Food Diet

Fats and Diet

2009-11-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

Fats and Diet
For more than two decades, fats have been in the limelight. With the health advice of today’s experts, we’re advised to moderate the total fat and lower the saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol in out food choices.

Certainly media continues to report new research linking various types of fats and cholesterol to health outcomes.

Culinary experts provide flavorful ways to use sensible amounts of fat in food prep.

And the food industry has launched many fat modified products; “reduced fat,” “0 grams trans fat,” and “with omega-3s.”

Not surprisingly, many consumers hear the message and consider the “fat facts” as they buy and prepare food.

While other nutrition-related concerns have emerged, attention to fat likely will be around for some time.

Evidence indicates that a diet high in saturated fats, trans fat and cholesterol increases risks for unhealthy levels of blood cholesterol, and therefore cardiovascular disease.

High fat eating is likely high in saturated fat and risky for heart health.

Managing excess calories is also harder harder with high fat eating.

There may be a link to some cancers, too. As science reveals more, it’s also becoming clear that the links between the different types of fat and health are more complex than once thought.

Aging baby boomers are being forced to face the “fat facts of life.” And people of all ages recognized that cutting back to a moderate fat intake – and eating less “sat fats,” tans fat” and cholesterol and replacing some with healthy oils – will promote good health in the long run.

Many people especially Americans already have cut down on their total fat intake to moderate levels. Yet there’s still room to improve, to make healthier food and fat choices and to consume less saturated and trans fats.
Fats and Diet

Fiber in Plant

2009-10-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

Fiber in Plant
Plant Food is basically divisible into stems, fruits, tubers, seeds and leaves. Stems are rich in fiber to support the upper leaves and connect them with the nutrient on soil.

The leaves are green, rich in the protein chlorophyll which traps the sun’s energy on which plants depend.

The fiber content of leaves and stems varies, tending to increase with age.

Seeds, fruits and tubers come in variety shapes, sizes and colors.

A seeds has an outer coat to protect the embryo as the seed lies dormant during the winter.

Come the warm days of spring and the seed begins to germinate, pushing a new shoot through the now cracked outer coat to reach the soil surface and point its tiny leaves towards the sun.

In the period between the onset of germination and the emergency of the seedling into the sunlight, the energy reserves of the seed are used up in growth.

Some seeds (e.g., soya) use oil for these energy reserves, but most (cereals, rice, cassava, potatoes) use starch.

Although there is some fiber in these starchy stores it is present in much greater quantity in the structural part of the seed – its protective coats and its plant embryo, or ‘germ’.

It is these coats and germs which man chooses to remove and discard, so that his enjoyment of the starch core is unimpaired. That is a botanical description of fiber.

There are four main molecular species which make up fiber: cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and lignin.

The first three can be classified as carbohydrate lignin being unclassified in the nutritional sense.

Cellulose, for example, is comprised of long chains of glucose molecules joined end to end. Cellulose is not digested. Neither are hemicellulose, pectin and lignin.

And that is the biological definition of fiber in human nutrition: indigestible plant matter, particularly indigestible plant carbohydrates.
Fiber in Plant

The Burden of Diseases in the Developing World

2009-09-14T15:51:00.001-07:00

The Burden of Diseases in the Developing World
Hunger and malnutrition remain among the most devastating problems facing the majority of the world’s poor and needy people, and continue to dominate the health of the world’s poorest nations.

Nearly 30% of humanities are currently suffering from one or more of the multiple forms of malnutrition.

The tragic consequences of malnutrition include death, disability, stunted mental and physical growth and as a result, retarded national socioeconomic development.

Some 60% of the 10.9 million deaths each year among children aged less than five years in the developing world are associated with malnutrition.

Iodine deficiency is the greatest single preventable cause of brain damage and mental retardation worldwide, and is estimated to affect more than 700 million people, most of them located in the less developed countries.

Over 2000 million people have iron deficiency anemia.

Vitamin A deficiency remains the single greatest preventable cause of needless childhood blindness and an increased risk of premature childhood mortality from infectious disease, with 250 million children under five years of age suffering from subclinical deficiency.

Intrauterine growth retardation, defined as birth weight below the 10th percentile of the birth weight for gestational age reference curve, affects 23.8% or approximately 30 million newborn babies per year, profoundly influencing growth, survival, and physical and mental capacity in childhood.

It also has major public health implications in view of the increased risk of developing diet related chronic disease later in life.

Given the rapidity with which traditional diets and lifestyles are changing in many developing countries, it is not surprising that food insecurity and undernutrition persist in the same countries where chronic disease are emerging as a major epidemic.

The epidemic of obesity with its attendant comorbidities – heart disease, hypertension, stroke and diabetes – is not a problem limited to industrialized countries.

