Striving4Zen

The only reliable food sources of active vitamin B12 are animal foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, yogurt, and cheese. While some plant foods in their fermented or otherwise processed versions (including sprouting, in some cases) contain vitamin B12, there are no known plant foods that provide consistent, dependable levels of this important nutrient.

Many soil bacteria can make vitamin B12; so can certain bacterial inhabitants of the human digestive tract. Yet, there is inadequate research to confirm that these potential B12 sources are reliable sources for a person who is strictly vegan and eats no animal foods of any kind, including dairy products.

It's important here to distinguish between a strict vegetarian - who might include eggs and dairy products in his or her meal plan-and a strict vegan, who would not include these foods. All of those non-flesh yet animal-derived foods can contain B12. Strict vegans should therefore do one or more of the following:

• Regularly consume foods that have been fortified with active vitamin B12, such as fortified breakfast cereals or bread products, fortified soy products (like soy burgers, hotdogs, or breakfast patties), nutritional yeast, and yeast extracts
• Take an oral, nasal, or sublingual vitamin B12 supplement
• Receive vitamin B12 injections from their doctor.

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Labels: Dairy, eggs, essential nutrient, nutrients, vegan, vegetarian, vitamin B12, yeast

Lecithin is found in many animal and vegetable sources, including beef liver, steak, eggs, peanuts, wheat germ, yeast, cauliflower, and oranges. Commercial sources for lecithin may come from soybeans, egg yolk, or brain tissue.

It is also used in food preparation to create products such as baked goods, chocolate, margarine, and mayonnaise because of its ability to moisturize, preserve, and emulsify. It is a key ingredient in cooking spray—the substance used to replace oils, margarine, and butter in sautéing and baking.

Lecithin is also used in medical practice as well as in other commercial products, such as plastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, cosmetics, soap, and paints. For these applications, it is extracted from eggs or soybeans. Lecithin is also sold in powder, grain, liquid, or capsules as a dietary supplement.

As a dietary supplement, lecithin is claimed to have a number of roles, including improving cardiovascular health, relieving the symptoms of arthritis, and improving liver function. But it is primarily offered as a supplement to assist in weight loss and to provide boosts in fat metabolism, despite the fact that these claims are made without the presentation of any scientific evidence to show that lecithin is effective in weight loss and fat metabolism. Additionally, some claims have been made for soy lecithin improving the metabolism of cholesterol, although the studies that supported this have had their methodology called into question.

Despite this, lecithin does have a crucial role in the human body, approximately 30% of our brain weight and 66% of our liver fat is lecithin. In addition, lecithin is an essential constituent of every human cell. Yet the American Heart Association believes that lecithin is best obtained naturally through foodstuffs, rather than through supplements, and no Recommended Daily Allowance has been set by the Food and Drug Administration.

High doses of lecithin of over 25 grams per day can cause negative side effects, including nausea, stomach upset, diarrhea, and vomiting. Another danger to a very small portion of the population with an extreme soy allergy. Although most people with soy allergy are allergic only to soy protein, and therefore not affected by soy lecithin, people who are extremely allergic to soy may also be sensitive to soy lecithin and experience an allergic reaction

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Labels: cauliflower, egg yolks, essential nutrient, lecithin, liver, nutrients, yeast

According to the Journal of Applied Nutrition, organically grown fruits and vegetables have significantly higher nutritional content than conventional produce: "Organically grown apples, wheat, sweet corn, potatoes and pears were examined over a 2-year period and were 63% higher in calcium, 73% higher in iron, 118% higher in magnesium, 178% higher in molybdenum, 91% higher in phosphorus, 125% higher in potassium and 60% higher in zinc than conventionally grown produce." In addition, organic meats were not only found to be leaner, but also have about five times the omega-3s.

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Labels: eating healthy, healthier, living holistically, nutrients, nutrition, organic, organic food

We eat for our health and to feed our our bones, blood, and bowels, but some nutrients just don't play well with others. Take calcium and iron for instance. Calcium can reduce your ability to absorb iron by as much as 50%. However, calcium only interferes with non-heme iron, which comes from plant-based foods, not with heme iron, found in meat. This interplay between calcium and iron is really only important if you suffer from anemia, because although short-term iron absorption is reduced by calcium, studies have found that iron stored in the blood is not.

