Dreamfields Glossary of Terms
We have compiled a list of terms and definitions related to a healthy diet
and Dreamfields Pasta. Here you can learn about calories and how they are
measured, our special fiber Inulin, the glycemic index, and about what digestible
carbs are and much more...
Calories
Carbohydrates
Dietary fiber
Digestion
Digestible carbohydrates
Glucose
Glycemic index
Glycemic load
Glycosylation
Insulin
Inulin
Net carbs
Pasta
Pectin
Protected carbohydrates or "resistant starch"
Sorbitol
Xanthan gum
Please also visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page
Calories: A calorie is defined as
the amount of heat (energy) required to raise one kilogram of water, one
degree centigrade. Calories reported by nutritionists and expressed on food
labeling, define a food's energy producing potential which can be released
when the body oxidizes the food. According to US food labeling laws, the
amount of calories reported for carbohydrates on a food's Nutritional Facts
Panel is based on 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate. Dietary fibers are
defined as being non-digestible, thus their calories are not reported in
the Nutritional Facts Panel. Exceptions for using the caloric factor of 4
calories per gram of carbohydrate factor are made for those carbohydrates
that have been scientifically documented to have lower caloric values. Sugar
alcohols are an example of carbohydrates with lower caloric values. The number
of calories reported in the Nutritional Facts Panel for a food is calculated
by summing the number of calories obtained by multiplying the amount of each
ingredient by its caloric factor per gram. The calculated caloric value does
not always represent what takes place in the body. This is the case in Dreamfields'
pasta. Protected carbohydrates have limited digestion and absorption in the
small intestine causing them to be transported to the colon where they are
fermented (broken down). The fermented carbohydrates typically provide the
body less than 2 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram for those
digested and absorbed in the small intestine.
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Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are
one of the primary macronutrients along with proteins and fats. They are
composed primarily of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. This classification of
nutrients includes primarily sugars, starches, and dietary fibers. When digested
and processed by the body, they represent a primary source of energy for
activity and body functions.
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Dietary fiber: By definition, dietary
fibers cannot be broken down by digestive enzymes. These non-digestible carbohydrates
include complex carbohydrates that make up plant cell walls such as cellulose,
hemicelluloses, pectins, and a variety of gums and storage carbohydrates.
Dietary fibers provide a source of food to be fermented or broken down by
microorganisms in the large intestine (colon). The by-products of fermentation
support health by promoting good levels of blood glucose and plasma lipids,
promoting healthy immune function, increasing calcium absorption, and promoting
the proper digestion of food. They also help encourage good stool habits
and reduce the risk of certain bowel diseases, like colon cancer and inflammatory
bowel disorders.
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Digestion: This is the process by
which foods are broken down into smaller sub-units or components, which can
be absorbed into the body through the gastrointestinal tract.
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Digestible carbohydrates: Digestible
carbohydrates are carbohydrates that are capable of being broken down in
the gastrointestinal tract prior to the colon by acids and digestive enzymes
resulting in small nutritional components capable of being absorbed into
the blood stream where they can be further processed and utilized by the
body.
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Glucose: This is the scientific name
for the simple sugar that is a primary component of complex or long chain
carbohydrates such as starch. The digestion of complex carbohydrates produces
glucose, which is absorbed into the blood stream where it is commonly referred
to as blood sugar. It is also known as dextrose or grape sugar. Glucose acts
as the body's primary, short-term energy source.
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Glycemic index: Glycemic index (GI)
is a measure of the effect of the consumption of food on blood glucose levels.
It ranks the blood glucose response of a food on a scale of 0-100. Typically
high glycemic foods are those that are 70+, while low glycemic foods have
a GI of less than 55.
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Glycemic load: Glycemic load (GL)
is a measure of the quantity of digestible carbohydrate in a product serving
or in a specified amount of product that is measured by multiplying the Glycemic
Index (GI) times the carbohydrate content of the food in grams and then dividing
by 100. Each unit of GL represents the glucose raising effect of 1 gram of
glucose or white bread, depending on which control is used in the determination
of the GI.
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Glycosylation: Glycosylation is the
process of adding sugar units to proteins. This occurs more rapidly in the
body when blood glucose levels are not tightly controlled. High blood glucose
levels for long periods of time can cause glycosylation, which can damage
organ function and ultimately shorten life span and impair body functions
of the diabetic. The HbA1c test can monitor the potential for this process
to occur.
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Insulin: This is a hormone (protein)
made by the pancreas, which promotes the utilization of sugar by the body.