Children are in a similar situation; a disturbing increase in the prevalence of overweight among this group has taken place over the past 20 years in developing countries as diverse as India, Mexico, Nigeria and Tunisia.

The increasing prevalence of obesity in developing countries also indicates that physical inactivity is an increasing problem in those countries well.
The Burden of Diseases in the Developing World

Cranberries

2009-08-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

Cranberries
Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocapron) for millennia have been part of the diet of North Americans and used for medicinal purposes in folk medicine.

Although cranberries are most familiar to consumers in North America, close relatives of the cranberry are also consumed in Northern Europe and Asia.

In North America and Europe, cranberries are primarily processed and consumed in the form of cranberry juice cocktails, and cranberry fruit drinks, with the oldest cranberry juice recipe dating back to 1683.

Cranberries have only been cultivated for the last 150 year; therefore, relative to grapes and other cultivated fruits, there is little genetic diversity.

The typical annual crop size is approximately 500 million pounds, with 60% being used directly in beverages, 35% being processed into sauces and concentrates that are mostly made into beverages and 5% being consumed fresh.

Cranberries are popular with consumers because of their bitter taste, and because of their positive implication for health as a functional food, they are one of the first functional foods in America.

As a functional food, cranberry juice is associated with protection from urinary tract infection.

Cranberry juice may also be useful for promoting cardiovascular health and inhibiting cancer development, and suggestions have also been made regarding cranberry applications for improving oral and gastric health.
Cranberries

The Obesity Battle

2009-08-17T02:31:00.000-07:00

The Obesity Battle
Americans have more choices when it comes to food than anyone else on the planet.

While we are constantly seduced by hot fudge sundaes, double cheeseburgers, stuffed-crust pizza and deep-fried doughnuts, we are expected to be as lean as the models that grace the covers of fashion magazines.

How many people have the willpower to resist temptation time and time again?

A small minority, it would seem. In 2005, approximately two thirds of the Americans adult population was classified as overweight or obese, with about one third fitting into the overweight category and the other third being obese.

The harsh reality is that fewer than one third of Americans have healthy body weights.

Overweight and obesity come with a hefty price tag - $100 billion a year in medical bills and more than 400,000 premature deaths each year.

Excess body fat causes unwanted changes to the basic functioning of the human body, adversely affecting blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, respiration, fertility, skin and joint health, hormones and insulin action.

Such changes significantly increase the risk for debilitating and often fatal health conditions, including the following:

Cancer
Gallbladder disease
Gout
Heart disease and stroke
Kidney disease
Osteoarthritis
Sleep apnea
Type 2 diabetes

To add insult to injury, a recent report found that being obese affectively ages a person by 20 years (in terms of physical health).

That puts an obese 30 year old in the same risk group as a normal weight 50 year old for developing serious medical problems.
The Obesity Battle

Fiber for Health

2009-07-19T17:06:00.001-07:00

Fiber for Health
Fiber works complimentarily as a weight loss aid and health protector.

There’s an obvious link between high fiber diets and diabetes prevention because diabetes is characterized by an ability to properly process blood sugar levels.

Not only does weight loss itself lower your diabetes risk, there’s also evidence that diets rich in high fiber whole grains also reduce your chances of getting it.

Researches show that fiber is protective against heart disease.

According to a Harvard study of 40,000 subjects eating a lot of fiber is associated with a 40 percent lower heart disease risk compared to low fiber intake.

Soluble fibers especially lower blood cholesterol level.

That’s one reason why oatmeal is such a fine breakfast choice; it’s one of the few grains with more soluble than unsalable fiber, so it’s simultaneously an effective cholesterol flowerer, digestion slower and energy booster.

And don’t look fiber’s gastrointestinal benefits. It helps you avoid intestinal inflammation and is well known for its ability to relieve or prevent constipation.

Fiber, especially wheat bran and oat bran, seems to work best.

But a high fiber diet in general is the surest way to get all these benefits.
Fiber for Health

Fats

2009-07-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

Fats
Fats are glyceryl esters of fatty acids. Fats, as do carbohydrates, contain the elements carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, but the proportion of oxygen in fats is less, and it can be can said that fats are fuel foods of a more concentrated type than are the carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates and fats are interchangeable as fuel foods, but it can be shown, by calorimeter, that fats produce more than twice the heat energy produced by carbohydrates.

One gram of fats yields 9 cal, while 1 gram of carbohydrate yields 4 cal. An additional advantage of fat form viewpoint of energy availability is that it stores well in large amounts in adipose tissues.

Thus fat, considered to be a reserve form of fuel for the body, is an important source of calories.

Paradoxically, this is not advantageous in affluent societies where the problem is not the availability of food for energy, but rather the health hazard of obesity.

