cooking time 45 minutes serves 10-12
contains: egg, soya
200g dairy-free dark chocolate, with at least 70 per cent cocoa solids
150g dairy-free margarine, plus extra for greasing
180g xylitol or fruit sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
80g rice flour
20g gram flour
20g maize flour
2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
½ tsp xanthum gum
icing:
200g dairy-free dark chocolate, with at least 70 per cent cocoa solids
80g xylitol or fruit sugar
200ml soya cream
1 tbsp cornflour
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Grease 2 x 22½ x 7½cm baking tins with dairy-free margarine.
2 Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a large heatproof bowl. Rest the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir from time to time until the chocolate has melted.
3 Using a hand-held electric whisk, beat the margarine and xylitol or sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the vanilla extract and then the egg yolks, one at a time.
4 Put the egg whites into a clean bowl and whisk using the clean hand-held electric whisk until they form stiff peaks.
5 Sift the flours, baking powder and xanthum gum into the bowl containing the margarine, sugar and egg yolk mixture and carefully fold in with a metal spoon. Fold in the whisked egg whites making sure the mixture is thoroughly combined but not stirred too heavily, or the air will be lost.
6 Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins, dividing evenly, and spread it into the corners with the back of the spoon. Cover the tins with 2 pieces of greaseproof paper, making sure the ends of the paper are tucked under the tins. Bake in the hot oven for 40 minutes until risen and firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre has just a little mixture sticking to it. Remove from the oven, remove the greaseproof paper and discard. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
7 When the cake layers have cooled, prepare the icing. Melt the chocolate as above. Add the sugar and stir in until thoroughly blended. Meanwhile, heat the soya cream in a small saucepan. Add 1 tbsp water to the cornflour in a small bowl and stir to form a smooth paste. Add the cornflour paste to the soya cream and, using a hand-held electric whisk, whisk the mixture until it has thickened. Pour into the chocolate mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed in.
8 Take one of the cake layers and spread more than half of the icing onto the side which was on the bottom of the cake tin. Sandwich the two layers together and spread the remaining icing on the top.
(Source: Sandra Chef, FoodsMatter)
2009年7月31日 星期五
2009年7月27日 星期一
Scientists make gut-brain connection to autism
Scientists make gut-brain connection to autism 自閉症與腸胃及腦部的關係
www.littlegianthk.com/articles/Scientists_make_gut-brain_connection_to_autism.pdf
Last Updated: Thursday, September 27, 2007 | 5:29 PM ET
Compounds produced in the digestive system have been linked to autistic-type behaviour in laboratory settings, potentially demonstrating that what autistic children eat can alter their brain function, say scientists from the University of Western Ontario.
They announced their findings Thursday in Ottawa.
Scientists are learning that the brain and body can influence each other, says a Harvard researcher.
(CBC)
UWO researchers investigated the "gut-brain" connection after many parents of autistic children reported significant improvements in the behaviour of their autistic children when they modified their diet, eliminating dairy and wheat products, Dr. Derrick MacFabe, the director of a research group at UWO in London, Ont., told CBC News Thursday.
Researchers were particularly interested in one dietary characteristic the autistic children seemed to exhibit, he said.
"Certainly, a lot of these children had peculiar cravings for high-carbohydrate foods that caused their behaviours," he said.
"We were interested in finding a link between certain compounds that are produced by bacteria in the digestive system — particularly those occurring with early childhood infections."
The bacteria produce propionic acid, a short chain fatty acid, which in addition to existing in the gut, is commonly found in bread and dairy products, MacFabe said.
To test their hypothesis that diet plays a part in generating autistic behaviour, UWO scientists administered the compound to rats' brains.
"They immediately engaged in bouts of repetitive behaviour, hyperactivity and impaired social behaviours which had close similarity to what parents are seeing with autism," MacFabe said.
When the rats' brains were examined later, they were found to have inflammatory processes similar to those in the brains of autistic children, he said.
"We found, looking at the rats' brains under the microscope, changes that looked a lot like what's occurred from autopsy cases of patients who had autism."
It's remarkable that a simple compound like propionic acid would have such a dramatic effect on "normal" animals, he said.
MacFabe said his research team, and scientists at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., and Harvard University, are now conducting screening studies looking at effects of dietary changes in the general population.
New way of approaching autism
Dr. Martha Herbert, assistant professor in neurology at Harvard Medical School, told CBC News that the study opens up a new way of thinking about the disorder.
"Now we're learning that the brain and body can influence each other," she said.
Autistic children are increasingly being seen as "oversensitized," meaning "things may bother them that don't bother other people," she said. "We need to pay attention to this."
Treating a child's health should be the first step in addressing autism, Herbert said, rather than solely focusing on behavioural therapy, currently a mainline approach.
"Behaviour therapy is certainly important. But the child's health controls the bandwidth that the child has for being able to benefit from behavioural therapy. If a child is sick, they won't be able to focus."
Parents should watch their children closely to determine what foods trigger reactions and to consider removing those triggers, she said.
Herbert strongly advocates a balanced diet, consisting of all food groups, not just "bread and cheese."
"If you have foods that child is sensitive to in their immune system, that can set up processes that can impact brain function, and it can do so in a negative way. And if you remove those foods, that negative impact can stop."
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