Food Chemistry
Food food food food food
I like my breakfast. I still have oatmeal a lot of the time, and I have discovered a new delicious way to enjoy it. For the greater part of last year I had plain oatmeal sweetened with apple sauce and this year I have started adding blueberries to either banana or applesauce. It's yummy and blue berries are very high in antioxidants and such.
This semester again I have the pleasure of learning about food in one of my classes. Instead focusing on the public and environmental health concerns surrounding food I am learning about the chemistry of it. Totally fascinating. Last week we discussed minerals (micronutrients), we got info on what each of the main ones helped and what symptoms result from deficiencies in them. There are macrominerals of which we have more than 100mg of (sometimes up to kg's depending on mineral), microminerals we have 25-30g, and trace minerals which well we only have traces of.
Here are some interesting ones:
Calcium - components of bones and teeth, helps in the fertilization, muscle contraction, ATP synthesis, and nerve transmissions. Excess can lead to kidney stones. ouch
Potassium - electrolyte balance, protein synthesis, components of enzymes, and transmits nerve impulses
a deficiency of K can lead to heart attacks, too much of it can lead to bloating/ water retention
Iron - makes up hemoglobin (red blood cells and oxygen transport) and myoglobin which makes muscles contract. Too much of it can lead to fatigue, dizzyness.
Zinc - important in the growth (especially in children), component of insulin, and the utilization of vitamin A
if there is an excess of zinc, the body can't take up iron and will synthesize (excess) cholesterol
It's crazy how complex the body is and what it needs and how it reacts to both excess and deficiencies in these minerals. Another fun fact.... foods that are high in iron are 1.Liver - which is quite yucky and can be toxic because well the liver is like the body's sewage treatment facility and will filter out anything that shouldn't be there. So unless you know where the animal was raised and what it was fed (ie. organic only) I think it's not the best idea to eat liver. Also, it's gross. On the plus side, spinach is also very high in iron :) and I love spinach. I had some about half an hour ago. Yay iron.
next week we will cover vitamins
I like my breakfast. I still have oatmeal a lot of the time, and I have discovered a new delicious way to enjoy it. For the greater part of last year I had plain oatmeal sweetened with apple sauce and this year I have started adding blueberries to either banana or applesauce. It's yummy and blue berries are very high in antioxidants and such.
This semester again I have the pleasure of learning about food in one of my classes. Instead focusing on the public and environmental health concerns surrounding food I am learning about the chemistry of it. Totally fascinating. Last week we discussed minerals (micronutrients), we got info on what each of the main ones helped and what symptoms result from deficiencies in them. There are macrominerals of which we have more than 100mg of (sometimes up to kg's depending on mineral), microminerals we have 25-30g, and trace minerals which well we only have traces of.
Here are some interesting ones:
Calcium - components of bones and teeth, helps in the fertilization, muscle contraction, ATP synthesis, and nerve transmissions. Excess can lead to kidney stones. ouch
Potassium - electrolyte balance, protein synthesis, components of enzymes, and transmits nerve impulses
a deficiency of K can lead to heart attacks, too much of it can lead to bloating/ water retention
Iron - makes up hemoglobin (red blood cells and oxygen transport) and myoglobin which makes muscles contract. Too much of it can lead to fatigue, dizzyness.
Zinc - important in the growth (especially in children), component of insulin, and the utilization of vitamin A
if there is an excess of zinc, the body can't take up iron and will synthesize (excess) cholesterol
It's crazy how complex the body is and what it needs and how it reacts to both excess and deficiencies in these minerals. Another fun fact.... foods that are high in iron are 1.Liver - which is quite yucky and can be toxic because well the liver is like the body's sewage treatment facility and will filter out anything that shouldn't be there. So unless you know where the animal was raised and what it was fed (ie. organic only) I think it's not the best idea to eat liver. Also, it's gross. On the plus side, spinach is also very high in iron :) and I love spinach. I had some about half an hour ago. Yay iron.
next week we will cover vitamins