Fats may occur in foods as materials that are solid at room temperatures or as oils that are liquid at room temperatures. Solid fats contain comparatively small amounts of fatty acids with two or more groups of adjacent carbons that are not fully saturated with hydrogen.
Fats

Healthy Eating

2009-07-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

Healthy Eating
Big foods are those that are low in caloric density, but they give you a feeling of satiety on fewer calories.

Examples include salads, noncreamy soups, vegetables fresh fruits, water, nonfat plain yogurt, fish and seafood, and cooked oatmeal.

Because these natural high-volume, or “big,” foods are high in fiber and water they fill you up on fewer calories than the calorie-dense highly processed foods.

You are hard-wired to eat until your stomach is stretched, which generally takes about fifteen to twenty minutes.

If you are eating cheese fries, chicken nuggets and M&M’s and drinking sugared sodas, during that fifteen to twenty minute meal, you will consume thousands of calories, mostly in the form of unhealthy and nutritionally barren foods that will be stored as belly fat and leave you hungry again in two or three hours.

On the other hand, if you sit down to a meal of boil shrimp, crisp celery sticks with guacamole dip, an apple and a tall glass of iced tea, fifteen to twenty minutes later you will be just even full though you consumed a fraction of the calories and loads more antiaging antioxidants, fiber and vitamins.

As a bonus, you remain full for four to six hours without cravings for junk food.

Many healthy foods are essential calorie-free, including spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and asparagus. But not everybody enjoys all the vegetables.

Drinking calorie-free beverage such as water tea and coffee is another way to fill up without stressing your system with excess calories.
Healthy Eating

Contribution of Fruits to Human Nutrition

2009-06-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

Contribution of Fruits to Human Nutrition
Fruits are not only colorful and flavorful components of our diet, but they also serve as a source of energy, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

The U.S department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines encourage consumers to enjoy “five a day,” eat at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables each day and to choose fresh, frozen, dried or canned forms of a variety of colors and kinds of fruits and vegetables.

In some countries, consumers are encouraged to eat up to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

ENERGY (Calories)

Carbohydrates: banana, breadfruit, jackfruit, plantain, dates, prunes, raisin

Proteins and amino acids: nuts, dried apricot, fig

Fats: avocado, olive, nuts

VITAMINS
Fresh fruits and vegetables contribute about 91% of vitamin C, 48% of vitamin A, 27% of vitamin B6, 17% if thiamin and 15% of niacin to the U.S diet.

Vitamin A: apricot, peach, cherry, orange, mango, papaya, persimmon, pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon

Vitamin C: strawberry, orange, grapefruit, kiwifruit, pineapple, banana apple, cantaloupe

Niacin: peach, banana, orange, apricot

Riboflavin: banana, [peach, orange, apple, avocado

Thiamin: orange, banana, grapefruit, apple

MINERALS
Fresh fruits and vegetables contribute about 26% of the magnesium and 19% of the iron to the U.S diet
The following fruits are important contributors to the supply of indicated minerals in the U.S diet

Potassium: banana, peach, orange, apple, dried fruits such as apricot and prune

Phosphorus: banana, orange, peach, fig, raisin

Calcium: tangerine, grapefruit, orange

Iron: strawberry, banana, apple, orange

DIETARY FIBER

All fruits and nits contribute to dietary fiber. Dietary fiber consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and pectic substances, which are derived primarily form fruit cell walls and skin.

The dietary fiber content of fruits ranges form 0.5 to 1.5% (fresh weight)

Dietary fiber plays an important role in relieving constipation by increasing water holding capacity of feces. Its consumption is also linked to decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease, diverticulosis, and colon cancer.

ANTIOXIDANTS
Fruits, nuts, and vegetables in the daily diet have been strongly associated with reduced risk for some forms of cancer, heart disease, stroke and other chronic disease. This is attributed, in part, to their content of antioxidant phytochemicals.

Red, blue, and purple fruits (such as apple, blackberry, blueberry, blood orange, cranberry, grape, nectarine, peach, plum, prune, pomegranate, raspberry, and strawberry) are good sources of flavonoids and other phenolic compounds that are positively correlated with antioxidant capacity of the fruit.

Orange-flesh fruits (such as apricot, cantaloupe, mango, nectarine, orange, papaya, peach, persimmon and pineapple) and some red flesh fruits (such as tomato, watermelon and pink grapefruit) are good sources of carotenoids. Availability of lycopene to human is increased during tomato processing.

Contribution of Fruits to Human Nutrition

Oatmeal for Your Heart

2009-06-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

Oatmeal for Your Heart
In recent years, clinical studies have affirmed the ability of oatmeal and oat bran to reduce blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and generally reduce the long term risk of hart disease.

