Avocado, aguacate, palta. All of these words refer to the same fruit – yes, fruit. The avocado (Persea americana) seems to have originated in Mexico (1, 2) and is currently enjoyed in most corners of the world thanks to globalisation. The picture at the top of this article was taken in my hometown (Lima, Perú), […]
Category: Nutrition
Sugary drinks
One of the simplest things you can do to change your health and waistline is avoiding sugary drinks. Liquid calories in general are a bad idea if you are trying to lose weight because they are easy to consume in large quantities. In addition, most drinks sweetened with sugar provide zero to little nutrition. What […]
Book review: Culinary reactions (Simon Quellen Field)
Culinary Reactions: The Everyday Chemistry Of Cooking is a book for the scientists who love cooking or the cooks who love science. If you are neither of those, you might find this book frustrating. Consider yourself warned. The author Simon Quellen Field is the CEO of Kinetic MicroScience, a company that designs and sells science […]
End of Year Review 2018
This is my second instalment of the end of year review (see last year’s here. I took the idea from Katy Bowman, who has been doing a version of this review (geared toward movement) in her podcast (find this year’s here and last year’s here). The questionnaire has been adapted from Robin Blanc Mascari‘s original […]
New Year resolutions and other goal-setting strategies
January 1st is the date most people choose for starting (or re-starting) new habits. Many people set New Year resolutions but, sadly, not many follow through. Does this mean New Year resolutions are bad? It depends. Know yourself The reason why resolutions work great for some people for not for others is that we are […]
Cinnamon and health
The link between cinnamon and health has been recognised for a long time in traditional cultures. Cinnamon is thought to be antimicrobial, antiinflammatory (1, 2, 3, 4), antifungal (1, 2), antioxidant, antidiabetic (1, 2, 4), antimycotic (1) and anticancer (1, 2, 5). Thus, people have been using the spice for multiple purposes, including bad breath […]
How to stay healthy during the holidays
Christmas and New Year are almost here and many people are wondering how to stay healthy during the holidays. Some people don’t even think this is possible and just surrender to gluttony. Tips for staying healthy Below are some ideas that hopefully will help you mitigate the damage during the holidays. Be consistent most of […]
Discretionary choices (a.k.a. junk food)
Discretionary choices, discretionary foods, non-core foods, energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods are some of the names given to junk food. These are foods that should not represent a large part of a person’s food intake. Nutrient profile These foods typically contain a high amount of saturated fat, added salt, added sugar and/or alcohol (1). As a general […]
What are cruciferous vegetables and are they healthy?
Cruciferous vegetables (a.k.a. Brassica) are a group of vegetables named for their cross-shaped flowers. They include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, broccoli sprouts, Chinese broccoli, Chinese cabbage, collards and kale. (1, 2, 3). All these vegetables contain organic sulphur-containing compounds with a characteristic foul smell (2). These compounds have been investigated for their potential health […]
Fruit and vegetable intake: Guidelines vs reality
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend an average minimum daily intake of 5 serves of vegetables (including legumes) and 2 serves of fruit to prevent chronic disease. Nutrients in fruits and vegetables Most fruits, vegetables and legumes are good source of carbohydrate (sugar and/or starch) and fibre. They also water and contain micronutrients, such as vitamins, […]