"Pureed" is a general term referring to food, usually cooked
vegetables or raw fruit, that has been blended, processed or mashed
so it has the consistency of a thick liquid. Common examples
include mashed potatoes, applesauce and guacamole. Pureed food is
necessary for babies and elderly people who have no teeth, but it
can also benefit others if they take the time to mix it with saliva
in the mouth.
Pureed Food
"Pureed" is a French word that means purified or refined. Pureed
foods are used in cooking to provide texture, better digestibility,
enhanced flavor and decorative value, according to "Dictionary of
Food Science and Technology." Pureed food is very similar to a
thick soup, although usually preparation takes less time and
involves fewer ingredients. "Coulis," another French word, refers
to pureed fruit. Virtually all baby food is pureed because babies
do not have teeth and cannot start the digestive process in their
mouths. Elderly people who lose their teeth sometimes have to rely
on pureed foods for their nutritional needs.
Digestion
Digestion starts in your mouth and involves chewing your food and
introducing it to saliva. According to "Medical Biochemistry: Human
Metabolism in Health and Disease," your salivary glands produce
about 1 L of saliva every day, and it is used for digestion,
lubrication and even protection from bacteria. Chewing food
physically breaks it up and provides more surface area for saliva
and digestive juices in your stomach to act on it. Saliva contains
an enzyme called alpha amylase, which begins the process of
chemical digestion, particularly of carbohydrates. The food gets
subjected to hydrochloric acid, bile and more enzymes as it passes
from your stomach and through your small intestine.
Benefits of Pureeing Food
Pureeing food may enhance its flavor, but it obviously exposes more
surface area of the food so your saliva and digestive enzymes can
start metabolizing it. In essence, pureeing food is like chewing it
hundreds of times. However, many people drink pureed food as they
would liquids, which doesn't allow it to mix very well with saliva
and may compromise digestion somewhat. Lightly chewing it or
swishing it around in the mouth before swallowing allows it to mix
with the saliva and also allows time for some nutrients to be
absorbed directly through the mucosa of the mouth. Saliva is an
important part of digestion, although more important factors
include stomach acidity, bile secretion from your gallbladder and
enzyme secretion from your pancreas.
Making Pureed Food
Pureed food is made in blenders and food processors or by mashing
or straining. Mashed potatoes are a good example of a simple and
quick pureed food. Pureed vegetables need to be cooked first in
order to soften them, improve flavor, remove toxins and reduce
water content, according to "Medical Nutrition and Disease: A
Case-Based Approach." Swallowing pureed food is usually easy on
your esophagus, the tube that runs from your mouth to your
stomach.
References
"Dictionary of Food Science and Technology: 2nd Edition";
International Food Information Service; 2009
"Medical Biochemistry: Human Metabolism in Health and Disease";
Miriam D. Rosenthal et al.; 2009
"Medical Nutrition and Disease: A Case-Based Approach"; Lisa Hark;
2008
<!-- m -->http://www.livestrong.com/article/51925
... z2AqoW86It