We want to introduce,
A special mix of chicken and spice,
A famous local do,
That makes us all go whoo!
Nutritional Values
Many of us do not realize what we are consuming in our body. Thankfully many people are starting to take importance of their nutrition and are widening their awareness of it. Phew! So in support of this fact, we decided to start this blog by first introducing the nutritional values of a typically prepared chicken curry.
How are the nutrients provided by this dish absorbed by our body??
Nutrient : Protein ( Available from chicken and potatoes )
So basically what happens when the chicken and potatoes are consumed is that the protein is digested in our stomach into amino acids by enzymes known as proteases.
So what are amino acids again?
Amino acids are the basic constituents of proteins.
These amino acids are then absorbed into our blood stream and transported to different tissues depending on the function of the tissues. When these amino acids arrive at these tissues, they are used to manufacture necessary functional proteins depending on the amino acids made available to these tissues (Benardot,2009).
What happens if the amino acids produced exceeds the need of our biological needs?
Well, our body then metabolizes these excess amino acids to glycogen or fat that can be later converted back into amino acids when the body lacks of it later on. These amino acids can be used for energy metabolism, but not before they are converted to acetyl CoA first. Why is this necessary you may ask? We convert it to acetyl CoA for ms so that it can enter the Kreb's cycle to produce energy in the form of ATP.
It is important to know that proteins are actually constantly being made and broken down within each cell in our body. These produce free amino acids (Advameg,2008)
So where do these free amino acids go?
These free amino acids join the general circulation. Some other may be promptly recycled into other proteins while the rest may be stripped of their nitrogen and used for energy (Advameg,2008).
Nutrient : Fat ( Chicken, coconut oil and cooking oil )
It fears us all when we hear the word 'fat'! Needless to say, most foods we consume do have at least a minimal amount of fat content in it. As much as we try to avoid fat, it is an essential nutrient that is needed by the body.
Did you know?? Fats provide 9 kcal/g as compared to 4 kcal/g for carbohydrates and proteins. That's more than twice as much calories in comparison!
How are fats broken down in our body you may ask?
Well as expected, it takes longer and it is harder to break down fat as compared to proteins and carbohydrates. This break down is achieved by the action of enzymes called lipases and other digestive juices. This occurs in the watery content of our gastrointestinal tract.
So then the fats are broken down into...? The break down of fatty molecules results in fatty acids and glycerol. These constituents are then absorbed into our body through villi (found o n the inner walls of the intestines).
Available from :www.technion.ac.il/~mdcourse/274203/lect10.html
The picture above shows the structure of villi that helps the absorption of fatty acids and glycerols into the intestinal bloodstream. Like we mentioned earlier, the bloodstream is the main mode of transportation in our body.
So where do these fatty acids and glycerols end up?
The bloodstream transports these fatty acids and glycerols to the membranes of adipose tissues and muscle cells. These constituents can be either stored in these tissues or oxidized to produce energy, depending on what the body needs at that time. Glycerols can be converted to glucose or can help the breakdown of glucose to produce energy. (Advameg, 2008 & Hardy, 2005).
Source: Hardy, 2005.Ever wondered what are the effects when chicken curry is consumed?
In order for us to determine the effects of it, we must first know what chicken curry is made of.Here is the list of the main ingredients in chicken curry :-
(a) the chicken of course!
(b) coconut milk
(c) potatoes and green peas
(d) cooking oil
(e) meat curry powder and chili powder
(f) onions, garlic and ginger
Eat right and stay healthier! "How do I do that?"
So here are a few tips to eat a 'healthier' version of chicken curry.
- Remove skin before cooking the chicken. Chicken skin contains high fat content as compared to lean meat of the chicken. Since we know that fat is the hardest to break down in our body, therefore it has a high tendency to build up in our major organs. Excess fats especially affects the heart and cause major heart diseases (Haynes, 2009).
- Substitute coconut milk with low fat condensed milk. Coconut milk is actually relatively high in saturated fats. However, you can also balance out the effect of coconut milk by consuming a hefty dose of vegetables such as potatoes,tomatoes,carrots and red bell peppers! (The New York Times Company, 2009).
- For adults or kids that are lactose intolerant, plain or vanilla soy yogurt can be used as a substitution to both coconut milk and the condensed milk. Why? Because soy yogurt is lactose-free! So not only will you have a healthier meal, it will be less irritable to the stomach (Parker, n.d.).
- The amount of cooking oil used to cook the dish can also be minimised. This is because cooking oil contains high amount of fat.
- More ginger and garlic can be added to the dish. Ginger soothes stomach and digestion problems. Cooked garlic is of course less effective as compared to fresh garlic but nonetheless, it benefits the cardiovascular system (University of Maryland Medical Centre, 2008).
- Spices in general is said to contain healing properties that can improve specific health conditions. Among the spices used in chicken curry include coriander, aniseed, cumin, cinnamon, pepper, star anise and clover. If you need more information about these spices, you can follow the links below.
- Coriander [ http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=70 ]
- Aniseed [ http://www.ageless.co.za/anise.htm ]
- Cumin [http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=91]
- Cinnamon [ http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=68 ; http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/cinnamonbenefit.htm]
- Pepper [http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=74]
- Clover [http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/09/26/122049.php]
References List
1. No author available, 2009. Calories in Coconut Milk. The New York Times Company, USA. Available from: http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-coconut-milk-i12117 [Accessed 3rd
February 2009].
2. Parker, R., n.d. Kick Ass Chicken Curry. Fuzzy Illogic Design. Available from: http://www.fuzzyillogic.com/curry.html [Accessed 3rd February 2009].
USA. Available from:
/a/chickenbreasts.htm
4. Brinkley, A., 2003. Curry Chicken. The Nemours Foundation. Available from:
2009].
5. Advameg, 2008. Metabolism [Online]. Available from: http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Met-Obe/Metabolism.html
6. Nutrition Society of Malaysia, 2009. NutriWEB Malaysia. Institute of Medical Research, KL.
Available from: http://nutriweb.org.my/searchfood.php
7. Malaysian Food Net, 2008. Malaysian Curry Chicken Recipe. Available from: http://www.malaysianfood.net/recipes/recipemsianchxcurry.htm
8. Hardy, J., 2005. General, Organic and Biochemistry. The University of Akron. Available from: http://ull.chemistry.uakron.edu/genobc/index.html
9. Bernardot D., 2009. Protein Metabolism. Healthline Networks, Inc. Available from: http://www.healthline.com/hlbook/nut-protein-metabolism. [Accessed 25th February 2009].
10. Angelin B., 2008. Mapping Cholesterol Metabolism.
Centre for Nutrition and Toxicology. Available from:
11. University of Maryland Medical Centre, 2008. Ginger [Online]. Available from: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ginger-000246.htm. [Accessed 26th February 2009].
