MILA

The Art of Flavour

Taste is the ability to respond to dissolved molecules and ions called tastants. Humans detect taste with taste receptor cells. These are clustered in taste buds. Each taste bud has a pore that opens out to the surface of the tongue enabling molecules and ions taken into the mouth to reach the receptor cells inside. There are five primary taste sensations:

1) SALTINESS Add a salty flavour to your food by using natural Celtic, Himalayan, and sea salts, but go easy on the portions. Even natural salts are not actually that good for us. You can also use nama shoyu (raw soy sauce), garlic “salt,” sun-dried tomatoes, and celery. Saltiness brings out all the other flavours to balance, especially anything sweet, so adding a dash to your chocolate recipes is a good thing.

2) SWEETNESS Sweetness balances the salty taste in your uncooking. Raw honey may be the first sweet flavour that comes to mind, but you can also use agave syrup, plain old fruit, maple syrup, dates and other dried fruits such as figs and apricots. Keep in mind that honey is not vegan, and maple syrup is not really raw. Both are better than refined sugar, however, and are packed with minerals and vitamins.

3) SOURNESS Balance salty and sweet flavours with a sour taste. A recipe containing these three flavours will provide great balance. For a sour taste use citrus juices, tamarind, raspberries, cranberries, pickles, tomatoes, rejuvelacs, and vinegars.

In general if your recipe has a good balance of the 3 flavors above, it is going to taste yummy!

4) BITTERNESS Generally speaking, bitterness is not desirable in large quantities, but it so happens that bitter foods and herbs can be quite healthy. They can also be tasty in the right quantity. Green tea and Okinawan goya (bitter gourd) are a case in point.

5) UMAMI Umami is a taste found naturally in seaweeds and is the response to salts of glutamic acid, like monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer used in many processed foods and in many Asian dishes. This stuff is definitely to be avoided, as is アミノ酸 (aminosan) found in far too many processed foods in Japan.

OTHER ASEPTS INFLUENCING FLAVOUR

A) AROMA Aromatics refer to the sense of smell, not taste, but they are closely related and influence each other. Aroma adds depth to flavours. Here are some aromatic ingredients to use in your uncooking: onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, celery, sweet peppers, ginger or galangal, citrus zest, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass. Aromatic herbs include parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, mint, etc. (fresh herbs are definitely better in the raw food context!) Aromas tend to come out far more when heating food, but do indeed apply to raw food preparation. Hot peppers and such like those listed below are also aromatic.

B) SPICINESS (HEAT) Spices add a combination of the above flavours, but also add different levels of heat, if not at least a “bite." Add dry spicy ingredients before marinating to balance the flavours better. Use oil to bring out the taste of dried herbs and spices. Items that add heat include black pepper, curries, chilis, cayenne, hot paprika, cumin, raw garlic, wasabi, cloves, tumeric, coriandar, mustards, etc.

C) CREAMINESS This is more of a texture than taste, but if all the spice is getting to be too much, a little nut mylk or kream can do wonders. No wonder so many hot Asian curries have coconut milk in them!

Too spicy? Add some sweetness or creaminess
Too sweet? Add some sour or spiciness
Too sour? Add sweet
Too bland? Add salt or some spiciness
Too salty? Add sour
Just needs a spark? Add acid or one of the aromatics added at the end of cooking, or just a touch of heat (spiciness)
Too harsh? Try just a touch of sweetness

I am a proud distributor of MILA!

Check out my bilingual Lifemax blog at chiajapan.com or go right to my official Lifemax site at http://lifemax.net/trine for detailed information.

MILA is, quite simply, a brand of raw, micro-sliced chia seeds marketed worldwide (currently the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, Isreal, the UK, Ireland, and Japan) via a company called Lifemax. MILA is not available in regular retail outlets, although distributor’s with retail businesses may sell the seeds through those channels. In Japan, currently you can only go through a distributor (like yours truly) to get MILA. Chia seeds are more or less tasteless and have been around for ages, but only fairly recently have been rediscovered as a healthy food well worthy of frequent consumption. Chia seeds are loaded with nutrition, and become glutenous with water, making them ideal for raw vegan concoctions. As they are so filling, they are also great for weight loss.

How are MILA seeds different from other chia varieties?

They are a blend of different regional varieties of hand-selected Salvia hispanica L., offering an optimal nutritional mix, containing no pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides.
They are processed (‘micro-sliced’) using a proprietary process that keeps the seeds raw and effectively releases the seeds’ nutrition to be readily ingested into the body.
Read this article outlining the superior quality of MILA.

Lifemax’s proprietary slicing method increases the “bioavailability” of the seeds to your body. The shells of many seeds, not just chia, prevent your body from property assimilating the nutrition provided within. Lifemax’s seed slicing method allows your body to get as much out of the MILA chia seeds as possible.

Consider buying MILA if…

you regularly buy raw chia seeds anyway;
you don’t buy chia seeds regularly but are really into the idea of boosting your health;
you want to get super quality, high nutrition seeds and don’t mind paying a little more for far superior quality and nutrition;
you like the idea of having the product delivered to you regularly (you can opt to have that set up for you).

Consider becoming a Mila distributor if…

you are really into obtaining optimal health and sharing the knowledge of how to do so with others;
you are interested in the idea of creating residual income;
you simply want to buy MILA at wholesale prices;

If you are interested learning more about MILA, you can contact me at trine_mork ✭ chiajapan.com, or fill in my contact form. If you are located in Japan, I can offer you a sample. At chiajapan.com you can find lots of nutritional data about the “miracle seeds” (yeah, baby – they’re full of omega–3′s, fiber, antioxidants, and protein, and are also gluten–free, trans–fat free, sugar–free…the list goes on!)