Is wood the ultimate diet food?

Japan has created some interesting and innovated products like selfie sticks, Bento lunchboxes and now, wood noodles.

Omikenshi, a textile company in Osaka, which makes fibre rayon, is taking the term ‘going green’ to a new level by using cloth-making technology to turn tree pulp into noodles. 

Omikenshi is turning indigestible cellulose that’s mixed with konjac into fibre-rich flour, which the company calls ‘cell-eat’.

Konjac, also known as ‘Devil’s Tongue,’ is a yam-like plant grown in Japan; it is also used in other Japanese noodles like Shirataki noodles.

Omikenshi’s cell-eat is fat and gluten-free, low-carb alternative. It has just 27 calories per pound, compared to 1,538 calories in a pound of wheat.

Konjac can stimulate absorption and digestion of protein and other nutritious substances, keeps the intestine clean and assists in bowel movement. It can also balance the diet, prevent cancer, controls blood sugar levels and reduces LDL cholesterol.

The sweetest job in the world!

A chocolate company, Mackie’s has launched a search to fill “the sweetest job in the world” — chief taster at its new factory.

It will be a year-long position, which will be paid in monthly supplies of chocolate and they say the only qualifications needed are taste buds.

The company is opening a new £600,000 factory in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, next year and want to mark the occasion by creating a new flavour combination, dreamt up by the chief chocolate taster. Other roles will include taking part in tasting panels, ensuring quality control and trying other chocolate brands.

The successful applicant will have “a steady supply of chocolate to taste, test, lick and soak on the couch at home,” Mackie’s said.

Kirstin McNutt, head of development, said “at the moment, our chocolate comes in four flavours — milk, honeycomb, dark and Scottish mint.”

Mackie’s said people of all ages can apply and have to describe their dream chocolate bar flavour and why they are the best candidate for the job.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 25th, 2015