Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

A while ago a reader asked me the question: which nutrients are absolutely essential and which ones are optional extras? Her concern was, she didn’t like most of the lycopene containing fruit and veg. Was her diet and health missing out? I also added this topic to Skribit and it’s had quite a few votes. So here’s my answer. h3. The 4 nutrient types Nutrients are substances which enable us to live and grow. We humans obtain these nutrients …

Read more 12 November, 2008

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

Continuing from Naomi’s question about iron and B12 . . . B12 is a whole different kettle of fish. It’s a curious, complex vitamin. Instead of being one molecule, B12 is actually a group of compounds, which are structurally similar and all contain cobalt. h3. What is vitamin B12? B12 can’t be made by either plants or animals. Instead it’s manufactured by bacteria and it ends up in our food as a result of this bacterial activity. And the …

Read more 08 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

You have about 3 – 4 grams of iron in your body at any one time. Much of this is in the haemoglobin molecules in your red blood cells. A smaller amount forms part of certain enzymes, while the rest is in transit, bound to a protein called transferrin. Transferrin manoeuvres iron around your body to wherever it’s needed. Every day we lose a small amount of iron. Simple bodily functions like sweating, the shedding of skin and cells …

Read more 08 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

First up on Q & A Thursday, Naomi is asking about iron and B12: bq. I only cook red meat occasionally at home. How can I maximise the benefit of the iron and B12 in meat when I do eat it? How long does the iron etc I’d get from a meal stay in my system? The mineral iron and the vitamin B12 are both important micro-nutrients. We use them to form strong, healthy red blood cells. These cells …

Read more 08 May, 2008

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

The next question in Q & A Thursday is from Sarah. It’s one for the lactose intolerants: is it possible to get enough calcium when you don’t drink milk? h3. Calcium and bone health I’ve written a number of posts about calcium in the past, including a three part series on bone health: * what are bones? * the calcium debate * how to ensure you have strong, healthy bones In the final part of this series I discuss …

Read more 18 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

Today’s task in 31 Days to Better Energy is to eat some iron-rich foods. h3. Why? One of the main places you’ll find iron in the body is in the molecule haemoglobin. As you’ll see from the picture on the right, haemoglobin is a complex protein. It’s found in red blood cells and contains four heme units, each of which includes iron – you can see these in green in the picture. Haemoglobin is important for your energy levels, ...

Read more 22 August, 2007

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

In parts one and two of this series, I covered the basics on bones: what they are and why we need them. I also looked at calcium, why it’s important for our health and touched on the debate over how much we need. Healthy bones are important as they allow us to continue leading active and healthy lives into old age. The weakening of bones that occurs with osteoporosis, is debilitating and something we all want to avoid. h3. 1. ...

Read more 27 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

I posted yesterday on what bones are and why we have them . As I mentioned, there’s a lot of debate about calcium and the best ways to ensure strong and healthy bones. h3. Calcium from milk When people think of calcium, they tend to think milk and it’s true that most dairy foods contain a lot of calcium. The perception is if you drink and eat lots of dairy, you’ll have strong bones and prevent osteoporosis. However, it’s …

Read more 11 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

During a previous Q & A Thursday , I answered a question on cow’s milk and touched on the importance of the mineral, calcium, for bone health. Following a comment , I thought I ‘d expand on this. It’s a big topic, so I’m going to cover the subject in a series of posts. There’s still a lot that isn’t known about calcium, bone health and preventing osteoporosis. While the public health messages are simple, “eat dairy for strong bones”, ...

Read more 10 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

I stuffed up during this week’s Q&A Thursday. I was asked what would happen if you lived on pasta – no sauce, no cheese, just pasta alone. In my answer I stated, this diet would leave you malnourished and would ultimately lead to death. I also said that, along with vitamin and mineral deficiencies, the individual would suffer from a protein deficiency . It’s this bit I’m wrong on. As one reader pointed out, pasta does contain some protein, enough …

Read more 30 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

Fiona asks: bq. Cow’s milk. Nutritionally beneficial? Or only beneficial for baby cows? While cow’s milk is sometimes painted as the nutritional equivalent of an anti-christ, I don’t have a problem with it, as long as you can tolerate it . h3. Nutritional breakdown Nutritionally, cow’s milk is made up of the following: * 87% water * 3.3% protein * 3.8% fat * 4.6% carbohydrate * No fibre And 100ml of milk also contains: * 120mg calcium * 158mg …

Read more 28 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

Following the news that bread-making flour is going to be fortified with folic acid, I thought it timely to look at what folate is and why we need it. h3. What is folate? Folate is one of the B vitamins, it’s B9 and in our bodies it’s used in the production of new cells and the replication of DNA. It also plays a part in the maintenance of existing cells, by assisting protein production. Folate is needed to make red …

