Salt has been added to foods for centuries – first as a preserving agent and then to add flavour. Many spoilage organisms have a low tolerance to salt, so using salt to preserve fish, meat and many canned goods is very common. Salt is the crystalline cube shaped product of two very toxic chemicals – sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl). Salt can come from mines or it can be produced by evaporating ocean water. In some countries iodine is added to table salt as away of preventing goiters that are caused by iodine deficiency. It is generally recognized that the majority of sodium chloride consumed is derived from amounts added during food processing and preparation, including in home preparation.

Salting Food

Health officials for some time have warned about the adverse effects of consuming too much salt. The most common link of salt to health is its apparent effect on blood pressure. An excessive intake of salt is believed to be related to the development of hypertension; the additional salt causes an increase in the blood plasma volume and a rise in blood pressure.

In some jurisdictions, salt has become the new target, especially when studies compare actual salt intake to recommended or suggested intakes. However, in Canada there appears to be some doubt. An article published in the Canadian Medical Association journal that reviewed all of the published data related to dietary salt and hypertension came to the following conclusions:

• Restriction of salt intake for the normotensive population is not recommended at present, because of insufficient evidence demonstrating that this would lead to a reduced incidence of hypertension
• To avoid excessive intake of salt, people should be counselled to choose foods low in salt (e.g., fresh fruits and vegetables), to avoid foods high in salt (e.g., pre-prepared foods), to refrain from adding salt at the table and minimize the amount of salt used in cooking, and to increase awareness of the salt content of food choices in restaurants.
• For hypertensive patients, particularly those over the age of 44 years, it is recommended that the intake of dietary sodium be moderately restricted, to a target range of 90-130 mmol per day (which corresponds to 3-7 g of salt per day).

It must be admitted that for some people, reduction of salt may beneficial. But for many who have normal blood pressures, there may not be any effect on blood pressure.

Read more Fodor JG, Whitmore B, Leenen F, Larochelle P Lifestyle modifications to prevent and control hypertension. 5. Recommendations on dietary salt. Canadian Hypertension Society, Canadian Coalition for High Blood Pressure Prevention and Control, Laboratory Centre for Disease Control at Health Canada, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 1999 May 4;160(9 Suppl):S29-34

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Vitamin D has recently been getting much attention as data is showing that this fat soluble vitamin may be involved in a variety of disease processes. An adequate supply of vitamin D is necessary for good bone development. People who are low in vitamin D may have increased risk of hypertension, diabetes and some (colorectal, breast, prostate) cancers; autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, or rheumatoid arthritis may also have a vitamin D component

The Dietary Reference Intakes on the Health Canada website recommends between 200 and 2000 IU/day. However, as a result of the recent studies on vitamin D status and health, nutritionists are starting to encourage intakes at the higher intake range. Vitamin D can build up to toxic levels in the body, so some caution is needed

Synthesis in the skin involves UVB radiation that converts 7-dehydrocholesterol to pre-vitamin D3. In the body, pre-vitamin D3 metabolised to 25-hydroxycholecalciferol or 25(OH)D3. The two most important factors that govern the generation of pre-vitamin D3 are the quantity (intensity) and quality (appropriate wavelength) of the UVB irradiation. The pigmentaton in your skin also affects the amount of Viamin D you can produce; people with light skin are able to absorb more Vitamin D producing sunlight, and therefore can produce more natural Vitamin D.

People who live in the northern latitudes, where the hours of sunlight are reduced in the winter season, need to be aware that they may not be producing adequate Vitamin D via skin exposure. Also, people who follow customs that require the covering of the entire body need to be aware that that their natural production of Vitamin D will be compromised.

There is no risk of producing an overdose of vitamin D by exposure to sunlight because the skin’s capacity to produce vitamin D is self-limiting – production stops when sufficient is produced.

Although some foods such as milk now contain added Vitamin D, there is mounting evidence that we require even higher levels to prevent a variety of diseases. In many cases, family doctors are recommending supplements to increase the intake of this important vitamin. But remember, Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin – it needs fat to be absorbed. Take your Vitamin D supplement with your meal.