When it comes to calcium, fiber binds to the mineral, reducing its absorption. Studies have found that wheat fiber reduces calcium absorption by about half. If you're like most folks and you aim to get a jump-start on fulfilling your recommended daily intake of fiber and calcium with your bowl of breakfast cereal, choose cereals that feature oats or other grains since they don't seem to block the calcium.

Ultimately, if you eat a well balanced diet and aim to eat your nutrients rather than find them in supplements, you're probably getting all the vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need. Just think of this post as a little food for thought.

Thanks Fit!

Labels: anemia, calcium, eating healthy, essential nutrient, fiber, heme iron, iron, nutrients

Just like what you eat can influence how you feel, how you feel can influence the quality of nourishment that you gain from the foods that you eat. The following are some of the ways in which mood and nourishment are interrelated.

When you feel stressed a cascade of different stress hormones (including glucocorticoids) can be released. These chemical messengers have modulating effects upon a variety of body systems that can impact nourishment. All of us feel stressed at certain moments, but if this stress has become an ongoing, chronic part of our life, the impact on our nourishment can become problematic.

Nutrient depletion and blood sugar regulation

One of the outcomes of chronically increased glucocorticoid levels is potential depletion of certain nutrients, including zinc, potassium, and B-complex vitamins. What this means is that if you experience chronic stress, you will want to pay special attention to these nutrients in your diet. Stress hormones, if excessively secreted over a prolonged period of time, can interfere with the functioning of insulin and promote insulin resistance. Stress can create blood sugar imbalances that have a host of outcomes upon the body, including reducing the ability of cells to be nourished by the glucose provided in the diet.

Having low moods, or experiencing depression, may also impact nourishment. Chronic depression is associated with a variety of nutrient deficiencies, including that of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, choline, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. A person experiencing ongoing depression would want to take special steps to adjust his or her meal plan in relationship to these particular nutrients.

Benefits of a relaxing meal

In addition to looking at how mood affects nourishment from a biochemical perspective, you can also look at this question from the perspective of personal experience. Think about a recent meal that you ate while being stressed, angry, or anxious. Now think about a meal that you ate when you were relaxed, peaceful, and happy. Chances are in the latter experience you felt better, more vitalized, and more nourished from the foods you were eating and were therefore enjoying the true fulfillment and nourishment from those foods. Remember that your mood is something you don't just experience on an emotional and psychological level, but something that also takes places in your muscles, nervous system, and circulatory system. All of those body components impact your digestion and nourishment.

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Labels: depression, digestion, food and mood, Holistic Health, insulin, living holistically, nutrients, stress

Some health-boosting nutrients work together with ease, while others are detrimental to one another. For example, did you know that if you add vitamin C-rich orange slices to a spinach salad, you'll absorb more iron than if you top the leafy greens with calcium-rich feta cheese? Don't worry: Learning which foods complement one another is not as difficult as it sounds. Remembering five basic pairings will go a long way toward maximizing your uptake of key nutrients from the foods you eat every day.

GOOD COMBO
Iron + vitamin C

Daily requirements: 10-20 mg iron; 1,000 mg vitamin C

No matter which foods you pair with meat, you absorb between 15 percent and 35 percent of the iron in meat (called heme iron). But if you're a vegetarian or eat primarily legumes and leafy greens, the bulk of your dietary iron is nonheme, which has an absorption rate of only 2 percent to 20 percent. Over time, inadequate absorption can lead to iron-deficiency anemia, a condition in which blood doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to tissues. Women are at particular risk for anemia; one in five women and half of all pregnant women are iron deficient.

To maximize your absorption of nonheme iron, add vitamin C-rich foods to your meal. Vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid) helps increase iron uptake by converting it into a more absorbable form or by preventing iron from binding to other elements during digestion, which renders nonheme iron unabsorbable.

EXAMPLES:

• Iron-fortified whole-grain cereal topped with soy milk and strawberry slices, plus a glass of orange juice on the side
• Spinach salad with (chopped) red bell pepper and kiwifruit slivers
• Tofu and broccoli with peanut sauce

GOOD COMBO
Beta-carotene + fat

Daily requirement: 3-6 mg beta-carotene (equivalent to 833-1,667 IU vitamin A)

Certain healthy compounds — particularly heart-protective and cancer-fighting beta-carotene and other carotenoids like lycopene and lutein — in fruits and vegetables are fat soluble. That means a bit of healthy fat needs to be around in the digestive tract to help the body absorb the nutrients. “Adding fats to those foods allows for better absorption and bioavailability,” says Paula Mendelsohn, RD, CCN, a functional medicine nutritionist in Boca Raton, Florida. Recent research backs up this claim: Adding avocado to salsas and topping salads with full-fat dressing boosts carotenoid absorption compared with avocado-free salsa and fat-free or reduced-fat salad dressing.

