineral composition.” This is just what we should expect in view of the Bible’s account of creation as found at Genesis 2:7: “Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.”

Interestingly, the fact that Jehovah God originally gave man “all vegetation bearing seed . . . and every tree on which there is the fruit of a tree bearing seed” as food is also borne out by a study of these minerals. While the body carefully guards many of these minerals, not so with potassium, obtained mostly from fruits and vegetables. Daily the body expels a certain amount of potassium regardless of how much is taken in, requiring daily consumption of potassium-rich foods. This has caused a team of leading nutritionists to ask, “Could it be because man originally lived on fruits and vegetables?” Yes, undoubtedly that is the reason.

Scientists today list over a hundred elements as being found on this earth. However, some of these are man-made. As many as sixty of the natural elements have been found in living things and some forty have been found in man.

Not included here for special consideration are the four major elements described as “having a molecular weight of 16 or less.” These account for 96 percent of the body’s composition. They include oxygen, 65 percent; carbon, 18 percent; hydrogen, 10 percent; nitrogen, 3 percent. The fact that 75 percent of the body’s composition is oxygen and hydrogen would seem to show the need of daily drinking sufficient liquids.

“Macro” and “Micro” Minerals

What is being considered here are the “macro” minerals and “micro” or “trace” elements or minerals. The macro elements comprise a total of about 3.5 percent of the body’s composition. They exist in quantities of less than 3 percent and more than 1/100th of 1 percent.These are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine and magnesium.

The micro elements account for the remaining about 1/2 of 1 percent. Among the more important micro or trace elements are iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, molybdenum, cobalt, fluorine, chromium and bromine.

These various minerals have an importance in nutrition far beyond the extremely small amounts that are found in the body. Calcium, the major one of these, represents only about 1/70th of the body’s composition. And there is from 400 to 500 times as much calcium in the body as there is iron. Then again, there is twenty times as much iron as there is copper, and five times as much copper as there is iodine in the body. Yet iodine is essential to good health even though it is found in the body only to the extent of one part in 2.5 million or more.

Man has still much to learn about the presence and value of these minerals in the body. As one medical journal expressed it: “New knowledge concerning minerals both macro and micro opens up bright vistas in the prevention and treatment of disease, as well as in the maintenance of optimal nutrition. . . . They offer a treasure-house of exciting opportunities for investigators.”

Basically, the minerals in the body serve two functions. One is that of building blocks; the other is that of regulators of the body’s processes by combining with vitamins, with other minerals and with enzymes. In fact, a number of these minerals serve quite a variety of valuable purposes in the body.

In considering information on minerals it is well to keep in mind that nutrition is by no means a science on which there is general agreement as there is with, say, mathematics and physics. There is some disagreement as to the exact proportions of these elements in the body, as to just where to draw the line between macro and micro elements and as to which trace elements are essential. But what is known can be very helpful.

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How to Make Inari Sushi

One of the cheaper and more popular types of sushi in the market nowadays is the Inari Sushi. It is made by stuffing sushi rice, and even some vegetables into small pouches of deep fried bean curd or tofu, also more popularly known in its Japanese term as aburage. Instead of the usual Nori seaweed or soybean paper, aburage is used in this sushi. Aburage can either be sold in packets or packaged in cans, and is widely distributed throughout most Japanese specialty stores or supermarkets. This type of sushi is also called by some famous nicknames, like pocket-sushi and brown-bag sushi. But whatever the monikers may be, this type of sushi is easy to make, less expensive, and tastes really good!

Following the simple procedures below can have you making your own Inari sushi in no time.

Inari Sushi Rice Recipes

Ingredients:

4 deep fried tofu pieces, cut into half

2 cups prepared sushi rice

3 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons Mirin or sweet Japanese cooking wine

1 and ¼ cup Dashi or fish stock

Salt

¼ cup shredded carrots (par-boiled)

1 teaspoon sesame seeds (toasted) optional

Pickled ginger (for garnish)

Steps

1. Since the tofu is deep-fried, it is necessary to get rid of the excess oils. Do this by soaking them in boiling water. Cool for a while, and then cut them into half. This makes 8 tofu pouches in all.