It is required to help move blood glucose from the blood to the cells to
be used for energy.
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Inulin: Inulin, unlike insulin, is
a naturally-occurring, plant storage non-digestible carbohydrate found in
over 36,000 plants worldwide.
Inulin naturally occurs in cereal grains, onions, asparagus, bananas,
raisins, garlic and many other commonly consumed plants. Unlike normal starch,
it is not digested by the body, but is used as preferred food (dietary fiber)
by a select group of health-promoting bacteria called lactic-acid producing
bacteria (bifidobacteria and lactobacilli); the same bacteria as those found
as active cultures in many yogurts and fermented dairy products. These bacteria
grow and produce fermentation products to help support a healthy immune system,
modulate glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver, help improve calcium
absorption, and help keep the colon functioning properly for recycling of
water and electrolytes.
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Net carbs: This is a rough estimate
of a food's glycemic load or digestible carbohydrate content. They are not
the result of testing an individual, but rather are arrived at by summing
the estimated digestible carbohydrate content of a food's individual components.
Non-digestible carbohydrates: These are carbohydrates that are not capable
of being digested in the gastrointestinal tract; however, they often can
be fermented in the colon. They are not broken down to any extent by stomach
acid or digestive enzymes. They proceed on through the digestive system and
reach the large intestine where they are acted upon by resident microorganisms.
Dietary fiber fits into this category.
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Pasta: Pasta is a general term for
a shaped and dried dough made from flour and water. Most American dry pasta
is made with semolina, which is produced from finely ground kernels of durum
wheat. Dreamfields pasta is made from only the highest quality wheat semolina.
For more helpful information on pasta, such as history, manufacturing, shapes,
recipes, etc., follow the link to the National Pasta Association website
at
www.ilovepasta.org.
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Pectin: Pectin is a food gum and
dietary fiber that is present in many fruits and is used as a gelling agent
or thickening agent for pourable salad dressings, sauces, gravies, pastry
fillings, puddings, several dairy products, and fruit juices.
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Protected carbohydrates or "resistant starch": These
are carbohydrates that resist being digested particularly in the small intestine.
When they cannot be digested in the small intestine, they pass to the colon
where they perform as dietary fiber. They may occur naturally, be created
by chemically modifying carbohydrates prior to ingestion or achieve resistance
through properly formulated foods being processed by the body. Resistant
starches occur naturally at various levels in many foods, like cooked and
cooled potatoes, unmilled grains, seeds, legumes, bananas, and high amylase
starches. Most resistant starches are produced by concentrating naturally
resistant starches and/or by chemically modifying carbohydrates in order
to produce a starch with low digestibility. Dreamfields creates protected
carbohydrates without chemical modification by utilizing combinations of
standard food ingredients to "protect" digestible carbohydrates from being
broken down by digestive enzymes. Carbohydrates resistant to digestion have
been shown in scientific study to help control blood glucose, blood cholesterol
and blood triglyceride levels, normalize insulin levels, and help improve
the health of the colon lining, thus reducing the potential for ulcers and
inflammatory diseases of the large intestine.
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Sorbitol: Sorbitol is a bulk sweetener
that is classified as a sugar alcohol or polyol. It is naturally present
in many fruits, especially cherries and pears and some fermented beverages
like cider. It is made commercially from glucose syrup derived from corn
starch. However, while being derived from a digestible sugar (glucose), it
is not processed by the body like a sugar. Sorbitol does not promote tooth
decay and is slowly and only partially absorbed by the body, so it doesn't
create a significant insulin response; thus it is used in sugar-free and
diabetic applications. It has been safely used in processed foods for almost
half a century. Sorbitol is typically used in food products as a low-calorie
sugar replacer (almost one-half that of sugar), and to help protect against
loss of moisture. Because it is slowly and only partially absorbed, much
of the sweetener reaches the colon where the resident microflora use it for
food and make products that can help benefit health, much like dietary fibers.
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Xanthan gum: is a food gum with dietary
fiber properties that was developed to perform as a thickening agent for
pourable salad dressings, sauces and gravies, pastry fillings, puddings,
dairy products, and fruit juices. Xanthan gum is made using a fermentation
process that employs the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. This organism
utilizes sugars, like corn glucose to produce the gum. It is not digested
by the body, but reaches the colon intact where it is used for food by resident
microflora that produce products of the fermentation process that help reduce
cholesterol and smooth fluctuations in blood glucose, and help maintain the
health of the large intestine (colon). Xanthan gum is a widely used and approved
food ingredient.
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