In recognition of these well-established benefits, in 1996 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted manufacturers/packagers of oatmeal the right to make specific health claim about this food, stating that diets high in oat meal or oat bran may reduce the risk of heart disease.

It was the first permissible health claim ever accorded to a food by the FDA, an agency that generally has favored drugs over natural substance.

In 1995, researchers at John Hopkins, in Baltimore, Maryland, reported that people who regularly consumed even a modest portion of oatmeal (one ounce cooked daily) had lower blood pressure and cholesterol readings than those who never ate oatmeal.

The study was based in the evaluation of 850 men, 17 – 77 years old living in China; their oatmeal consumption was 25 – 90 g daily.

The researchers stated that “the higher the oats intake, the lower the blood pressure,” regardless of other factors such as age and weight or alcohol sodium, or potassium intake, which are known to affect blood pressure.

According to researcher, it is oatmeal’s high content of water soluble fiber (beta glucan) that can produces the heart benefits.

A six-year study involving 22,000 middle-aged Finnish males showed that consuming as little as 3 g daily of soluble fiber (from the beta glucan fiber component of oats, barley or rye) reduce the risk of death from heart disease by 27%.
Oatmeal for Your Heart

Benefits Associated with Nutrients from Seafood

2009-06-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Benefits Associated with Nutrients from Seafood
The high nutritional quality of seafood makes it an important component of a healthy diet.

While protein is an important macronutrient in the diet, most American already consumes enough and do not need to increase their intake.

Fats and oil are also part of a healthy diet, but the type and amount of fat can be important - for example, with regard to cardiovascular disease.

Many Americans consume greater than recommended amounts of saturated fat as well as cholesterol from high-fat protein foods such as beef and pork.

Many seafood selections are lower in total and saturated fats and cholesterol than some more frequently selected anima protein foods such as fatty cuts of beef, pork and poultry and are equivalent in amount of fat to some leaner cuts of meat.

Since it is lower in saturated fats however by substituting seafood more often for other animal foods, consumers can decrease their overall intake of both total and saturated fats while retaining the nutritional quality of their protein food choices.

Seafood is also a primary source of EPA and DHA in the American diet.

The contribution of the nutrients to improving health and reducing risk for certain chronic disease in adult has not been completely elucidated.

There is evidence however, to suggest there are benefits to the developing infants such as increasing length of gestation, improved visual acuity and improve cognitive development.

In addition, there is evidence to support an overall benefit to the general population for reduced risk of heart disease among those who eat seafood compared to those who do not, and there may be benefits from consuming EPA and DHA for adults at risk for coronary heart disease.
Benefits Associated with Nutrients from Seafood

Summary of Fats

2009-06-08T03:48:00.000-07:00

Summary of Fats
Fats are comprised of fatty acids bound, in bundles of three, to glycerol.

Fatty acids are either saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated.

Fats contains mixtures of all three types of fatty acids; the balance of the mix determines whether the fat is generally saturated (hard) or polyunsaturated (soft).

Fats are insoluble in water and require special treatment for digestion and transport.

In digestion, bile acids act as detergents to solubilize fats to aids digestion.

In transport, the fatty material is surrounded by a coat of protein plus phospholipid. The full particle is a lipoprotein.

The liver can convert carbohydrate to fat, which is exported from the liver as a lipoprotein.

Certain polyunsaturated fatty acids are nutritionally essentially because:
1. They are the precursors of the vitality important regulators of metabolism, the prostaglandins
2. The body cannot make them from either carbohydrate or existing dietary fatty acids.

Summary of Fats

Major Constituent of Milk

2009-05-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

Major Constituent of Milk
The major portion of ash is composed of the chlorides and oxides of potassium, calcium and phosphorus.

It is of interest to note that these three elements are in greater concentration in milk than in blood, thus the mammary gland exerts a selective action to concentrate these elements.

Too, a fact frequently overlooked is the greater weight percentage of the potassium over that of calcium.

This kind of information can be used to detect injured udders because in the injured udder the composition of the milk becomes more like that of the blood.

The changes in chloride content and in acidity are easily measured.

Milk from cows suffering from mastitis contains a higher sodium and chloride content than normal milk.

Chloride content in milk in excess of 0.14% suggests the possibility of mastitis milk.

All cases of toward the end of lactation and colostrums secreted at the beginning of lactation contain more sodium and chloride than normal milk.

Small variations in the concentrations of Ca and Mg relative to the concentrations of citrate and phosphate are known to affect the ability of milk to resist coagulation when heated.

The ration between the different components seems to be more important that the actual amounts present.

The term salt balance is used to refer to the ratio of these components.

