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About Sesame |
| What’s “GOMA”? |
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Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is flowering plant in the Genus Sesamum. It is an annual plant growing to about 1 meter tall.The flowers are white to purple.
The seeds in pods are used as food. These oil-rich seeds come in a variety of colors such as cream-white, gold or black. |
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| Origin: |
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Although its exact origin is unknown, it is believed that it originates in Africa more than 5,000 years ago. Now it is cultivated mostly in tropical and subtropical areas of the world for its edible seeds. |
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| Nutrition and Health Benefit: |
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Sesame seeds contain high amounts of unsaturated fat, for example, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids, which increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol level.
They also contain antioxidant substances called lignan. Among those lignans, there are unique substances only sesame seeds have, such as sesamin and sesamolin. These substances are known to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol level, and enhance liver function.
Sesame seeds are a rich source of vitamin E, which also act as antioxidant, as well as vitamin A, B1, B2, B3 and B6.
They are also a good source of protein, minerals and dietary fiber as well.
It is known that the nutrients of sesame seeds are better absorbed if they are ground or pulverized before consumption because they are likely not digested and absorbed due to its hard skin. |
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Anthocyanin
Black foods such as black soybean and black rice are now in the spotlight for their high content of “anthocyanin”. Black sesame is of course one of them. Anthocyanin is a type of flavonoids. You may have heard that it is good for your eyesight, but that is not the only positive effect of anthocyanin. It also acts as powerful antioxidant, helping to reduce the risk of various diseases and to slow down the aging process by fighting off free radicals in human body. It is also known to improve blood circulation and brain function. |
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Vitamin E
Sesame is a great source of Vitamin E. Vitamin E is known as a secret of youth because of its antioxidant properties. It helps keep your body cells young by protecting them against free radicals and inhibits the growth of harmful substances that accelerate aging. It also helps cleanse our blood and prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as cancer and arteriosclerosis. Vitamin E also works as a powerful antioxidant, which promotes healthy beautiful skin and slows down the aging of your skin cells. Sesame oil can retain its purity for a long time because of this strong antioxidant power. |
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Sesamin
Sesamin is a unique substance found in sesame seeds. It is a powerful water-soluble antioxidant. While most other cooking oils start oxidizing when they are exposed to air, sesame oil can retain its purity for a long time because of strong antioxidant power of this sesamin. Research shows that sesamin slows down aging process and prevents various diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Sesamin also helps reduce fat in our body and lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol, the cause of arteriosclerosis. |
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Calcium - 12 times richer than milk
It is well known that milk and yogurt are calcium-rich foods, but did you know that sesame seeds were also one of them? Surprisingly, sesame seeds are 12 times richer in calcium than milk (1,200mg per 100g). The amount of calcium contained in one tablespoon of sesame seeds equals to the amount of calcium in 100ml of milk (108mg). Nutrition research also shows that sesame paste contains more calcium (180 mg / 1 tbs) than sesame seeds. Because sesame skin is hard, paste can be a better form to consume calcium and other nutrients effectively.
Calcium is an essential nutrient for healthy bones and teeth. Our body also needs a certain amount of calcium in the blood in order to maintain healthy muscles and nerves. Furthermore the lack of calcium tends to cause frustration as well. |
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Trivia of the Month |
| November 2008 |
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