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Staying hydrated in the heat and humidity is vital, but choosing a healthy drink to quench your thirst can sometimes be tricky. Stroll down the beverage aisle of any supermarket and you’ll see hundreds of bottled drinks with eye-catching labels claiming superior taste, health and performance benefits. But before you fill your shopping cart, here are some facts you should consider: Read more
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In honor of Valentine’s Day last weekend, I wrote about food synergy and provided examples of foods that pair well together to increase the absorption of key nutrients. So this week, it seems logical to highlight foods that are not so compatible together and inhibit nutrient absorption. This can happen when the phytochemicals and minerals contained in foods bind to each other to form a complex molecule that we cannot digest and absorb.
Many factors influence nutrient absorption: the food source, chronic health conditions such as celiac disease that affect the intestinal cells where many nutrients are absorbed, and your body’s current need for a particular nutrient. For example, you will absorb more iron from the food you eat if you are iron-deficient than if your iron status is normal. When planning meals for optimal nutrition, you should know which foods inhibit nutrient absorption to avoid seating these food frenemies at the same table: Read more
Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to celebrate perfect pairings.
When I think of classic Hollywood power couples, these come to mind: Fred and Ginger, Sonny and Cher, Bogie and Bacall. Their mutual attraction made these individual stars bring out the best in each other to shine even more brightly together. It’s all about chemistry.
You might be surprised to learn that power couples also exist in the nutrition world. Food synergy is the term used to describe the chemical attraction between two foods that makes them even more nutritious when consumed together. Just like people, some foods are better on their own. All foods contain vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that participate in chemical reactions that either increase or decrease absorption of key nutrients in foods at each meal. Read more