OPEN SESAME
August 30th 2007 00:48
My husband swears by sesame seeds.
He loves the seeds and the oil that comes from them. In fact, he’ll smear a small amount of the oil on bread as part of his sandwich … damn, he must love the taste. Just for him I occasionally cook with sesame oil; it adds a nice flavour to stir fries and, if I’m feeling decadent, it is yummy with home-made, oven cooked chips.
I must admit, sesame seeds are pretty yummy. Like all seeds and nuts they are quite high in fat, although it is good fat, not bad. However, if you’re trying to lose weight, even good fats should be eaten in moderation because, even good fats can make you fat.
Sesame seeds are such a versatile addition to your diet. They can be used in sweet or savoury dishes, hidden within or proudly displayed on top, or even eaten au naturale. The list is almost endless.
But are they good for you?
Sesame seeds are a good source of copper, offering 74% of your daily requirement of copper from just a quarter of a cup of the seeds. Copper can reduce pain and swelling from rheumatoid arthritis due to its importance in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant enzyme systems. It is also essential in the role of the enzyme lysyl oxidase, important in collagen and elastin, providing structure, strength and elasticity in blood vessels, bones and joints.
Sesame seeds also offer heaps of magnesium which has profound benefits to vascular and respiratory health. Magnesium has shown its usefulness in preventing airway spasm in asthmatics; lowering blood pressure which can be beneficial to people at high risk of heart attack, stroke and heart disease; preventing the blood vessel spasm linked to migraines; and restoring normal sleep patterns for menopausal women.
Another nutritional benefit of sesame seeds is their high levels of calcium, although only unhulled seeds have high levels of this essential nutrient. As well as the well publicised benefits of calcium in bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis, calcium can also assist in the prevention of colon cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, migraines and pre-menstrual symptoms in the second half of the moon cycle.
It should be remembered, though, that the calcium stored in the hulls of sesame seeds isn’t absorbed as readily into the human body as the calcium sources in the flesh. Therefore it’s unknown how much extra calcium is available to the human body by consumption of hulls and flesh compared to flesh alone.
Sesame seeds are also full of zinc which is helpful in maintaining bone mineral density. Osteoporosis is often considered a women’s disease but many men suffer as well … 1 in 8 men over 50 will have an osteoporatic fracture.
Did I mention that sesame seeds are full of good fats? They contain compounds that lower bad cholesterol levels but also raise good cholesterol levels. Now, that can’t be bad. Can it?
Sesame seeds are great and the oil made from them is wonderful too, in the words of my bloke, “it’s all about aroma”. Smell and taste are inextricably linked and what smells good, tastes good … so try them for yourself.
You might actually like them.
My thanks to Wiki for the piccy.
He loves the seeds and the oil that comes from them. In fact, he’ll smear a small amount of the oil on bread as part of his sandwich … damn, he must love the taste. Just for him I occasionally cook with sesame oil; it adds a nice flavour to stir fries and, if I’m feeling decadent, it is yummy with home-made, oven cooked chips.
I must admit, sesame seeds are pretty yummy. Like all seeds and nuts they are quite high in fat, although it is good fat, not bad. However, if you’re trying to lose weight, even good fats should be eaten in moderation because, even good fats can make you fat.
Sesame seeds are such a versatile addition to your diet. They can be used in sweet or savoury dishes, hidden within or proudly displayed on top, or even eaten au naturale. The list is almost endless.
But are they good for you?
A big pile of sesame seeds, begging you to eat them
Sesame seeds are a good source of copper, offering 74% of your daily requirement of copper from just a quarter of a cup of the seeds. Copper can reduce pain and swelling from rheumatoid arthritis due to its importance in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant enzyme systems. It is also essential in the role of the enzyme lysyl oxidase, important in collagen and elastin, providing structure, strength and elasticity in blood vessels, bones and joints.
Sesame seeds also offer heaps of magnesium which has profound benefits to vascular and respiratory health. Magnesium has shown its usefulness in preventing airway spasm in asthmatics; lowering blood pressure which can be beneficial to people at high risk of heart attack, stroke and heart disease; preventing the blood vessel spasm linked to migraines; and restoring normal sleep patterns for menopausal women.
Another nutritional benefit of sesame seeds is their high levels of calcium, although only unhulled seeds have high levels of this essential nutrient. As well as the well publicised benefits of calcium in bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis, calcium can also assist in the prevention of colon cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, migraines and pre-menstrual symptoms in the second half of the moon cycle.
It should be remembered, though, that the calcium stored in the hulls of sesame seeds isn’t absorbed as readily into the human body as the calcium sources in the flesh. Therefore it’s unknown how much extra calcium is available to the human body by consumption of hulls and flesh compared to flesh alone.
Sesame seeds are also full of zinc which is helpful in maintaining bone mineral density. Osteoporosis is often considered a women’s disease but many men suffer as well … 1 in 8 men over 50 will have an osteoporatic fracture.
Did I mention that sesame seeds are full of good fats? They contain compounds that lower bad cholesterol levels but also raise good cholesterol levels. Now, that can’t be bad. Can it?
Sesame seeds are great and the oil made from them is wonderful too, in the words of my bloke, “it’s all about aroma”. Smell and taste are inextricably linked and what smells good, tastes good … so try them for yourself.
You might actually like them.
My thanks to Wiki for the piccy.
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