1. Reference
2. Health Canada Vitamin D Dietary Reference Intake¹.

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The grocery store shelves are constantly being filled by new and different food products. Each year hundreds of new foods appear and disappear as food manufacturers try to offer the consumer a wider variety of food items. The trend to provide healthy foods adds to the number of new foods. Lately, pomegranate products have become more popular and visible, both on its own – as a juice – and as an ingredient in many other drink and foods.

De-Seed a
Pomergranate⁴

The pomegranate with the Latin name Punica Granatum has a long history. It is a plant that is native from Iran to the Himalayas and Northern India and today is cultivated in Middle East, southern Europe and California. Biblical scholars have suggested that it wasn’t with an apple that Eve tempted Adam, but was probably with a pomegranate. Perhaps, Eve was worried about Adam’s health.

So why are pomegranate products good to consume? Besides being relatively high in potassium, calcium, folate and vitamin K, pomegranate juice is also considered a good source of vitamin C. The vitamin C, plus other compounds found in pomegranate, are anti-oxidants. Together they give pomegranate antioxidant power that may be higher than blueberries, cranberries and red wine.

There is a great deal of interest in antioxidants, and consumers are being encouraged to include more sources of antioxidants in their diets. Research on the antioxidant properties of pomegranate and their potential effects on health is just beginning, but there are already encouraging findings that indicate the consumption of pomegranante juice may be useful to prevent LDL (so called “bad”) cholesterol from oxidizing, to improve the amount of oxygen getting to the heart muscle of patients with coronary heart disease, and to delay the development of certain tumours.

Foods that are good for health is a fast growing market sector and new products with new ingredients are appearing every day. Pomegranate joins this growing list; either alone or as an ingredient pomegranate juice will become more prominent in the grocery store shelves.

1. Further reading
2. Growing pomegranate -Purdue University².
3. Pomegranate recipes³.
4. Pomegranate Juice May Slow Prostate Cancer⁵.

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Walking down the vitamin / supplement aisle in the drug store is getting more and more challenging. Besides the traditional bottles of multi-vitamins, there are a myriad of new products, some familiar, some not. The arrival of these products in the stores often follows scientific studies that report new and exciting benefits for bioactive ingredients.

Glutathione has been known as an important cellular metabolite for some time; there is science to support this. But for the consumer, the most important question is how to increase the body’s glutathione levels.

At the cellular level in all tissues, glutathione acts as an antioxidant that helps defend cells from a variety of metabolic and environmental insults. It also plays an important part in gene expression, apoptosis or programmed cell death, and cell proliferation. Its pivotal role in cell metabolism, reproduction and health is demonstrated by the fact that glutathione has been implicated in a variety of pathological conditions including diabetes, cancer, AIDS, neurodegenerative and liver diseases.

Many people are therefore interested in increasing their glutathione levels. Taking a supplement containing glutathione appears to be a simple way of doing that. However, studies have shown that glutathione levels cannot be increased to a clinically beneficial extent by orally ingesting a single dose of glutathione. This is because glutathione is manufactured inside the cell, from several building block amino acids – glycine, glutamate and cystine. Cystine, in particular, is an important amino acid, because it is one of the few amino acids that contains an atom of sulfur. It is the SH in the glutathione molecule that gives glutathione its protective properties.

Consuming foods rich in sulphur-containing amino acids can help boost glutathione levels. Raw eggs, garlic and fresh unprocessed meats contain high levels of sulphur-containing amino acids and help to maintain optimal glutathione levels

1. Further reading
2. wikipedia¹.
3. Grapes turned on glutathione-regulating genes in the heart².
4. 3D Molecular Model³.

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Wheat is the main ingredient in a wide variety of foods including bread, pasta, noodles and breakfast cereals. Even though many grain products have “whole wheat” on the package, you may not be getting what you think. Milling processes and the improper use of the term “whole???? still cause much confusion.