In general, the most common manifestation of a disturbed salt balance is a deficiency of citrate and phosphate ions (particularly when cows are off pasture), which would suggest that in such circumstances addition of sodium citrate or phosphate would correct the balance through its sequestering effect on calcium ions and render the milk heat stable.

Milk contains more calcium that most foods because of the distribution of calcium in milk.

About two thirds of the total calcium in milk is in colloidal form as calcium caseinate, citrate and phosphate; the remaining third is in true solution.

Only because of these phenomena is it possible for milk to have an osmotic pressure equal to that of the blood.

When milk is heated or pasteurized, the equilibrium between the colloidal and soluble phrases is altered in the direction of the colloidal phase.

In cheese making, this change in the ration between of soluble and colloidal calcium is an important factor in the time taken by rennet to coagulate the milk.
Major Constituent of Milk

Variety of Foods: The Good and the Bad

2009-05-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

Variety of Foods: The Good and the Bad
You will thrive best if you can learn to eat an array of fresh, natural foods to get the wide range of nutrients that are necessary for vibrant health.

Different foods provide different nutrients, so the greater variety of nature’s bounty in which you partake, the better health you will enjoy.

Eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables and try new ones every chance you get.

Look for brightly or deeply colored varieties as they are high in anti-aging antioxidants.

Variety is also important when choosing animal protein sources. Red meat poultry, nonfat dairy, whey protein, seafood, and fish all have very different nutritional profiles.

Try not to eat the same type of meat or fish day in and day out.

A mixture of protein sources will supply you with an array of healthful nutrients and still help you to avoid the over-consumption of potentially toxic substance that may be present in specific meats or fish.

For instance, tuna is fine once or twice a week, but if you ate it every day, you might end up accumulating toxic amounts of mercury.

Lean red meat is great in moderation, but when eaten in excess you might absorb too much iron, saturated fat, and heterocyclic amines (carcinogens).

Lean chicken breasts are low in fat but don’t have the beneficial omega-3 fats found in fish and seafood, or the high zinc levels of red meats.

Variety, however, have a dark side. The dramatic rise in America body weight over the past twenty-five years is paralleled by a line documenting the number of new man-made foods introduced into the diet over the same time period.

They are often advertised as low fat, low carb, or vitamin-fortified, but nearly all of these synthetic, caloric-dense delicious new foods are designed to entice us into overeating.

A whole host of designer “fat free” highly processed foods were gobbled up by the American public as it packed on pounds of fat tissue faster than grain-fed cattle in feed lots.
Variety of Foods: The Good and the Bad

Garlic and Health Benefits

2009-04-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

Garlic and Health Benefits
The garlic juice is almost impossibly to drink though, resulting in sweating and an immune system response directed at live garlic cells in the juice.

What is happening is that the live garlic is very strong so the body has a battle digesting the fresh garlic juice. Even so, this has a net positive effect if one can endure it.

Digesting cleansing does involve frequent and less than solid bowel movements, plus bloating.

Bloating is often part of the healing process as the immune system goes to work. It does take months to repair decades of poor diet and less than optimum health.

Understanding that this is a necessary part of the healing process prevents people from giving up and not recognizing progress.

A flat stomach and an ability consume cleansing vegetables plus energized water without any result other than great health and vitality, is the end goal.

Anyone who looks old has a digestive system that needs major repair. Every part of the body regenerates and is capable of healing over time. The digestive system cells, especially the inner wall of the digestive track, regenerate most frequently.

Other than that, garlic acts well against cataract, particularly in smokers and for colds. Like onion juice, one dessertspoonful of garlic in half a pint of warm water is a recognized remedy for worms in children.

One suspects that children in Mediterranean countries must be well protected against worms, and statistics show that their parents have a lower incidence of heart disease than most Europeans, all of which helps to confirm the therapeutic value of this bulb.

Garlic juice has been used beneficially for many conditions including tuberculosis, entercolitis and amoebic dysentery. It is an expectorant as well as assisting asthma and bronchitis.
Garlic and Health Benefits

Fruits and Veggies

2009-04-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

Fruits and Veggies
No matter what your health concerns – preventing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, whatever – the bottom-line massage from every health organization (including the American Heart Association; the American Cancer Society; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and the USDA) is to eat more fruits and vegetarians.

Yet more than 90 percent of Americans fail to consume the recommended amount.

Ideally, you should include a hefty portion of fruit and veggies in every meal and snack.