2. Combine soy sauce, sugar, dashi and mirin in a small pan. Bring to a boil over slow to medium heat. Add the tofu pockets to the boiling sauce. Let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes, over slow heat, and completely covered. After 20 minutes, turn off heat, and drain the tofu. Squeeze them dry and set aside.

3. Combine sushi rice, carrots, and the toasted sesame seeds.

4. Stuff the rice mixture into the cut tofu, carefully folding over the ends to secure it.

5. Arrange in a plate and garnish with the pickled ginger.

This recipe yields 8 servings of Inari Sushi

Some useful tips:

• Some canned tofu are seasoned and already cut into serving pouches. Therefore, you can do away with the simmering in soy-sauce and mirin mixture. However, boiling the tofu in the sauce is most ideal, as it will ensure more flavor.

• Mirin is a kind of Japanese cooking wine, sort of a sweeter version of the usual sake. The mixture in making this wine usually consists of steamed mochigome rice, shochu (Japanese liquor), and komekoji (rice yeast). These are then fermented to make mirin. There are actually two types of mirin available in the market. Hon mirin contains 14 percent alcohol. Shin mirin has less than 1 percent alcohol, and is therefore more ideal for cooking. Shin Mirin is often bottled and has a yellow gold color. Mirin is also used to prepare seasoning for sushi rice.

• Aburage is often confused with Atsuage. While both are soybean products, and are deep fried, aburage is of the thinner variety. Atsuage is also triangular in shape, thick, and ideal for simmered soups, added in stir fries, or served with soy sauce. Aburage is often shaped into squares and rectangles. This makes the aburage perfect when stuffed with sushi rice and made into Inari Sushi.

• Dashi or fish stock is relatively easy to make. A cup of Katsuobushi or dried fish flakes can be combined with 2-3 cups of water, and then boiled over low heat. Then the fish flakes can be strained to retain the fish stock.

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Seafood – Health Beneficial and Delicious Meal

Demand for seafood is continuously increasing worldwide. Fresh seafood is now widely available than ever before. There are numerous reason for eating seafood and fish. Nowadays, people realize the importance of eating seafood. Numerous researches and studies have proved that the ideal source of good vitamins, fats and mineral to promote better health can actually be found in different seafood. Some of the benefits of eating seafood, fish and shrimp are listed below:

1) Fish is good for heart diseases – Undeniably, seafood is low fat food. Fish are high in protein, and low in fat and cholesterol. Fish is rich in Omega 3 fatty acid that is most beneficial for your health. It decreases the inflammatory process in blood vessels.

2) Seafood is proven to strengthen your immune system – Researches have shown that many varieties of shrimp and fish have high antioxidant which can boost up your immune system and reduce the risk of heart diseases.

3) Seafood makes smart and healthy kids – A healthy seafood diet for kids every week can definitely enhance their learning skills and improve their health. It also helps in development of eye sight of unborn child.

4) Seafood reduces the risks of cancer - It has been said that people who regularly eat seafood have low risks of getting cancer of the throat, mouth, stomach, lung, pancreas, colon, etc.

Malaysia is one of the biggest sourcing hubs in fish, shrimp and seafood industry and is technologically very sound. Malaysia shrimp have good grow-out and a consistent record of harvesting remarkable crop every year. Malaysia shrimp is an enormously vital crop for Malaysia seafood industry. From last few years, Malaysia seafood is in great demand across the world. Malaysia has been quickly gaining a foothold throughout the globe due to its high quality and competitive price.

There are wide range of hotels and restaurants that offer Malaysia seafood, Malaysia fish and Malaysia shrimp. Its quality and competitive price makes them the obvious choice for hotels, restaurants and resorts. Malaysia has now surpassed other countries to become the largest exporter of seafood products.

Are you looking for seafood exporting industry from Malaysia? Siam Canadian is definitely one stop destination for your Malaysia seafood, Malaysia fish and Malaysia shrimpexporting requirements. Siam Canadian looks further to provide their customers with ultimate level of peculiarity in seafood products and services.

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