Parts of the Kernel¹

A kernel of wheat contains three distinct parts – the outer bran layer which surrounds the endosperm and finally the germ. In many milling processes, only the endosperm is used to produce white flour. The bran is included in whole wheat flour, but often is removed to be added to animal and poultry feeds. The germ is often removed because of it contains fat; wheat germ is sold separately. To truly be “whole wheat”, the flour should contain endosperm, bran and germ in the same proportions that they are found in the raw grain. Because many whole wheat products on the market do not in fact contain wheat flour with the proper proportions of endosperm, germ and bran, the term “whole grain” has become more acceptable. The composition of whole grain flour and the raw grain are the same.

The endosperm, germ and bran in wheat are rich sources of a variety of nutrients. Wheat bran is a good source of dietary fibre in the form of cellulose. Fibre adds bulk to the diet, and contributes to gut health and regularity.

1. Reference
2. Canadian International Grains Institute².
3. Wheat Foods Council³.

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It seems like just about everything you buy these days has omega-3 in it. So what really is an omega-3?

Fat – like you see on the edge of a steak, or that accumulates around your waist – is made up of fatty acids. Fatty acids are molecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. One end of the fatty acid contains an acid group (-COOH) and the other end contains a methyl (-CH3) group. In between the acid group and the end methyl group, the carbon atoms can be joined by single or double bonds. If all the carbon bonds are single bonds, the fat is called saturated. Mono-unsaturates have one double bond. Poly-unsaturates have two or more double bonds.

The shorthand name for saturated fatty acids is straight forward. The number of carbon atoms in the molecule is indicated, followed by a colon and the number zero – no double bonds. For example palmitic acid is 16:0 (“sixteen zero”). There are 16 carbon atoms in palmitic acid, and no (zero) double bonds

For mono-unsaturated fatty acids, the number of carbon atoms in the molecule is again given, but the position of the one double bond also needs to be identified. Oleic acid is therefore referred to as 18:1?9 (“eighteen one omega 9”). There are 18 carbon atoms in the molecule; there is one double bond and it is located 9 carbon atoms from the methyl end of the molecule. In some fatty acids the double bond is located 6 carbons from the methyl group. These fatty acids are called ?6 (“omega six”) fatty acids. When the double bond is 3 carbon atoms from the methyl group, the fatty acid is an ?3 (omega three).

Some fatty acids contain more than one double bond. Linoleic acid has 18 carbons and 2 double bonds. The first double bond is 6 carbons from the methyl group and so is represented as 18:2 ?6 (“eighteen two omega six”).

Eicosapentanoic acid (EPA), 20:5 ?3 (“twenty with five omega three”) has twenty carbon atoms and 5 double bonds, the first coming three carbons from the methyl group. Docosahexanoic acid (DHA) is 22:6 ?3

?-linolenic acid (ALA) – 18:3 ?3, EPA, and DHA are the most common omega three fatty acids that are found in foods. EPA and DHA can only be found in fish and algae. Flax oil is the best source of ALA

CH₃-CH₂-CH=CH-CH₂……..COOH an ?3 fatty acid

CH₃-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂-CH=CH-CH₂……..COOH an ?6 fatty acid

CH₃-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂-CH=CH-CH₂……..COOH an ?9 fatty acid§

1. Suggested reading
2. wikipedia¹.

Other articles on Omega 3
In the press articles on Omega 3²

It is commonly believed that spices were added to foods before refrigeration and other forms of preservation became common, as a way of masking the taste of foods that had started to spoil. Many voyages of discovery were undertaken to find sources of these valuable plants and herbs.

MedilinePlus⁴

Ginger [Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae)] is well known in many tropical countries, both for its taste enhancing properties and also as a traditional medicine. It is the ginger tuber that is used by cooks around the world to add that distinctive taste to food.

Ginger is a low-growing tropical plant which is easily grown indoors. A small piece of a mature ginger root can be used to start a new plant. Once it is placed in a pot with good potting soil, the pot should be kept warm and constantly moist during the growing season, since ginger naturally often grows in wet, almost marshy, conditions.