Here are some tips to help you boost your intake of these carbohydrate-rich foods that not only fuel your muscles but also protect your good health:

Whip together a fruit smoothie for breakfast: orange juice, banana, frozen berries

To your egg (white) omelet, add diced pepper, tomato, mushrooms

Add blueberries or sliced banana to pancakes; top with applesauce

No fresh fruit for your cereal? Use canned peaches, raisins or frozen berries

Put leftover dinner veggies into your lunchtime salad or soup

Keep within easy reach grap-and-go snack, such as small boxes of raisins, trail mix dried fruit, frozen 100 percent juice bars, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots and celery sticks.

Add shredded carrots to casseroles, chili, lasagna, meatloaf or soup

Fruits and Veggies

Summary of Protein and Carbohydrate

2009-04-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

Summary of Protein and Carbohydrate
Protein
Proteins are composed of intercoiling strands, in turn composed of amino acids.

The proteins function to regulate specific steps in metabolism – one step, one protein. Hence, many proteins are needed.

The variety of protein structures is made possible by the order and arrangement of the amino acid building blocks.

At any time, body protein is being both synthesized and degraded, an inefficient process which leads to urinary loss of the breakdown products of the amino acid building blocks.

This loss is obligatory and necessities regular replenishment – hence the nutritional necessity for protein in the diet.

Carbohydrate
Carbohydrate are composed of sugar molecules, single, paired or in long strands. Dietary carbohydrates are predominantly starch, with some sucrose and lactose.

Starch is digested to glucose units, which are observed to be used for energy or for the synthesis of fats.

Rising blood glucose levels after a meal stimulates insulin release which disposes of this load. Falling blood glucose levels stimulates glucagon, which maintains a basic minimum level of glucose in the blood.

Although sucrose is well tolerated, lactose is poorly tolerated by many people who lack the enzyme to digest it. Both these substances yield glucose or glucose-like compounds on digestion.

Summary of Protein and Carbohydrate

Juice Fasting

2009-03-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Juice Fasting
Juice fasting is a safe and easy way to detoxify the body. Fasting is not harmful. If it were, mankind would not have evolved as a civilization.

Fasts have been recorded in ancient history and have been a part of virtually all religious. For example, in the orthodox Christian church, fasts have been practiced for centuries and are still a way of church life today.

We do not recommend water fasts because they are too hard on the body. Such fasts release too many stored-up toxins without supplying the nutrients needed to detoxify them.

These nutrients, especially the antioxidants (beta-carotene, vitamins C and E and the mineral selenium) supplied in abundance in the juices, bind with harmful toxins and carry them out of the body.

Some word of caution are in order regarding juice fasting. Children under seventeen should not follow a strict juice fast. But fruit and vegetable juices are a great supplement to a healthful diet for your child or adolescent.

Diabetics should seek a doctor’s approval before trying a juice fast. Hypoglycemics may benefits from using protein powder as a supplement during the fast. Whenever you are sick, your body is sending you a signal that it needs rest – both from strenuous work and from foods that are hard to digest – along with plenty of immune supporting nutrients.

Juices offer great quantities of nutrients that support immune system, and the juice fast is a powerful healing tool. But don’t wait until sick then fasting. There is a suggestion that juice fast several times a year. You can fast from one t0 five days any time you like. Some people fast from one to five days any time you like.
Juice Fasting

Digestion and absorption at infant age

2009-02-21T17:30:00.000-08:00

Digestion and absorption at infant age
The complex process of digestion/absorption can be optimally effective only when the GI tract and accessory organs are totally develop and fully functioning.

Not only must the muscular tube (alimentary canal) with it a mucosal lining and endocrine cells be operating efficiently in conjunction with the nervous system, but the accessory organs (pancreas, liver, and gallbladder) with their important digestive secretions also must be physiologically mature.

The feeding of infants is based on primarily in degree of maturation of the GI tract and accessory organs.

Good examples of the emphasis on GI tract maturity are the care given to the fat in infant formula and the time and sequence of the introduction of various foods into the infant’s diet.

Only those fats possessing an ease used in commercial formulas and the introduction of solid food, beginning with baby cereal usually occurs no earlier than 4 months of age.

The infant pancreas, although structurally mature at term, is usable for several months to produce enzymes sufficient for effective digestion.

Pancreatic lipase, alpha-amylase and the proteolytic enzymes are in too short supply to accommodate digestion of a mixed diet. Digestion of fat is a real concern because there is a deficiency of bile salts from the liver as well as low lipase release from the pancreas.
Digestion and absorption at infant age

Diet and Hypertension

2009-01-26T05:02:00.000-08:00

Diet and Hypertension
There is a suggestion to recommend diets that consist of 30% fats, 20% - 25% protein and 45% - 50% carbohydrates. The fats should come from fish such as salmon, mackerel, Greenland halibut, cod and blue fish. This is o basically the so-called Mediterranean diet.