EXAMPLES:

• Cooked carrots drizzled with olive oil
• Winter-squash soup sprinkled with chopped walnuts
• Oatmeal topped with sliced almonds and mango chunks

BAD COMBO
Calcium + iron

Daily requirements: 10-20 mg iron; 1,000 mg calcium

“When both calcium and iron are present at the same time or in similar concentrations, they compete to be picked up, transported, and absorbed,” says Mendelsohn. In an effort to maximize supply of these critical nutrients, people often load up on them and pair them together. Take what seem like natural fits: fortified cereal and milk, yogurt and granola, goat cheese and spinach salad, or a sandwich with deli meat and cheese. The iron-rich cereal, leafy greens, and meat battle the calcium-rich dairy for the body's attention. “But it becomes an issue only if the person is eating whole-grain cereal solely for its iron content and not for the fiber and other nutrients it contains,” Mendelsohn explains.

EXAMPLES:

• Oatmeal topped with cow's milk and chopped almonds
• Steak with a side of creamed spinach
• Iron-fortified cereal with unfortified soy milk and sprinkled with raisins or dried apricots, plus orange juice
• Plain bagel with cream cheese and fruit-filled yogurt

BAD COMBO
Iron + tea polyphenols

Daily requirement: 10-20 mg iron

New research shows that polyphenols in green tea block iron absorption by binding with the mineral to form a dense complex that can't be transported across intestinal cell membranes into the blood. According to Okhee Han, PhD, assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University and key author of the 2008 study, black tea also thwarts iron absorption: The high levels of tannic acid form an insoluble bond with iron in the gut, making iron indigestible. White tea has not yet been studied for its effects on iron.

And coffee drinkers aren't off the hook either: “Coffee also contains similar compounds that can prevent iron absorption,” says Robert Rountree, MD, Delicious Living's medical editor and coauthor of The New Breastfeeding Diet Plan (McGraw-Hill, 2007). “Coffee and tea consumption are major causes of iron-deficiency anemia in cultures around the world, especially in pregnant women,” he says. It's worth noting that these drinks mainly affect nonheme iron synthesis; iron in meat may be able to overcome the problem. It may be possible to avoid the polyphenol-iron conflict if you drink tea at a different time of day than when you eat iron-rich foods, says Han.

EXAMPLES:

• Black or green tea with iron-fortified cereal
• Coffee with whole-wheat toast spread with almond butter
• Oatmeal for breakfast; chai tea midmorning
• Green tea upon waking; a green salad topped with baked tofu for lunch
• Eggs and whole-wheat toast for breakfast; black tea in the afternoon

BAD COMBO
Zinc + phytates

Daily requirement: 8-15 mg zinc

Phytates, found mostly in whole grains, nuts, and beans and legumes, bind with zinc, forming an insoluble complex that decreases your body's ability to absorb the immunity-boosting and wound-healing mineral. Beyond its role in immune function and tissue repair, zinc helps maintain your sense of taste and smell and stimulates numerous biochemical processes in the body. “Phytates adversely affect the absorption and retention of many minerals in the body, including zinc, calcium, magnesium, and iron,” says Melissa Diane Smith, a nutritionist in Tucson, Arizona, and author of Going Against the Grain (McGraw-Hill, 2002).

To counteract this result, eat your whole grains and beans apart from your zinc-rich red meat, poultry, and oysters. The zinc in whole grains and beans competes with the phytates in those very same plant foods, but there's some evidence that cooking (think baking wheat bread) may destroy phytates and thus help improve zinc absorption.

EXAMPLES:

• Multigrain cereal and soy milk with a side of turkey sausage links
• Beef-and-bean burrito on a whole-wheat tortilla
• Pot roast with carrots, onions, and green beans
• Broiled turkey burger with steamed broccoli and cauliflower
• Salad with assorted veggies, pieces of lamb, and pumpkin seeds

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Labels: eating healthy, food combining, healthy diet, nutrients, t