A growing number of people are taking a harder look at their eating habits. There are plenty of reasons for this: out of respect for animals, for a better environment, for healthier oceans... Another important motive is taking care of your own health. By developing a balanced diet, you meet all your dietary needs.

• If you choose to exclude meat and fish from your diet, but do include eggs, milk and dairy products, then you are a vegetarian.
• If you decide to also omit eggs, milk and dairy products from your diet, then you are a strict vegetarian.
• If you also rule out animal products when buying clothes or cosmetics, or during your hobbies, then you are a vegan.

Nowadays a lot of people prefer to call themselves flexitarians. While their motives are the same as those of a vegetarian or a vegan, their way of expressing these is more flexible. They alternate vegan and vegetarian meals with fish or meat dishes.

The main role of proteins in our diet is the growth, construction and repair of the body’s cells. It is important to include protein on your daily menu as almost all the tissues in our body largely consist of protein.

Both vegetable and animal products contain protein; however, it is perfectly possible to get your daily dose of protein from plant-based products only. You will get all the protein you need by combining grains, pulses, nuts and other plants in a balanced way. What’s more, you’ll avoid animal protein in the process, which often contains too many saturated fatty acids and cholesterol.

The carbohydrates in grains are your body’s key source of energy, which is why wholegrain cereals make up a key ingredient of our products. We prefer whole or split grain cereals because the nutritious substances of the germ, the bran and the endosperm of the grain are retained. Whole or split grains contain a wealth of nutrients:

• Minerals: iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, etc.
• Vitamins B and E
• Proteins
• Unsaturated fatty acids
• Essential amino acids
• Fibre

Food that is rich in fibre is critical to proper intestinal transit, which in turn has a positive impact on our overall health. Unrefined vegetable nutrients - especially cereals - are an important source of fibre. That is also why Lima opts for food products that are not or are hardly refined.

Fats play an important role in our diet. They are a perfect fuel for long-lasting, low-intensity physical activity. What’s more, they also influence the taste of our food. It is important to choose the right fats, however. We distinguish between two types: saturated and unsaturated fats. The former should be avoided, while the latter promote digestion, making them an essential ingredient of a healthy diet.

Lima has chosen to use unsaturated vegetable fats, which are mainly found in nuts, grains and their derivatives. These vegetable fats are a rich source of essential unsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) and fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D and E). In addition, they contain a minimum of saturated fatty acids and no cholesterol.

In recent years, sugars have really gotten a bad rap. They do provide our bodies with energy, but we should be careful about how we consume them.

Sugars can be divided into two groups: Simple sugars:
• Are made up of one or two molecules.
• Instantly boost your energy, followed by a dip.
• Are also called “fast-acting” sugars.

Multiple or complex sugars:
• Are made up of various molecules.
• Gradually release their energy.
• Are also called “slow sugars”.

You should always prefer slow sugars. These can largely be found in cereals, bread and pasta. If you choose to eat simple sugars, choose the natural, unprocessed variant which you can find in fruit, for example. You’re best off avoiding added sugars, which are added to food during production and preparation, as much as possible.

Indeed, simple sugars include a host of disadvantages:
• They are rich in calories but contain almost no nutrients.
• They are bad for your teeth.

White, refined sugar tops the list of foods to avoid. In order to digest and absorb this sugar, our bodies have to use up minerals and vitamins that are no longer present in refined sugar. In other words, sugar consumption requires your body to draw upon its own calcium, magnesium and vitamin B reserves. These nutrients, however, play a vital role in a host of other mechanisms in our bodies. So, they’re better off being used for these then.

A good ratio of more complex and less simple sugars will give your body the right amount of energy it needs. Simple (added) sugars are restricted to an absolute minimum in all Lima products. In the event that we do use a sweetener, we use a cereal-based one.

Both tamari and shoyu are sauces made of naturally fermented soy that were produced according to a traditional Japanese method. You can use both of these flavour enhancers to naturally season dishes as well as enhance the natural flavours of the ingredients. The difference between the two can be explained by their composition.

Tamari (gluten-free)
• Consists of pure fermented soy.
• You can also use it while cooking or as a condiment at the table.
• Perfect for seasoning stews, dressings, marinades, stir-fries, soup, pasta, and stock.
• Combines well with rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and mustard.
• Lima’s Tamari is gluten-free.