Traditionally ginger has been used to help relieve digestive upset/disturbances including lack of appetite, nausea, digestive spasms, indigestion, dyspepsia and flatulent colic (carminative) as well as an expectorant and anti-tussive to help relieve bronchitis as well as coughs and colds.

Ginger contains several nonvolatile pungent principles namely gingerols, shogaols, paradols and zingerone, which contribute to its taste and which account for many of its reported beneficial health effects. Studies conducted in cultured cells as well as in experimental animals revealed that these pungent phenolics found in ginger possess anticarcinogenic properties.

So, some spices not only make your food taste good, they also are good for your health.

Chemical Structure of Gingerol3D¹

1. Reference
2. Kundu JK, Na HK, Surh YJ. 2009. Ginger-derived phenolic substances with cancer preventive and therapeutic potential. Forum Nutr. 61:182-92².

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In the press articles on ginger³

There is a great deal of interest especially for women in increasing calcium intake as a way of preventing osteoporosis. Genetics and lack of physical activity are risk factors, and dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D are also important factors in the prevalence of this chronic disease that thins and weakens the bones in the body. Broken bones, particularly the pelvis and the long bones in the legs, are common in older women with osteoporosis.

Many foods are rich in calcium including dairy products – milk (skim milk, 1%, 2%, or whole milk), cheese, yogurt, kefir etc. However, these foods are often avoided because of their fat content, and concerns about lactose digestion. Some calcium-fortified soy beverages and orange juices, lentils and beans are also good sources of calcium. Because in some cases doctors are recommending calcium intakes that many people cannot achieve through changes in their diet, consumers are turning to calcium supplements.

Pure calcium (elemental symbol Ca) is a metal. Pure calcium is not absorbed by the body. The calcium we consume is in the form of a calcium salt – a molecule that contains one or more calcium atoms together with a carbohydrate. The common forms of calcium supplements are calcium carbonate – CaCO₃ ; calcium citrate – Ca₃(C₆H₅O₇)₂ ; calcium lactate – C₆H₁₀CaO₆ ; and calcium gluconate – C₁₂H₂₂CaO₁₄. Remembering some basic chemistry, it is easy to see that not all these sources of calcium contain the same amount of calcium. One molecule of calcium citrate provides three molecules of calcium, while the other sources provide only one molecule. But the molecular weight of calcium carbonate is less than calcium citrate. So… it gets complicated.

The easiest way to tell which calcium supplement is providing the amount of calcium you want, is to compare the amount of “elemental calcium” each pill or capsule provides. Read the label carefully.

It is now recommended that adults get 1000-1500 mg of elemental calcium a day. That’s quite a bit, especially if you do not eat a lot of dairy products. Calcium supplements come in various doses, and because the calcium is often a very small part of the chemical form that is in the supplement, some of the pills can be quite large.

The absorption of calcium is influenced by conditions within the lumen of the small intestine. The acid secreted in the stomach aids in the digestion of calcium, but calcium is absorbed primarily in the duodenum part of the small intestine. Vitamin D is needed to help the absorption of calcium through the intestinal wall. Low vitamin D levels can lead to insufficient calcium being absorbed, even if there is enough calcium in the diet. Many supplements contain both vitamin D and calcium.

A varied diet provides most of us with the types and amounts of nutrients we need to grow and be healthy. However, in some cases, taking a supplement can ensure we are getting adequate levels of specific nutrients.

