Cut the fat. Don't cut it out

Caitlin Moran wrote in her column on Monday of her secret belief that if you eat an apple after eating some cheese, the apple kind of eats the fat. She says that puts her out of the running for Sexy Lady Scientist 2008

Well I am not a scientist but I have long held a similar belief. I elevate mine to the role of hypothesis. I believe possibly a Nobel prize may await the nutritional/medical/biochemical scientist who demonstrates its Truth

I call it cutting the fat

Several things can do this

• citrus fruit or juice
• other fruits - including tomatoes
• onion & garlic
• vinegar
• alcohol - especially cider or wine
• herbs such as parsley, rosemary & thyme
• sweet peppers, green beans

Is it a coincidence that these are all components of the Mediterranean diet? Then how come all our traditional accompaniments to roast meat fall into these categories - apple with pork, mint sauce with lamb, horseradish with beef?

Since I am not a scientist I cannot really say what the mechanism might be, except maybe that there is something which breaks up the long fatty acid chains, makes them more manageable to the digestion?

This is certainly the empirical, experiential basis for my belief. Food which would otherwise sit very heavily on the stomach, causing discomfort, slips down & through very easily

I guess that must be Caitlins experience with apples & cheese too

News flash: Grapefruit contains naringenin, a constituent that can cut levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol

Link: "Apolipoprotein B dependent hepatitis C virus secretion is inhibited by the grapefruit flavonoid naringenin