One study conducted in 1980s, investigating the rate of heart attacks over a ten year period for individual in European nations, revealed that the island of Crete reported no heart attacks as a cause of death, even though many of the residents had dangerously high cholesterol levels, a presumed risk factor for heart disease.

According to expert, the Mediterranean diet, rich in monounsaturated fat (olive oil) and antioxidants, has proved to be crucial in cardiovascular protection. This diet is low in saturated fats (such as dairy products and meats), high in fiber and antioxidants (vitamin C, beta carotene, and vitamin E) from fresh fruits and vegetables, and high in essential fatty acids, found in fish, flaxseed oil and other omega-3 oils.

Avocado and asparagus, commonly eaten in this diet, are rich in L-glutathione, an amino acid that can scavenge for harmful free radicals. An olive oil is the healthiest of oils as expert said. Also garlic and other members of the onion family (prominent in this diet) help because the significantly reduce blood pressure.
Diet and Hypertension

Fats

2009-01-12T06:01:00.000-08:00

Fats
If proteins have been dubbed ‘Beauty’ by advertisers, fats are surely ‘The Beast’, for few nutrients have been subjected to as much suspicion by the health profession. This suspicion is sometime justified, although often for wrong reasons.

The confusion is understandable since the chemistry and metabolism of fats is more c0mplex than that of proteins and carbohydrates, that is, up to the point that need interest us.

There are two obvious characteristics of fats about which we are all aware. First, they are not soluble in water, hence the need for detergents to clean up after a fatty mixed grill.

Secondly, some fats are solid at room temperature, say butter, lard or margarine, while others are liquid, mainly the oils – olive, corn, peanut, etc.

These are good starting points for the study of the nutrition of fats, in that we must explain how fats, insoluble in water are digested and metabolized in the largely watery environment of the body and how the chemistry of fats can explain their physical properties.

The basic units of fats are known as fatty acids, but fat molecules are not made up of repeating fatty acid units. Fat molecules are known as triglycerides and are comprised of glycerol with fatty acids attached to the top, middle and bottom of the glycerol molecule. Hence fatty acids come in threes.

Like –proteins, there are no rules as to what fatty acids must occupy what positions on the glycerol molecule, or what mixes of three fatty acids should cling to a molecules of glycerol.

Three grouping of fatty acids:

Saturated fats

Monounsaturated

Polyunsaturated fats

If you purchase a sample of pure saturated fatty acids from a chemical supplier you would find that they were solid at room temperature. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids would be liquid. Therefore the hardness or softness of a dietary fat depends on temperature and the balance between the three categories of fatty acid.
Fats

Salt and Blood Pressure

2008-12-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

Salt and Blood Pressure
Table salt is sodium chloride: it is the sodium which is important for your blood pressure, not the chloride.

High blood pressure is unknown among those peoples of the world which normal diet contains about 20 times less sodium than a normal Western diet, and even very high blood pressure can be controlled by reducing sodium intake to this level. The diet required for this consists entirely of rice, fruit, and vegetable and would be intolerable to most people.

The usual daily diet contains much more salt than anyone needs, it certainly does no harm to reduce sodium intake by not adding salt to cooked meals, and by reducing or avoiding high sodium processed foods (crisps, sausages, sauces, tinned meats and beans and ‘convenience’ food generally), Chinese take-away (which contain huge quantities of sodium glutamate) and strong cheeses.

Salt can be found in the most unexpected foods for example, both milk and bread contain salt in amounts which would surprise most people.

There is no convincing evidence that the roughly one third reductions in sodium intake you can achieve by these dietary changes is an effective alternative to drug treatment for severe high blood pressure.

Reducing fat in your diet by about a quarter reduces the potential complications of high blood pressure much more effectively than reducing your salt intake by about half. Most people find it difficult to reduce fat and salt at the same time, and fat reduction deserved a higher priority (especially as cutting down in fats will help you lose weight).

However, people whose blood pressure is high enough for them to need to take drugs for it may manage on lower dosage of their tablets if they reduce their sodium intake, and very heavy salt eaters should try to cut down.
Salt and Blood Pressure

Sources of Calcium

2008-12-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sources of Calcium
Calcium is found in dairy foods, salmon (with bones), sardines, seafood and dark green leafy vegetables. Food sources include almonds, asparagus, blackstrap molasses, brewer’s yeast, broccoli, buttermilk, cabbage, carobs, cheese, collards, dandelion green, dulse, figs, filberts, goat’s milk, kale, kelp, milk, mustard greens, oats, prunes, sesame seeds, soybeans tofu, turnip greens, watercress, whey and yogurt.

