Each expedition food pack is immersed with an abundance of nutrition and energy. The freeze dried food encompasses a wide range of healthy ingredients that replenish our bodies after an adventurous exploration in the wilderness while maintaining the number of calories at a healthy level.
Here are four healthy ingredients that expedition foods include that we bet you didn’t know about!
1. Rapeseed oil
Rapeseed oil comes from the brassica family of plants, the same family of plants as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Rapeseed oil has the lowest levels of saturated fat when compared to any other oil, including olive oil. Although there are several benefits to consuming saturated fat, it’s still a good idea to keep an eye on our intake, particularly if we’re watching our waistlines.
Rapeseed is loaded with monounsaturated fats, a good fat, typically found in plant foods, such as nuts, avocados, and vegetable oils. When rapeseed is consumed in moderation, it can help lower your cholesterol levels, reducing your risk for heart disease and stroke. Monounsaturated fats also help develop and maintain your body’s cell renewal and are highly recommended as part of vegetarian and vegan diets. When rapeseed is used to produce oil, it offers a myriad of benefits and nutrition to the consumer. Healthy contents of rapeseed oil include:
2. Omega oils and essential fatty acids
Rapeseed oil contains an abundance of omega oil and essential fatty acids which are typically found in fish or fish products. Omega oil and essential fatty acids benefit brain health and act as a strong antioxidant.
3. Vitamin E
Rapeseed oil is high in vitamin E which is terrific for the immune system, eyes, skin and hair. Vitamin E is present in a variety of other foods including nuts and seeds, leafy green vegetables, salmon and trout, red peppers and avocados to name just a few, but plant oils are known to contain some of the highest sources of this natural antioxidant.
4. Low in Saturated Fat
A single tablespoon of rapeseed oil contains 0.7g of saturated fat, less than half that of olive oil which has approximately 1.6g of saturated fat, and significantly less than coconut oil which contains an enormous 12g.
Since rapeseed oil easily has the least measured levels of saturated fat compared to any other oil, it is a more heart-friendly and weight beneficial choice.
5. Honey
Expedition food meals also use honey in their food to heighten flavour and nutrition. Benefits of honey include:
a. Contains Antioxidants
High-quality honey contains many important antioxidants. These include organic acids and phenolic compounds like flavonoids.
Antioxidants have been linked to reduced risk of heart attacks, strokes and some types of cancer. Antioxidants also promote eye health.
More, the antioxidants can reduce blood pressure and the risk for heart disease.
b. Improves Cholesterol
High LDL cholesterol levels is a strong risk factor for heart disease. This type of cholesterol plays a major role in atherosclerosis, the fatty buildup in your arteries that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Luckily, several studies show that honey may improve your cholesterol levels. Studies show that honey reduces total and “bad” LDL cholesterol while significantly raising “good” HDL cholesterol.
6. Turmeric which contains curcumin
Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow color. It’s been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb. Turmeric also contains compounds with medicinal properties. These compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin.
Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has robust anti-inflammatory effects and is a very powerful antioxidant.
Key benefits of curcmin include:
a. Curcumin Is a Natural Anti-Inflammatory Compound
Inflammation is incredibly important. It helps your body fight foreign invaders and also has a role in repairing damage. Without inflammation, pathogens like bacteria could easily take over your body and harm your body. Although acute, short-term inflammation is beneficial, it can become a major problem when it becomes chronic and inappropriately attacks your body’s own tissues.
Scientists now believe that chronic, low-level inflammation plays a major role in almost every chronic, Western disease. This includes heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and various degenerative conditions.
Therefore, anything that can help fight chronic inflammation is of potential importance in preventing and even treating these diseases.
Curcumin is strongly anti-inflammatory. Consuming curcmin is equivalent to attaining the effectiveness of certain anti-inflammatory drugs, without the side effects.
b. Turmeric Significantly Improves the Antioxidant Capacity of the Body
Oxidative damage is believed to be one of the mechanisms behind aging and many diseases. Oxidative involves free radicals, highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons.
Free radicals tend to react with important organic substances, such as fatty acids, proteins or DNA.
The main reason antioxidants are so beneficial is that they protect your body from free radicals. Curcumin is a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals due to its chemical structure. In addition, curcumin boosts the activity of your body’s own antioxidant enzymes. This way, curcumin delivers a one-two punch against free radicals. It blocks them directly, then stimulates your body’s own antioxidant defenses.
c. Curcumin Boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Back in the day, it was believed that neurons weren’t able to divide and multiply after early childhood. However, it’s now known that this does happen.
Neurons are capable of forming new connections, but in certain areas of the brain they can also multiply and increase in number.
One of the main drivers of this process is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a type of growth hormone that functions in your brain. Many common brain disorders have been linked to decreased levels of this hormone, including depression and Alzheimer’s disease. Fortunately, curcumin can increase brain levels of BDNF. Curcumin may be effective in delaying or even reversing many brain diseases and age-related decreases in brain function. Curcumin may also improve memory and make you smarter, which seems logical given its effects on BDNF levels. However, controlled studies in people are needed to confirm this.
Now that you know all the brilliant and healthy ingredients Expedition Foods offer, it’s time to bring them to your next adventure. Check out our wide selection of Expedition Foods at our online freeze dried food shop!