1. More information of osteoporosis and calcium:
2. Osteoporosis Canada¹
3. International Osteoporosis Foundation²
4. University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension³

Other articles on Osteoporosis §

In the press articles on osteoporosis⁴

If you take two highly toxic chemical elements – sodium (chemical symbol Na) and chlorine (chemical symbol Cl) and combine them, you get NaCl, or common table salt. NaCl is something that we can’t live without. However, it seems that most of us are getting too much of this white powder. Campaigns to reduce the salt or the sodium in your diet are now becoming popular

Human blood has a salt content of about 0.9%. Although our bodies cannot function without salt, our daily requirement falls within a narrow range

It is the salt in your blood that helps control blood pressure. As the amount of sodium from salt in your blood increases, the blood volume increases because sodium attracts and retains water. Your heart then has to work harder to move the increased volume of blood through your blood vessels. This creates increased strain on the arteries and high blood pressure. There is mounting evidence that shows there is a direct relationship between excess salt in the diet and the incidence of heart disease and strokes.

It has been noted that the salt content of our foods has been increasing over the years. Many food manufacturers say they have added salt to their product to enhance the taste in response to consumer demands. However, some health and advocacy groups suggest that consumers have developed an unhealthy craving for the salt because of the unregulated addition of salt by so many food manufacturers.

According to some estimates, North American consumers are getting three to four times as much salt per day as they need; the average Canadian consumes about 3400 mg of Na /day in the form of NaCl. Even if you don’t have a salt shaker on your dinner table, you could be still be getting too much salt. Every food contains some salt. Salt is added to many processed foods for taste, and in some cases it serves as a preservative. Even foods that you would not expect to have salt in them can be major sources of salt. Bread, processed meats, processed vegetables and tomatoes and vegetable juices are the major sources of salt in our diets.

Checking the nutrition facts panel on most processed foods is a good place to start to see how much “hidden” salt you are eating. Food composition tables often provide sodium levels; so when checking composition tables or recommended daily intake statements it is necessary to understand whether the recommendation is for salt (sodium chloride) or for just sodium.

Today there are many types of salt being sold. The traditional white table salt is now competing with expensive sea salts that come in many colours. The colour of sea salt is due to minor impurities such as minerals, so the health concerns about table salt also apply to sea salt.

It is believed that reducing salt in the diet is the most cost effective way of reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease. Cutting down on salt is an easy way to improve your health.

1. Reference
2. Get excess salt out of our diet CMAJ¹.
3. Salt intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease: meta-analysis of prospective studies BMJ².
4. Compelling Evidence for Public Health Action to Reduce Salt Intake NEJM³.

Other articles on salt §

Of the taste sensations that we experience – sour, salty, sweet, and bitter, sweet is perhaps the one that is associated most often with pleasure. Many of us have a “sweet tooth” that influences our food choices. But even our taste buds can be fooled.

Sucrose, or common table sugar, is the most familiar source of sweetness in our diet. Sucrose is in many recipes or lists of ingredients, or it can just be added at the table to foods or beverages. Sucrose that comes from sugar cane or sugar beet is called a disaccharide and is composed of two simple sugars – glucose and fructose. However, there are other compounds, not closely related to sucrose, that can also produce a sweet taste

One source of sweetness is the stevia plant. Stevia¹ (S. rebaudiana), is a South American plant that is a member of the Compositae family – the plant family that also includes sunflower. Stevia leaves can be extracted to produce, sweet crystalline diterpene glycosides called steviosides. Steviosides can be 200-300 times sweeter than sucrose, and in addition, steviosides have a caloric value of zero, making them very popular with dieters. Steviosides are non-fermentable, non-discolouring, maintain heat stability at 95 °C and have a long shelf life. Like traditional sugar, steviosides come in the form of a white powder that can easily be added to recipes or foods and beverages. Initial scientific studies have indicated that steviosides can regulate blood glucose levels, are safe for diabetics to consume, do not cause cancer, and can be used to lower hypertension.

The United States Food and Drug Administration have stated that they have no objections to a stevioside being used as a general purpose sweetener. In Canada stevia is an ingredient in several natural health products.

Chemical Structure of Stevioside

¹

1. A Scientific Review of Steviosides
2. Chatsudthipong V, Muanprasat C.(2009). Stevioside and related compounds: therapeutic benefits beyond sweetness. . Pharmacol Ther. Jan;121(1):41-54².
3. Stevia FAQ³.

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