Shoyu (not gluten-free)
• Contains fermented soy and wheat.
• Shoyu owes its characteristic flavour to the aromatic components that are formed during the fermentation process.
• Shoyu cannot withstand prolonged heating, which is why you should only add it at the end of the cooking process, so it retains its flavour.
• Perfect for seasoning stir-fries, pickles, rice, noodles, sushi, sashimi or steamed vegetables.
• Combines well with mirin (rice wine), wasabi, ginger or grated daikon radish.

You can use agar agar as a substitute for animal gelatine in jam, desserts, pastries and savoury preparations. Agar agar is extracted from red seaweed and has a strong gelling action. It dissolves easily and is easy to dose as it comes in sachets of 2 grams. That means agar agar is healthy, easy to use and animal-friendly. Do you want to use agar agar when cooking? You’ll find a few examples below.

Jam
Making jam without gelatin is a snap using agar agar.
• Use 4 grams of agar agar for every kilo of fruit or every litre of fruit juice.
• Cook the fruit until done and add agar agar.
• Allow to boil for a few more minutes. Make sure the jam does not boil for too long or the gelling strength weakens.
• Lastly, allow the jam to cool and don’t stir it so it can set.

Cold desserts
You can also use agar agar in cold preparations. Just mix the right quantity of agar agar with a bit of fruit juice or water. Let the mixture boil for a few minutes and then add it to your preparation.

A few tips:
• You need a very light jelly for desserts that are served in a ramekin. Use 2 grams of agar agar for every 50 cl of water or fruit juice.
• You will need a firm and elastic jelly to remove a large terrine from its mould and slice it. Use 4 grams of agar agar for every 50 cl of water or fruit juice.
• Tart preparations such as fruit desserts require a somewhat larger dose of agar agar.

Various Lima products are sourced from suppliers in the south of Japan. Most of these suppliers are small, traditional businesses, with whom we have had quite close ties for several years already. Many of them depend on the partnership with Lima for the survival of their business. That is why we have decided to continue the distribution of their products for the most part. We have systematic checks for radioactivity in place to continue to guarantee impeccable products to our customers.

• We have halted some product imports (see map).
• Products originating from high-risk areas in Japan are inspected upon arrival in the Port of Antwerp by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC).
• The Lima Expert lab also takes samples of some products. These are then analysed by a specialised lab at Ghent University.
• We measure a product’s radioactivity, which is expressed in becquerel/kg (Bq/kg) and detect caesium, iodine and potassium by measuring luminescence.
• To date, we have not found increased radioactivity in a single product imported from Japan. The maximum radioactivity we measured to date in our products is smaller than the lowest quantifiable detection limit (5-20Bq/kg).
• Lima’s commitment to guarantee safe and healthy products remains the same.

Lima’s packaging is also designed to impact the environment as little as possible. Our packaging complies with the current legislation regarding the presence and migration of harmful substances. Lima does not use bisphenol A, which is used in some plastic bottles and which directly comes into contact with food products. We also always prefer phthalate-free plastics.

Our vegetable-based cereal drinks contain about 1% sunflower oil. We add this to obtain a stable emulsion as oats, rice and spelt do not contain enough fats. However, we do not add fats to soy drinks as they naturally contain enough fats.

Yannoh “Filter” is a grain coffee that contains gluten, which can be used for drip-brewed coffee. This alternative to coffee is produced with roasted cereals such as barley, rye and wheat which contain gluten. The grains and roots are roasted with warm air in production. The temperature never exceeds 80° C. After roasting, the ingredients are ground and mixed. Yannoh Filter is prepared just like drip-brewed coffee to obtain an aromatic beverage with a roasted flavour.

Yannoh “Instant” is a grain-based instant alternative to coffee and contains no gluten. Yannoh Instant is gluten-free because the gluten in the wheat, barley and rye is removed during the production and filtration process.

The production process • Yannoh “Filter” is the basis from which Yannoh “Instant” is made. We use Yannoh “Filter” to prepare very strong grain coffee on a large scale. To achieve this, hot water is pumped through a series of percolators.
• The leftover grit remains in the filters and the highly concentrated extract is collected at the end of the process.
• The gluten stays behind in the leftover grit, because gluten is insoluble in water.
• The gluten-free extract is first evaporated and then fully dried, after which it is atomised in a spray drier.
• The moisture completely evaporates, leaving dry instant coffee powder.
• Frequent testing confirms that Yannoh “Instant” is gluten-free.