Herbs that contains calcium include alfalfa, burdock root, cayenne, chamomile, chickweed, chicory, dandelion, eyebright, fennel seed, fenugreek, flaxseed, hops, horsetails, kelp, lemongrass, mullein, nettle, oat straw, paprika, parsley, peppermint, plantain, raspberry leaves, red clover, rose hips, shepherd’s purse, violet leaves, yarrow, and yellow dock.

A diet that is high in protein, fat and/or sugar affects calcium uptake. The average American diets of meats, refined grains, and softdrinks leads to increase excretion of calcium. Consuming alcoholic beverages, coffee, junk foods, excess salt, and/or white flour also leads to the loss of calcium by the body. A diet based on foods such as vegetables, fruits and wholesome grains, which contain significant amounts of calcium but lower amounts of phosphorus, is preferable.

Oxalic acid (found in almonds, beet greens, cashews, chard, cocoa, soybeans and spinach) interferes with calcium absorption by binding with it in the intestines and producing insoluble salts that cannot be absorbed. The normal consumption of foods containing oxalic acids should not pose a problem, but overindulgence in these foods inhibits the absorption of calcium. Oxalic acid can also combine with calcium to form calcium-oxalate kidney stones. However, that taking magnesium and potassium supplements can prevent the formation of this types of stone.
Sources of Calcium

Calcium in Our Body: Function and Deficiency

2008-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Calcium in Our Body: Function and Deficiency
Calcium is vital for the formation of strong bones and teeth and for the maintenance of healthy gums. It is also important in the maintenance of a regular heartbeat and in the transmission of nerve impulses.

Calcium lowers cholesterol levels and helps prevent cardiovascular disease. It is needed for muscular growth and contraction, for the prevention of muscle cramps. It may increase the rate of bone growth and bone mineral density in children.

This important mineral is also essential in blood clotting and helps prevent cancer. It may lower blood pressure and prevent bone loss associated with osteoporosis as well. Calcium provides energy and participates in the protein structuring of RNA and DNA.

It is also involved in the activation of several enzymes, including lipase, which breaks down fats for utilization by the body. In addition, calcium maintains proper cell membrane permeability, aids in neuromuscular activity, helps to keep the skin healthy, and protects against the development of preeclampsia during pregnancy, the number one cause of maternal death. If high blood pressure develops due to pregnancy, it can be reduced by calcium intake.

Calcium protects the bones and teeth from lead by inhibiting absorption of this toxic metal. If there is a calcium deficiency, lead can be absorbed by the body and deposited in the teeth and bones.

Calcium deficiency can lead to the following problems: arching joints, brittle nails, eczema, elevated blood cholesterol, heart palpitation, hypertension (high blood pressure), insomnia, muscle cramps, nervousness, numbness in the arms and/or legs, a pasty complexion, rheumatoid arthritis, rickets and tooth decay.

Deficiencies of calcium are also associated with cognitive impairment convulsions, depression, delusions and hyperactivity.
Calcium in Our Body: Function and Deficiency

Diet During Pregnancy

2008-12-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Diet During Pregnancy
Many women will experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester. The nausea can result from an accumulation of gastric acid in the stomach and can be alleviated by eating small amounts of food every 3 – 4 hours. Some women also benefit from eating dry toast or crackers, especially if they are nauseous when they first wake up in the morning. It is also important to consider avoiding eating food and drinking fluids at the same time. Toward the end of the pregnancy, many women will experience a return of nausea, which is often attributed to decreased gastric peristalsis. Again, eating small meals frequently may be helpful. Women need to have a good source of bulk in their diet and to maintain exercise at an appropriate level.

During pregnancy, women need to eat a well balance diet that has sufficient calories and represents a variety of food groups. They need to be encouraged to maintain a healthy diet and sufficient exercise throughout pregnancy. Inappropriate weight gain can place the newborn at greater risk for infection, illness, disabilities, and even death. Some women experience pica (persistent eating of foods that have not nutrient value). Pica behavior may lessen the nutritional level of the mother and her fetus since the mother may not eat nutritious foods in sufficient quantity, which can lead to poor weight gain, low birth weight and intrauterine growth retardation. Also, the substance that the woman is eating may have harmful effects to the maternal fetal unit.

Women who drink 2 – 3 cups of coffee each day have a daily caffeine intake about 300 mg. Caffeine decreases the absorption of iron, which has a direct effect in the maternal fetal unit. During pregnancy, caffeine decreases the blood flow through the placenta and also increases the risk of spontaneous abortion during the first trimester. Caffeine consumption during pregnancy may lead to caffeine withdrawal symptoms in new born.

Aspartame (found in some artificial sweeteners) contains the amino acid phenylalanine and should be avoided by pregnant women because high levels of phenylalanine can lead to impaired fetal brain development and result in mental retardation. Women need over the counter products that may contain phenylalanine.
Diet During Pregnancy