Irene Meliciani, PhD
       Sports Nutrition

One of the main problems when people or athletes are on a diet is the restriction of quantities. This is often about carbohydrates,if we think of a restrictive diet to reach weight for a competition or simply to reduce the daily kcal. Konjac is a good example of making our brain believe visually that we ingest carbohydrates even if this is not true. This specific recipe is a shrimp and konjac salad, but obviously a magnitude of other ideas can be used. Konjac in addition to

Konnyaku (Konjac, こんにゃく) is a rubbery, flavorless zero calorie food made of yams that’s high in fiber and added to various Japanese foos for its squishy texture. Made from Konjac or devil’s tongue, a plant of the genus Amorphophallus (taro/yam family). In addition to being 100% vegetable and natural, konnyaku is a great source of vitamins and minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. In addition, the dietary fiber in the konnyaku slows down the

One of the best kept secrets of Japanese cuisine is a range of side dishes known as tsukemono 漬物. Their preparation makes use of one or more conservation techniques, involving ingredients such as salt,sugar, vinegar, alcohol and herbs in combination with methods including dehydration, marinating, pickling, fermentation and curing. A part from the nutritional value they stimulate appetite and improve digestion. This implies also an increase of the microbiome diversity. While

Miso is a traditional dish from Japan with exceptional virtues. It comes in the form of soybean paste, fermented for a shorter or longer period. It is usually eaten in soup, as a substitute for salt or as a side dish. Miso soup is quick to prepare. Digestible because it is gluten-free and low in lipids, it not only brings a profusion of micro-nutrients and anti-oxidants but in addition, it provides proteins that are lacking in our common vegetable soups. Protein is essential

All types of oatmeal are 100% whole grain and offer similar amounts of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. What differs is the cooking time, shape (rolled or steel-cut), texture (chewy or smooth), and whether or not they are all natural or fortified with B-vitamins and iron. The type of oatmeal people prefer depends of course on your taste preference and available cooking time. There are 8 main forms of oats: Whole Oat Groats. Steel Cut / Irish Oats. Scottish Oats. Rolle

Interesting analysis of traditional Japanese food natto from Fujisawa, Shinohara et all (2006). Natto is an original and traditional Japanese food, and consists of soybean products fermented by Bacillus subtilis (‘Bacillus natto’). Various nutrients are present in the soybean, such as saponins, proteins, oligosaccharides including raffinose and stachyose, vitamin B1, vitamin E, vitamin K2 and dietary fibres. Thus, various beneficial effects of natto as a functional food are k