Prof Kouris Nutrition

9 hours ago

Spinach...it is very nutritious but should it be eaten uncooked? In the Mediterranean diet spinach is usually only eaten cooked. Why?
Old cuisines appear to have some wisdom.

Raw spinach is high in oxalates and goitrogens which can cause kidney stones and reduce thyroid function respectively.
So if you are prone to kidney stones or have hypothyroidism it's best to only eat cooked spinach. Cooking breaks down these compounds.

Otherwise we should all be eating spinach many times a week due to its high levels of antioxidants and nutrients which have been linked to better eye health, less cancer and lower blood pressure.

Add spinach to everything..salads, smoothies, dips, soups, omelette, stews, bolognaise etc. Cooked spinach wilts down and your family won't even know it's there!

www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/spinach ... See MoreSee Less

Prof Kouris Nutrition

1 week ago

Vegetable glycerine is often used in low carb products because despite being a 'sugar alcohol' it does not raise blood sugars or spike insulin ( like maltitol), it has a very low glycaemic index of 3 (erythritol is 1, maltitol is about 50, sugar is 60) and is low fodmap. Unlike maltitol it does not get fermented in the large bowel so does not cause bloating.
It is a natural preservative in food and helps to retain moisture.

For the reasons above glycerine is often used in diabetes friendly products, that's why I used it in Skinnybik.

Erythritol is also diabetes friendly with little impact on blood sugars and insulin (unlike maltitol)...another reason I used erythritol and not maltitol in Skinnybik.

Maltitol also causes bowel discomfort but erythritol does not.

foodinsight.org/what-is-glycerin/ ... See MoreSee Less