A short glossary

Carbohydrates or glucoses: they comprehend starch and sugar. Basically they are energetic stuff for our body, they provide 3,75 kilocalories every 100 grams. Sugar is absorbed and used very fast, while starch is slower. There are also fibres among carbohydrates; they are not used directly by our body, but they are very important for the function of the intestine and they favour the absorption of nourishing elements.

Fats or lipids: they are an excellent source of energy (they provide 9 kilocalories every 100 grams), they bring other nourishing elements with them (some essential fatty acids, and some lip soluble vitamins, soluble in the fats). They are mostly made from fatty acids, they differ according to their chemical bonds, and are mainly characteristic of animal fats, as palm or coco fat. The monounsaturated fatty acids have a double free bond.

Proteins: They are the most constructive part of food, those elements that are bricks for the body, to grow tissues and substitute the dying cells. Even these last provide energy (4 kilocalories every 100 grams). They are built by minor elements the amino acids. 20 amino acids exist in nature, 8 among them are considered essential, because our body is notable to produce them on its own. The proteins are said to be complete or not complete depending if they contain all the 8 essential amino acids. These kinds of food provide complete proteins: red meat and salami, fish, eggs, milk and its derived food.

Alcohol: it provides energy, and it is usually absorbed in the diet but it is not nourishing, because it is a superfluous element for our body.

There are nourishing elements that don’t provide energy, the so called micro-nourishing.

Vitamins: they are different substances with different functions that our body can not synthesize on its own. Almost all the food brings some quantity of vitamins particularly fruit and vegetables are rich in anti oxidant vitamins (that are useful to prevent cancer and heart-diseases. Among these there is the beta-carotene (a precursory of vitamin A) and some other similar molecules, the so-called arytenoids, some with vitamin activity (alpha carotene, luteinize, cryptoxantine) some others instead have no vitamin activity, although they have a very powerful antioxidant activity (limonene). This last element is present in red, orange, yellow, and green coloured fruit and vegetable. The well-known anti-oxidant with vitamin activity is the vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) that is abundant in citrus, kiwis, peppers, tomatoes and some other vegetables (for example parsley, that is used and consumed in small quantities).

Minerals: they are basic elements for our body, present in several processes taking place into our body and with very important specific functions (e.g. calcium for the bones or iron for the delivery of oxygen in the blood).

Water: the main element of our body without which life wouldn’t exist. This has a clear antioxidant activity, present in the extra virgin olive oil, in red wine, in fruit (over all green tea). It has been discussed for some years, researchers study these elements for their probable protective effect towards several degenerative diseases.

Is flavones or phi oestrogens, among which genisteine, present in the pulses, and in particular in soy and the derived products. They have attracted the researchers’ attention for their activity, similar to that of hormones; there are some hypotheses that the diet rich in these substances can reduce the cases of breast cancer but data are not very convincing. In this short report regarding recipes, the only protagonist is necessarily the main ingredient for food cooking: the olive oil. This food is wholly made of fats, and particularly about 16% by saturated fatty acids, 75% monounsaturated fatty acids( almost totally oleic acid) and for 9% by polisaturated. This kind of oil has few saturated fatty acids and a lot of monounsaturated as main characteristic. Beyond its composition, as regards fatty acids, the olive oil (extra-virgin or coming from oil-mills) is rich in some polyphones, with an important anti-oxidant activity, which highlights top-quality oil at the researchers’ eyes. The olive oil is also a good source of vitamin E, an antioxidant substance, too. Everybody advices to consume vegetable fats, among which the olive oil seems to be the best choice. The recipes included in this section have the olive oil as main ingredient.