Licorice: food of the Gods?

[Browser]

Dunno about it's calorific value, but malt loaf is supposed to be good if your looking to keep weight off but have a sweet tooth, as it is low in fat. Trouble is, you'd get the butter all over your clothes..............

 

[onlyhuman]

Dunno about it's calorific value, but malt loaf is supposed to be good if your looking to keep weight off but have a sweet tooth, as it is low in fat. Trouble is, you'd get the butter all over your clothes..............

Licorice is low in fat. The Australian soft licorice I have is anyway, it says on the packet. The main ingredient is wheat flour.

Malt loaf was my other candidate for Food of the Gods. Sticking a lot of butter on it would tend to up the fat content though. And you don't have to put butter on licorice.

 

[jimboalee]

A chap in the office brought in a bag of Devon cream fudge this afternoon.

I had three pieces ( about 150 kCals ).

I rode home like I was on Nitrous

 

[alp1950]

Careful.

Liquorice eaten in large quantities can cause high blood pressure, alkalosis, sodium & water retention and low potassium levels.

On the other hand, it does promote healing of gastric ulcers.

 

[onlyhuman]

Careful.

Liquorice eaten in large quantities can cause high blood pressure, alkalosis, sodium & water retention and low potassium levels.

On the other hand, it does promote healing of gastric ulcers.

And what are "large quantities"? Without that information, this warning is as worthless as the endless food scares in the Daily Mail.

The Australian soft licorice I took on my ride on Sunday contained 0.5% licorice extract.

 

[Browser]

Malt loaf was my other candidate for Food of the Gods. Sticking a lot of butter on it would tend to up the fat content though. And you don't have to put butter on licorice.

Listen, just because you haven't discovered the gastronomic delight that is buttered liquorice, don't assume we're all similarly un-enlightened!

 

[jimboalee]

Quote from Wikipedia

"Consuming liquorice is recommended for reducing high sex drive in men."

Is this God's plan?

I never touch the stuff.

 

[ASC1951]

And what are "large quantities"? Without that information, this warning is as worthless as the endless food scares in the Daily Mail.

I found that a two inch stick of liquorice root a day put my blood pressure through the roof within a month.

Liquorice in confection form? Dunno - how about three or four ounces a day?

 

[onlyhuman]

I found that a two inch stick of liquorice root a day put my blood pressure through the roof within a month.

Liquorice in confection form? Dunno - how about three or four ounces a day?

Is that three or four ounces of soft licorice containing 0.5% licorice extract?

 

[ASC1951]

Is that three or four ounces of soft licorice containing 0.5% licorice extract?

That's what I meant, yes, but only because that is about as much as I would ever want to eat daily: I really have no idea.

It isn't a scare story about liquorice root or extract, though. There are certainly significant health risks. Wikipedia (so it may even be true) -

Large doses of glycyrrhizinic acid and glycyrrhetinic acid in liquorice extract can lead to hypokalemia and serious increases in blood pressure, a syndrome known as apparent mineralocorticoid excess. These side effects stem from the inhibition of the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (type 2) and subsequent increase in activity of cortisol on the kidney.

Toxicity
Excessive consumption of liquorice or liquorice candy is known to be toxic to the liver[20] and cardiovascular system, and may produce hypertension [21] and oedema.[22] There have been occasional cases where blood pressure has increased with excessive consumption of liquorice tea, but such occasions are rare and reversible when the herb is withdrawn.[23] Most cases of hypertension from liquorice were caused by eating too much concentrated liquorice candy.[24] Doses as low as 50 grams (2 oz) of liquorice daily for two weeks can cause a significant rise in blood pressure.[25]

..and since we're in the UK, it's liquorice, not licorice.

 

[onlyhuman]

That's what I meant, yes, but only because that is about as much as I would ever want to eat daily: I really have no idea.

It isn't a scare story about liquorice root or extract, though. There are certainly significant health risks. Wikipedia (so it may even be true) -



..and since we're in the UK, it's liquorice, not licorice.

Since we're in the UK, there is no authority with the power to determine official spellings.

The wikipedia article you reference says that large doses of glycyrrhizinic acid and glycyrrhetinic acid in liquorice extract can lead to hypokalemia and serious increases in blood pressure. The article doesn't say how much is a large dose, and it doesn't say how much is contained in typical licorice products. So it's a scare story.

There's a BBC article about a woman who ate 200g of Pontefract Cakes a day, and was treated in hospital for a few days:

"Her potassium levels were dangerously low and her muscles were very weak. She also had high blood pressure, which is dangerous because it can lead to stroke."



How do we know how much of that was due to licorice?



It's a scare story.

 

[ASC1951]

The wikipedia article you reference says that large doses of glycyrrhizinic acid and glycyrrhetinic acid in liquorice extract can lead to hypokalemia and serious increases in blood pressure. The article doesn't say how much is a large dose, and it doesn't say how much is contained in typical licorice products. So it's a scare story.

No, you silly man, it's an article giving an overview. If the Department of Transport say that excessive speeds on motorways causes additional deaths, would you say "Pah - no figures. It's a scare story!"?

Look, I don't give a toss how much or how little of the stuff people eat or in what form. Bath in liquorice extract if you want. But if your view is that the active ingredients are perfectly safe at every level of consumption, you are quite simply wrong. There is plenty of reliable research evidence to the contrary, as ten minutes with Uncle Google will show you.

 

[jimboalee]

And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey: unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

-- Exodus 3: 8 (KJV)​

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NOT liquorice.​

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[jimboalee]

Recommended breakfast options for cyclists

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by Terra L. Fletcher

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Breakfast. The most important meal of the day. Why don't we just eat it already? I know every excuse in the book. (I've used them, too.) You haven't eaten for twelve hours, maybe longer; shouldn't you start your day right? Break the fast.
Breakfast is essential to a cyclist with a fast metabolism and for those who want to speed up their metabolism. People that eat breakfast are more likely to stick to a healthy diet. Eating breakfast increases concentration, reduces the chance of an accident, optimizes energy, and makes it more likely that you will get the nutrients you need each day.
So what is the formula for all these benefits? Protein, fiber, fruit or vegetable, and calcium are the makings of a healthy breakfast. I know you are as busy, no, busier than everyone else, but I promise you can do this. Even if you only have five minutes you'll find a cyclist's breakfast tailored to your morning routine.
Start slow and your more likely to stick to your goal. The same is true with eating breakfast. Add one healthy item to your usual cup of Joe. Start by drinking a cup of juice or milk. Build from there. Grab a piece of fruit or a granola bar. Pouring that bowl of cereal doesn't really seem difficult does it? If you are concerned about the refined sugar in today's popular cereals, take heart. Many companies are replacing sugar and high fructose corn syrup with more natural alternatives, such as honey.

 

[onlyhuman]

No, you silly man, it's an article giving an overview.

Thanks for that ASC. You've admitted you have no idea how much of the dangerous ingredient is in the licorice we eat, and no idea how relatively dangerous that ingredient is, nevertheless you're prepared to say there are "certainly significant health risks".

So you are spreading a scare story. To stop it being a scare story, you would need to add some quantification.