Originally published October 3 2005
Seaweed could be used to increase the fiber in junk food
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Alginate, a seaweed extract, has been proven to strengthen mucus, which protects the gut, can slow digestion and the uptake of nutrients in the body, and hopefully, help food manufacturers fortify their products to cope with the obesity epidemic.
The highly-fibrous seaweed extract, alginate, could be used to increase the fibre content of cakes, burgers and other types of food which usually contain large amounts of fat and a low degree of healthy nutrients.
They believe it will be a valuable weapon in the international battle against obesity, diabetes and heart disease and diseases such as bowel cancer.
The seaweed is processed in the laboratory to produce the extract, alginate, a carbohydrate compound which is a tasteless and odourless off-white coloured powder.
The paper shows that alginate has been proved to strengthen mucus, the body's natural protection of the gut wall, can slow digestion down, and can slow the uptake of nutrients in the body.
Moreover, alginate is high in fibre and has been proved to be palatable and safe, and as such is already in widespread use by the food industry as a gelling agent, to reconstitute powdered foods, and to thicken the frothy head of premium lagers.
"We're just not eating enough fibre, yet we need this to keep us healthy," said professor Jeff Pearson, of Newcastle University's Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences.
"The problem is that a lot of people don't enjoy many of the foods that are high in fibre, like fruit and vegetables, yet to consume the recommended daily amount of fibre they would have to eat a lot of these types of foods.
With a burger, for example, you would simply remove some of the fat and replace it with the seaweed extract, which is an entirely natural product from a sustainable resource.
The team has already made loaves of bread containing the seaweed extract "Bread is probably the best vehicle to reach the general population because most people eat it," said Pearson.
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