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Does anyone know the pros and cons of dehydrating foods? Do they retain their food value?
In Reply to: Dehydrated foods posted by Dahlimama on August 24, 2002 at 20:45:27:
Of course, they retains some value. If you have access to fresh food, choose that. Dehydrating is a method of preserving food if you anticipate lack of fresh foods. It's a good compromise.
Possible cons: increased oxidation
Advantages: it's still raw (this depends on temp during drying), probably with enzymes still present.
In Reply to: Dehydrated foods posted by Dahlimama on August 24, 2002 at 20:45:27:
Hi, Dahlimama.
Dehydration preserves the highest % of micronutrients for the longest time. Next is fresh frozen foods and last is canned.
Namaste`
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by Walt Stoll on August 25, 2002 at 11:03:48:
Thanks, Doc
This is all new to me. Is it best to rehydrate these foods before eating or does it matter regarding digestion.
I am about to purchase a dehydrator. Any recommendations or advice? I am a complete novice here.
Dahlimama
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by Dahlimama7 on August 25, 2002 at 13:12:01:
We recently bought an Excalibur food dehydrator, because of the design - the fan's in the back instead of on the bottom...supposedly much easier to clean, though I've never had any other type so I don't know.
We got the big one with 10 trays...it's a blast! Like Walt said, it's supposed to really retain a lot of the nutritional value of the food.
I have not tried rehydrating anything yet, though I suspect if you wanted to make soup, that would work fine. The tomatoes were sweet and chewey and delicious.
The machine we bought came with a big book of recipes and ideas for dried foods...I haven't read too much of it.
We got it to make whole foods snacks so we wouldn't be so tempted to go off the wagon. (Now if I could just get back ON the wagon, the theory could be tested!)
~~~8>
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by labrat on August 25, 2002 at 22:58:14:
Thanks for the info. I've been looking at the Excalibur, it seems to be the one most health food stores carry. I with you on the snack thing.
D
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by Dahlimama7 on August 25, 2002 at 13:12:01:
Dahlimama7,
Dehydrated foods are practically inedible without rehydrating them. Some of them DO make an interested "chewey" but that is about all.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by Walt Stoll on August 26, 2002 at 10:01:02:
Thanks, Dr. Stoll
I'm confused, I was thinking veggies chips and healthy snacks. No?
Dahlimama
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by Dahlimama on August 26, 2002 at 11:49:20:
My theory in this matter is: unless you have a garden that produces more fruits and veggies than you (and your neighbors) can consume, EAT everything fresh is best for our health. It doesn't make economic-nutritive sense to buy fruits and veggies from the store and dehydrate them.
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by bing on August 26, 2002 at 15:37:20:
Right. Fresh food can be a healthy snack. It doesn't have to resemble manufactured chips.
However, when going on a vacation and living in a hotel or going on a trip, it may be advantageous to have snacks like that to avoid big prices in the hotel. Especially, if you are a meat eater, and meat is not available any time you feel like eating it, having jerky on hand can be very helpful. I am currently planning to go on vacation to Turkey, and these issues concern me.
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by Dahlimama on August 26, 2002 at 11:49:20:
Dahlimama.
Not bad but highly processed.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by R. on August 26, 2002 at 18:08:07:
If I were you, I'd eat the local foods in a foreigh country--it's part of experiencing the culture. The trick is to be able to identify the healthy, clean, and safe foods from the bad ones. My experience shows that it's a lot easier to find healthy whole foods meals in a developing country than a developed one. But this may not be the case for everyone.
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by bing on August 26, 2002 at 15:37:20:
I think what Dahlimama means is that she will use these dried veggies and meats as snacks INSTEAD of chips and crackers. That's what I do.
Economically-nutritively, I agree with you Bing, but from a diet standpoint, if I can reach for some veggie chips I've dried at home and thereby satsify my craving for a chewey or crispy snack while avoiding falling off the wagon and eating a bunch of highly processed corn or potato chips, then it does make sense.
I can take a bag of beef jerky or dried tomatoes or carrots to the movies and munch on that instead of buying popcorn or candy. If I can eat a little something while I'm out shopping or running errands, then I won't be tempted to stop in the donut shop before I get home to my whole foods refridgerator!
Also, I think Walt misunderstood your question, Dahlimama...so I will answer - you don't have to re-hydrate stuff if you want a chewey, hard, concentrated snack type food. YOu can make fruit leathers too, that you wouldn't want to rehydrate. However, if you wanted to eat a MEAL from dehydrated stuff, then you would have to rehydrate to make it soft and moist again. Not sure how good that would be since I only use my stuff for snacking.
The dehydrator we bought has recipes for how to make soup mixes so you just add water to have great soup in the winter. You can even dehydrate milk if you want to! I don't eat dairy so I haven't looked into that at all.
HOpe this helps
~~~8>
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by labrat on August 27, 2002 at 13:09:55:
Thanks, Labrat
Your're right, I'm just looking for a little variety and texture.
Sounds like maybe this is a cultural thing.
Dahlimama
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by bing on August 27, 2002 at 12:26:53:
The problem I have is that I can't handle grains well, and Turkish cousine uses a lot of it, according to what I've read. Since I will not be alone there (if you know what I mean), I don't want my skin to look worse than it can. But I will try to find some raw meat in nearby stores. Hopefully, that won't spoil my vacation.
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by R. on August 27, 2002 at 17:56:46:
How exciting R. I think you will have the experience of your life. Keep notes, if you can and I want to compare how Turkey is compared to Lebanon. If it's anything like Lebanon, you should try to get away from tourist spots and get to where the people live outside the city.
There, you can find fresh, organic food. You can get chicken killed on the spot. (That really upset me, but I know you don't have a problem with it.) The beef is questionable though. They leave the carcas hanging on a hook outside where flies and road dust get up on it. To me, that was just too much to handle.
I don't know if Turkey has commercial grocery stores yet. They are sprouting up all over Lebanon, but I still question from where the beef came and how it was handled until it got to the store and got packaged.
I'd really appreciate a report if you are so inclined to record your experiences. When we move to Lebanon, we are planning a cross countries trip, driving from Lebanon to Europe.
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by R. on August 27, 2002 at 17:56:46:
Hmm, raw meat. I don't think it's really safe to eat raw meat in modern cities. Although it not a Chinese tradition to eat raw animals, I can imagine humans in early history (before they learned to use fire) lived on raw meat as part of their diet. But their way of eating is perhaps much like how lions in Africa eat a gazzel (sp?)--right after the kill, as fresh as it can be. I guess, if I am given raw meat with this level of freshness, I'll try some and might like it. But with the meat-market meat? NO WAY! Haven't you heard about e-coli?
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by Donna E. on August 27, 2002 at 18:06:22:
I can certainly report my experience, but I plan to be there as a regular tourist: water sports, excursions to interesting areas, etc. I am not sure if I or my girlfriend will want to explore deep areas of Turkey.
I wouldn't like to witness a killing of a chicken, even though I am fine with eating animals.
In Reply to: Re: Dehydrated foods (Archive in diet.) posted by bing on August 27, 2002 at 18:29:38:
You must have missed our discussions about eating raw meat. Many people eat raw meat (in modern cities) regularly, with no problems.
An author of The Saccharine Disease book (I've posted a link to it separately) is sure that E. Coli brings problems when one eat refined carbohydrates. I believe that your fear is not justified; although, it's certainly very popular.
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