10 DEC 2013 by ideonexus
Vitamins Come from Living Things
Every vitamin is made by living cells — either our own, or in other species. Vitamin D is produced in our skin, for example, when sunlight strikes a precursor of cholesterol. A lemon tree makes vitamin C out of glucose. Making a vitamin is often an enormously baroque process. In some species, it takes 22 different proteins to craft a vitamin B12 molecule.
While a protein may be made up of thousands of atoms, a vitamin may be made up of just a few dozen. And yet, despite their small size, v...
1 They are part of our universal chemistry from our common origins.
21 JUL 2013 by ideonexus
People Who Take Supplements are Less Healthy
Antioxidation vs. oxidation has been billed as a contest between good and evil. The battle takes place in cellular organelles called mitochondria, where the body converts food to energy, a process that requires oxygen and so is called oxidation. One consequence of oxidation is the generation of electron scavengers called free radicals (evil). Free radicals can damage DNA, cell membranes, and the lining of arteries; not surprisingly, they've been linked to aging, cancer, and heart disease. To ... 1 
notes
notesPeople who eat lots of fruits and vegetables have lower incidence of cancer and other diseases, but people who take nutritional supplements meant containing high doses of the nutrients found in fruits in vegetables die at much higher rates.
04 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Ecological Approach to Nutrition
The interactions of man with his environment are so complex that only an ecological approach to nutrition permits an understanding of the whole spectrum of factors determining the nutritional problems that exist in human societies. 1 notes
notesBecause our interactions with our environments are so complex. Reminds me of Polan's comment that we have to stop looking at vitamins and nutrition in isolation from their foods.
08 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Make Your Plate Colorful
“Make your plate colorful,” she had advised, and the late-summer bounty makes that easy: into the cart go red tomatoes (full of beneficial carotenoids), orange yams (rich in vitamin A), and green spinach (lots of calcium and iron). Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colors, Michels had explained, ensures that you’re getting a full complement of micronutrients. Now I add a couple of avocados, full of B vitamins, plus potassium; a few bunches of broccoli, rich in ribof... 1 notes
notesA good survey of healthy foods to buy when pregnant.
