Just the Cheese

[Lynsey]

I've NEVER used prepackaged food in my Atkins life. But I needed some more variety and crunch. So I odered a couple of bags on line of something called Just the Cheese-Crunchy Baked Cheese. It says "We simply bake real Wisconsin cheese into bite-size nuggets, then add a touch of seasoning the result? A delicious snack which is packed full of healthful goodness".

It's one carb per serving (.5 oz), it lists no sugars. But it does say powdered cellulose in the ingredients (aren't those "ose" words suppose to be bad?). I'm hoping somebody can tell me these things are okay, as they are so crunchy, I'm thinking I could experiment with them where others use pork rinds since I don't eat pork rinds.

[floydgirl]

Re: Just the Cheese

I don't know what cellulose is, and I even did a search, and still don't understand it.

Sorry!

Do you realize, you can make your own cheese chips? You can take a slice of cheese and tear/cut it into small pieces. You can nuke it right in the microwave. Sometimes I shred cheddar cheese and put little piles of it on a cookie sheet and bake till melted. These are very good!

[Elizellen]

Re: Just the Cheese

According to wikepedia

Cellulose is not digestible by humans and is often referred to as 'dietary fiber' or 'roughage', acting as a hydrophilic bulking agent for feces

and from a bodybuilding website

Fibrous carbohydrates (also known as cellulose) are also polysaccharides like starch. However, the distinct difference between cellulose and starch is in the way the glucose units are linked. This difference gives the two polysaccharides their unique characteristics. The linkage found in fibrous carbs is called a beta linkage, while the type found in starch carbs in an alpha-linkage.

Starch is hydrolyzed in the mouth by an enzyme called amylase, which slips between the glucose bonds and disintegrates the starch into smaller units. However, since the glucose bonds of the fibrous carbs are linked at a slightly different angle, the amylase cannot fit between them to break down the glucose molecules. This means that we are unable to absorb the food energy that is locked inside the fibrous carbohydrates.

Ever notice how you can chew on a toothpick for an hour and all it does is shred down in size, but the wood will not change? That’s because the wood is cellulose. But stick a small potato in your mouth, and it will completely vanish within a few minutes because its starch. Are you getting the picture of the differences between fibrous and starch? Those fibrous carbohydrates can be hydrolyzed by a specific enzyme, but that enzyme is produced only by certain bacteria. It is precisely for this reason that you cannot group complex carbohydrates together – we can digest starchy carbs, but not the fibrous ones.

Does this mean that cellulose is basically a useless food? The answer is yes and no. The fact that it’s useless is very useful to us. Cellulose carbs (collectively known as dietary fiber) tend to collect water and lend bulk to the intestinal contents, thereby stimulating the peristaltic movements of the digestive tract. In basic terms, fiber helps food to plow through your plumbing. It also reduces the passage time through the bowel.

[Lynsey]

Re: Just the Cheese

Sounds like its all good then. Thanks! I'm going to experiment this weekend by putting some in my food processor and and grinding it fine. Then I'm going to take a couple of chicken strips, dip them in egg, and then in this ground down mixture, and try dropping it in a hot frying pan of oil. My hope is something that resembles a breaded chicken strip, even if I have to wait a little bit after it comes out for the cheese to harden back up. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Lynsey]

Re: Just the Cheese

Do you realize, you can make your own cheese chips? You can take a slice of cheese and tear/cut it into small pieces. You can nuke it right in the microwave. Sometimes I shred cheddar cheese and put little piles of it on a cookie sheet and bake till melted. These are very good!

I tried it once and it didn't work too good (but I also tried it without parchment paper and in the oven). These things just have a different texture or something. Sorry, I didn't want you to think I was ignoring your suggestion, thanks!