Summary of Nutrition Class 15th April 2015

Many foods have antinutrients

Phytates and oxalates are examples of antinutrients.

Phytates prevent the absorption of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron.

Oxalates are found in spinach, brocolli, teas and quinoa. They prevent the absorption of calcium.

Other antinutrients prevent the absorption of proteins, iodine and so forth.

There is a lot of evidence that soaking for at least 16 hours removes antinutrients.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12017999

Note that antinutrients can be removed by cooking, germination, fermentation and soaking. Evidence is shown in the following paper.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11198165

Note that for spinach the best way to lower the oxalate concentration is to boil. Boiling seems to reduce the concentration by 87%.

http://www.calciumrichfoods.org/reducing-oxalic-acid-vegetables/



Germination is always a good idea

The following article shows that germinating mung bean sprouts allows for the antioxidant content to increase six times.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23088738

Sprouting improves the content of certain essential amino acids too.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2692609



Canned food is best avoided if possible due to BPA risks

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21598963

Health risks of BPA include reproductive disorders and hormone dependent cancers.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25813067



Healthy ways to eat sweet foods

Molasses contain the most amount of antioxidants of any sweet food, followed by brown sugar and honey, The least amount is contained in refined sugars and agave syrup.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19103324



Is coffee drinking good or bad?

Current thinking is that it is neutral - it seems to have some good benefits which need to be studied more mainly because of its antioxidant content. Even though the health benefits may weigh out the risks, it is not as important to focus on coffee drinking as it is to focus on having a healthy diet for example.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/coffee/

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/coffee-and-health/faq-20058339



Whole grain foods

' There is consistent epidemiological evidence that whole grain foods substantially lower the risk of chronic diseases such as CHD, diabetes, and cancer and also play a role in body weight management and digestive health'

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3078018/

Whole grain foods eaten regularly in the diet lower the incidence of cancer and heart disease. 'When a grain is refined, most of the bran and some of the germ is removed, resulting in losses of fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, trace minerals, unsaturated fat, and about 75 percent of the phytochemicals. Compared to refined grains, most whole grains provide more protein, fiber and other traditional nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, and potassium, in addition to many phytochemicals.'

http://www.foodinsight.org/Whole_Grains_Fact_Sheet

Whole grain foods include the bran, the germ and the endosperm of the plant. The endosperm which is the germ's food supply contains protein.