Read more 26 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

Another question, this time about the use of seaweed to counter-balance radiation during cancer treatment bq. “I read Anne Marie Colbin’s book called ‘Food and Healing’ recently and I recall her saying that when she has x-rays, she goes home and makes a meal with a seaweed like arame or hijiki as a way of counter-balancing the radiation.” Seaweed contains the mineral iodine. It’s an important mineral to our health but, certainly here in Australia, it’s one of the …

Read more 21 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

Next on Q & A Thursday a classic vegetarian dilemma from Lucy – how do you know you’re having enough iron? The only way to 100 percent, guaranteed, know you’re getting enough iron, is to have a blood test. This will tell you if you’re anaemic and if low iron intake is the problem. It’s easy to get done and you’ll have the test results back within days. h3. Which foods contain iron Iron can be an issue for vegetarians. ...

Read more 31 May, 2007

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

Through a variety of circumstances and shopping errors I’ve ended up with over three dozen eggs in the house. They’re all lovely fresh and organic, but Richard is away and I’m thinking that’s a LOT of eggs to get though by myself. I HATE wasting food, so expect a few egg recipe posts over the next couple of weeks! Fortunately I’m a great admirer of the egg, they’re such a perfect little nutrition pack, easy to use and highly adaptable. ...

Read more 08 September, 2006

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

As promised, here is the recipe for my home-made muesli. h3. Why have muesli for breakfast? This muesli is a great way to start the day: * the combination of grains contain potassium, magnesium, iron, fibre and protein * the nuts and seeds add more protein, potassium and magnesium, as well as zinc, folate and Omega 3 essential fatty acids * the dried fruit provides iron, yet more potassium and fibre, while fruits like apricots and cranberries also add …

Read more 07 September, 2006

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

I realised after blogging about calcium losses in sweat I was so busy talking about the extra bit you need, I didn’t give the overall Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) . . . h3. The RDI of calcium Basically the new RDIs give a range of values for each nutrient, depending on age, sex and so on. For calcium that range is 1,000mg – 1,300mg per day. The higher second value is for men and women over 70 and females under …

Read more 18 August, 2006

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

I’m writing an article at the moment for Wellbeing magazine about the new Nutrient Reference Values released by the health department. A whole series of changes have been made – RDIs have gone up for some nutrients, down for others, for all different reasons. One that has increased is the RDI for calcium, because . . . we lose about 60mg of calcium every day in our sweat.  This simply wasn’t known when the old values were set. To add …

Read more 18 August, 2006

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

As you know, I love lycopene , heck I even named my blog after it, so of course I have to report on any lycopene discoveries or trivia that are out there. I read today that, according to the US Department of Agriculture, the lycopene content of watermelon is significantly increased if it’s stored at room temperature, by as much as 40%, so it’s a big difference. Personally, I love my watermelon straight from the fridge, on a hot, hot …

Read more 10 August, 2006

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

I have been talking today about folate – what it’s used for, why we need it, where we get it from and so on. My next article in Wellbeing magazine is also on folate. Folate is one of the B vitamins (B9), which we all need, it’s integral to DNA replication, cell growth and repair, as well as the formation of red blood cells. Folate is found in a wide variety of foods including lentils and legumes, green leafy vegetables, ...

Read more 11 July, 2006

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

I was recently asked the question – if I eat plenty of fruit, do I also need to eat vegetables? This is a common question and gets asked from both directions (ie also, I eat vegetables, do I need fruit?). The short answer is YES, you need both fruit and vegetables, sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear. h3. Why do fruit and vegies matter? Fruit and vegetables are important because they supply a vast array of nutrients …

Read more 03 July, 2006

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

I have a complex relationship with red cabbage. On one hand, it’s so pretty with it’s pinky/purpley leaves and shiny exterior, but I find raw red cabbage boring, a little too “healthy” tasting and I never know quite what to do with it. Oh I’ve done the braised with apple thang and that’s okay, but I just don’t get excited about it. About once a month, during the season, it appears in my organic vegie delivery. Surrounded by all …

Read more 26 June, 2006

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

We eat food for many reasons: to keep us alive; for energy; for comfort and reassurance; as part of interacting with friends and family; because we enjoy it. However we also eat food because it provides us with nutrients. The old adage ‘we are what we eat’ is true, food supplies us with the building blocks that make up our bodies, as well as the fuel to run it and the ability to make the enzymes that catalyse the biochemical …

Read more 17 June, 2006

Posted by kathryn in The Micronutrients

Lycopene and me, we go way back and I think it is my favourite antioxidant. Firstly it’s the word itself, I love the look of it, the sound of it, the way the word feels when you wrap your mouth around it, ly-co-pene. It’s one of the main reasons this blog is called “Limes and Lycopene”, I just love the word. But it’s not only that, lycopene is a strapping, robust, no nonsense, no faffing about antioxidant. No prissy, princess-like …

Read more 09 June, 2006