Haha, not really "Asian" exclusively.. but anywayyy!
There's something called "Kanten," which is made from red algae. Japanese people actually have a diet called the Kanten diet (Google it!). Kanten has virtually no calories, made up of fiber.. and expands to form a gel, which further expands three times+ in your stomach. If you eat this before a meal, you're guaranteed to fill up fast. It has a pleasant and mild taste, you can flavor it any way you like.
I make a bucket of it every once in while (takes 5-10 minutes), here's what it looks like:
This usually lasts a week.
Today, I was craving sweets. So I had a block of Kanten with zero calorie caramel syrup (Walden Farms).
And then I had more with cocoa powder mixed in...
They tasted amazing, and satisfied my sweet tooth. You can literally eat as much of this as you want and not accumulate calories. When I want to eat out of boredom, I eat Kanten because it gives me something to chew without making me gain weight. In fact, it makes me feel extremely full so I end up not wanting to eat anymore (think: after a Thanksgiving meal. The thought of food makes you want to gag because you're so full).
You can buy Kanten at your local Asian supermarket :) The brand I use is Telophone brand. You guys should try it!
Here's a part of an article I found online:
"AruAru Daijiten is a popular TV show about health and wellness, and they had a Kanten/Tokoroten special last month. Kanten/Tokoroten have 7 effects for your health:
-Relief of constipation: 81.2% of them is fiber.
(Wow what a rich fiber food!) -Calories is zero: yes zero. Because they are made from sea weed.
-Feel full long time: Fibers move slowly in your stomach without absorption.
-Refrain absorption of sugar. Your sugar in blood rise very slowly.
-Decrease cholesterol.
-Burn your fat out without exercise.
-Rise your body metabolism because of peristaltic motion of your bowl.
Wow perfect! Actually on the TV show, people who ate Kanten for only two weeks had a really good result with their blood pressure, weight and cholesterol."
Have you ever heard of Kanten before? Have you ever tried it? What's your experience with this sweet tooth satisfier?
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Comments (55)
Looks just like tofu to me.
Hmmm... I'd watch out for the toppings and how often you eat this. If you eat this a few times a day with so many sugary toppings, it may end up doing just as much damage as a small dessert once a day. Everything in moderation, that's what I stick to.
zero calories=artificial sweetener. too much artificial sweetener can be very bad for you in the long run
oh yeah i was referring to the caramel..
oh, i just eat healthy...
I agree with @TheFashionableEconomist@xanga about just aiming to eat healthy, but I found this really interesting! I do also agree that it's probably not a good idea to be eating it with artificial sweetners, but I know how sometimes I just crave foods for the sake of it, and not because I'm hungry...this food would work great in such situations. AND all that fiber just sounds like icing on the cake.
is the brand actually spelled telophone?
Aha! I knew it! I munch on roasted seaweed sometimes, it works wonderfully at suppressing an appetite!
Oh cool! I will remember this.
i think im going to have to buy some
Sounds interesting. I'm gonna have to try this some time!
Awesome tip, hadn't heard of this at all! Much appreciated post, love the photos too!
cool. i've never tried it but it looks a lot like a gelatinous Korean acorn side dish. would love to try it one day! thanks for the post.
I never heard about Kanten. This looks like some pudding to me, and I wonder does it taste good? Haha, thanks for sharing!
I thought it was going to say "don't eat like an american"
This sounds good though, I'm going to try this !
Oh and does it come in a powder to make it?
interesting! next time I'm at an asian supermarket I'll pick some up! :)
here i was thinking the secret to the Asian Diet was having good metabolism genes.
you should post the recipe ( : I'd love to make it and try it.
I also heard that celery has no calories...or about one. You can eat as many as you want, get full, and never get fat.
What health risks might it cause?? The health claims might not be legit. And the Japanese food regulations are not as strict and careful as America's, ironically. I'll look up into it.
Looks appealing.
@everpwr90@xanga - this is true, if you can gag it down. Most fibrous vegetables, especially raw, are good for you. They take a lot of calories to digest, provide fiber (think carrots) and have all sorts of nutrients and enzymes in them. Most of the "fat" in the baked potato comes from the butter and toppings we put on it. Hard to choke them down without something on them. I actually like to cut mine into slices and eat them that way, especially with a glass of milk. This Kanten looks interesting, I intend to try it...
Or I could just think about red algae expanding in my stomach and lose my appetite...
Either way it works.