Summer is around the corner and that means only one thing. It's time to get in shape for swimwear and finally shed those extra pounds that have been dragging with us until Christmas. This entails a solid workout regime and a modified diet. We have already dealt with the issue of training several times. For example, you can be inspired by our article on the best sports for weight loss. Today we will focus on the second factor affecting weight loss, i.e. diet. However, this will not be a general talk about how to set your diet in a weight loss diet. This time, we're going to focus exclusively on side dishes. Specifically, we'll be focusing on konjac flour side dishes, which are known for their extremely low calorie content. Where does konjac flour come from? Is konjac pasta really so miraculous and when is it best to include it in your diet? Find out this and much more in today's article.
Side dishes work wonders with your diet
Whenever you start planning your diet, you need to make sure that you don't miss any important nutrients. But at the same time, you don't want them to contain too many calories, which can be quite limiting in some cases. If you don't feel like eating chicken and rice several times a week, you'll need to start experimenting a bit. Since you get most of your protein and other important nutrients from the main meal, theysometimes it can seem like side dishes are just another source of unnecessary calories. But eating meat alone will also tire you out after a while. Finding a good low-calorie side dish is therefore extremely important. In some cases, the calories saved on side dishes will allow you to to indulge in a little extra food, which is a big plus during weight loss.
What is konjac flour and what's interesting about it?
Cognac is still relatively new to the Western world, but it has actually been with us for a really long time. It is particularly popular in China and Japan, where it has been used for centuries. From the Amorphophallus konjac plant, konjac flour is made by cutting, drying and then grinding the tubers. This is mainly used as a base for konjac pasta, but you can also find konjac flour rice, for example. In addition to flour, konjac is used to make jelly (used as a substitute for emulsifiers and thickeners) and water-soluble fibre (glucomannan). Konjac flour is often associated with miraculous weight loss effects. Is this really the case?
Nutritional values of konjac flour products
One of the biggest benefits of konjac flour garnishes is, of course, the low calorie content. This is why they are popular in reduction diets, where every calorie counts in the diet. However, the high fibre content is also extremely important. This helps to induce a feeling of fullness, which enables people to go longer without eating. Many dieters fail to achieve their goals because they do not stick to their dietwhich ultimately causes them to not stick to their diet. This is, of course, a problem and it is high fiber that can effectively solve it. A 2005 study even confirmed that the glucomannan in konjac flour helps dieters lose more weight.In addition, fibresupports gut function, which contributes to better digestion.
Other health benefits of konjac
The weight loss support and positive effect on weight loss doesn't stop there. Cognac's ability to lower cholesterol is also widely discussed. This is especially true for the bad (LDL) cholesterol. Due to the very low sugar content of konjac flour products, their use is also often recommended for people suffering from diabetes. At the same time, however, it should be added that no relevant research has been carried out in this respect and all our knowledge in this area is based on a study carried out on mice. Last but not least, we must mention the effect of cognac on skin health. It has been reported to help prevent acne and promote the overall quality of human skin.
Preparation and taste of cognac garnishes
The undeniable advantage of konjac garnishes is their ease of preparation. In the vast majority of cases, you only need to heat them up quickly in a pot of water, lightly fry them in a pan or simply leave them in the microwave for a minute. So there really is nothing to fault in terms of difficulty and speed of preparation, and it doesn't really matter which manufacturer you buy your konjac pasta (or rice) from. But when it comes to the actual tasting, words of praise must be put aside. I repeat what I have written countless times in almost every article where I have evaluated the taste of a product. Taste cannot be evaluated objectively, as we all like something different. Even if our entire editorial team agrees that we don't like something, it is still only a subjective feeling.
But after tasting both the pasta and the konjac flour rice, I have to say that I really can't imagine that anyone would like this. At first glance, the pasta and rice look pretty normal. But that impression fades when you first smell it. The aroma of cognac pasta reminds me to some extent of fish, which can hardly be considered a positive. The same goes for the taste itself. Moreover, the cognac side dishes have a very strange consistency reminiscent of jelly. For this reason, they do not break down in the mouth as well as normal pasta, which we will come back to in a moment. In the end, I have to say that, taste-wise, it really is not a miracle. On the contrary.
Increased risk of choking
It may seem strange, but some konjac flour products are banned in some countries. This is because they can pose a choking risk to the elderly and to children. I mentioned a moment ago the strange consistency of konjac pasta and the fact that it does not break down very well in the mouth. Compared to normal pasta, this difference is really noticeable and, if you were not paying attention, you might have been taken aback at the very least. This may seem like a trivial matter that can be solved easilyby chewing the konjac pasta properly. And you're right. It's just that the Food and Drug Administration in the United States has noted an increased incidence of deaths due to asphyxiation from eating konjac food. I certainly don't want to scare anyone, but this is definitely information that is good to know.
Summary at the end
Cognac pasta is widespread especially in China and Japan, but they are also gaining more and more attention in Western countries. The benefits are mainly due to their nutritional values. The combination of minimal calories and high fibre content makes it an ideal side dish for anyone trying to minimise their calorie intake. However, I have to consider the taste as a big negative, which is, after all, quite crucial in food. On the other hand, I must highlight the simple and quick preparation. At this point, it is time to answer the most important question: are konjac side dishes worth including in your diet?
My answer is clear. Taste them and see. Forgetting the truly awful taste, there is nothing to fault the konjac pasta. Nutritionally, they are really good and as long as you are careful not to choke on them, I don't see a problem. The relatively high price is worth mentioning, but that's probably not surprising. So it all depends on whether you like them. If you do, feel free to include them in your diet. If not, don't worry about them unnecessarily. Nutritional values are important, but you should look forward to the food, not force yourself to eat it. You wouldn't last long on such a diet anyway.
That's all for today. If you have any questions or comments about the article, we'd love to hear from you in the comments.
Why can you trust us?
Sport has been my lifelong passion, I have been close to it since I was a child. For a long time I was primarily involved in athletics, which also eventually led me to the gym. Every good sprinter knows that to get one tenth of a start, he must therefore sacrifice hundreds of hours in training. And it was this toil behind the curtain, which no one sees, that was my greatest passion.
Every kilo in the gym helped me to move a little closer to my goal and I fell in love with the gym very quickly. Even though I don't race anymore, nothing has changed in my relationship with uncompromising training.