Health
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Mineral overview
If you know minerals are micronutrients that are good for you but struggle to name more than 2 or 3, this mineral overview is for you. In this guide you will find the following information (when applicable or available) for the main minerals: Calcium Sources: dairy foods (e.g. milk, yoghurt, cheese) and in smaller amounts in fish with bones, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables (e.g. kale, spinach), certain nuts, fortified soy beverages and breakfast cereals. Bioavailability: absorption from milk is between 20 and 40%, from vegetables is either in the same range or lower, depending on the vegetable (higher in cruciferous vegetables). Absorption from food can be enhanced by fortification…
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Vitamin overview
If you know vitamins are micronutrients that are good for you but struggle to name more than 2 or 3, this vitamin overview is for you. In this guide you will find the following information (when applicable or available) for all vitamins: Vitamin A Forms: preformed and provitamin A carotenoids (e.g. β-carotene, α-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin), which can be converted to vitamin A. Solubility: fat-soluble. Sources: preformed vitamin A is found in animal foods and carotenoids are found in oils, green leafy vegetables (e.g. spinach and kale), carrots, fruits (e.g. mango, papaya, orange). The conversion factor of β-carotene to vitamin A depends on the source. Making 1 ug of vitamin A…
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What are micronutrients?
As a dietitian, I always advocate for variety in the diet to increase exposure to micronutrients. But what are micronutrients? Below is a quick overview, more in-depth articles to follow. As seen previously, macronutrients are the “bigger” components of food, namely protein, fat and carbohydrates. Water can be also considered a macronutrient, however it does not contribute any energy. Conversely, alcohol cannot be considered nutritious but does contribute energy. The prefix “macro” comes from the ancient Greek makrós, which means “long”. It is normally used to mean “big” or “large”. Thus, macronutrients are needed in large amounts in the diet (tens or hundreds of grams). The prefix “micro” comes from…
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What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are a polarising subject. For some people, carbs are life, while others say they are the devil. In this article we explore what are carbohydrates, their roles, types and sources. What are carbohydrates? Carbohydrates, a.k.a. “carbs” are one of the macronutrients in our food. As the name “carbohydrate” implies, carbs contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, hence the sciency abbreviation “CHO”. The word “carbohydrates” is a noun often used to describe carbohydrate-containing foods. Many of these foods are staples in many traditional cuisines, for example rice, bread, pasta, noodles, potatoes, and taro. Roles of carbohydrates The main role of carbohydrate is energy production in the body. The amount of energy…
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How much salt is too much?
If you have a heart condition, your doctor has probably told you to limit your salt intake. As it is impossible and undesirable to eliminate salt completely, it is important to know much salt is too much? Sodium vs salt Sodium is a mineral and what we know as salt (the one we use for seasoning our food) is sodium chloride. Therefore, the amount of salt we consume does not equal the amount of sodium we consume. Sodium in food manifests in other forms, not just as the salt that is added for seasoning. Sodium is involved in many processes in the body, including maintenance of plasma volume, acid-base balance,…
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Eating in Israel for fuel and pleasure 2023
This is an update on my previous article eating in Israel for fuel and pleasure based on my experience in a Krav Maga training camp, one of the top travel experiences in my life. This time my expectations were high, but my focus was different. The first trip was for an Immersion camp, open to people of all levels. This means training was not super intense. In addition, more than 20 people were from my gym in Sydney, so I felt less social anxiety. This time, I attended an Advanced Instructor Training program, so I knew it would be more technical and intense. We were only 4 Australians attending. Based…
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Fermented foods and health
Fermented foods are often regarded as superfoods or wrongly equated to probiotics. In this article we discuss what are fermented foods and what is the relationship between fermented foods and health. What are fermented foods? Fermented foods are those which are transformed by the action of microorganisms. To differentiate fermentation from spoilage, the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics utilises the following definition: “foods made through desired microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components” (1). Fermented foods are consumed all over the world and is estimated that there are over 5000 varieties (1, 2). During fermentation, microbes feed on the source food and produce metabolites which change its…
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Gut microbiome inputs and outputs
In this article we explore the gut microbiome inputs and outputs, the most well-known of which are dietary fibre (input) and short-chain fatty acids (output). Composition of the gut microbiome Generally speaking, it is known which bacterial phyla are the main components of the human gut microbiome (phyla = plural of phylum, the fourth out of nine broadest biological classification – see this graphic for clarity). Of the core phyla, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are the most prominent (about 90%) (1). The composition of the gut microbiome changes in the different sections of the gastrointestinal tract due to changes in pH, oxygen availability, etc. It has been said that each person’s…
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How to choose between food products
Navigating supermarket shelves can be overwhelming due to the increasing variety and confusing messages in packaging, including health claims. Below is some advice on how to choose between food products. How to choose between food products The triangle paradigm There is a paradigm used to illustrate the fact that there are trade-offs every time you choose one service or product over another. The way I learned it: if you want a service or product you can have it fast, cheap or good. These 3 characteristics are the vertices of a triangle. You can have 2 of the vertices but not all 3. So you can have something done fast and…
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How to choose recipes
Cooking your own food is great for saving money and ensuring your meals are as healthy as they can be. Whether you are a seasoned cook or a beginner, it is useful to know how to choose recipes. Choosing a recipe to follow always involves a couple of risks: the risk that the recipe is bad and the risk that you don’t like the dish. There is no guarantee you will be 100% satisfied with a particular recipe, however the more recipes you try, the more you can make educated guesses of whether a new recipe will work for you or not. How to choose recipes 1. Look for a…
