Milk Alternatives There are many reasons why an individual might choose to consume an alternative beverage to milk. These can include lactose intolerance, ethical objections to consuming milk, a milk allergy, or simply a preference for the taste of these innovative beverages. Lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolize lactose, a sugar found in milk [...]
Goodness of Milk & Lactose Intolerance This article discusses the benefits of milk as well as its challenges such as lactose intolerance. There is nothing like our mother’s milk to sustain us for the first year of life and beyond. Rich in vitamins, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and other essential nutrients, milk is the perfect food [...]
Glycemic Index and Diet Recently, there has been a lot of chatter about the glycemic index and the possible health benefits of including foods ranked low on the glycemic index into your diet. Here we will take a closer look at the glycemic index and discuss why you might not want to make food choices [...]
What is Glutamine? Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and is involved in more metabolic processes than any other amino acid. When the body does not have a readily available source of glucose, the body converts glutamine into glucose. Glutamine serves as a source of fuel for the cells lining the [...]
Functional Foods: Dietitian Q&A Over the past few years, I’ve heard more and more about functional foods and noticed products on the grocery store shelf making claims about improving health. I have read some information on the topic, but I find it confusing and a bit overwhelming. Can you tell me what a functional food [...]
Folic Acid Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin belonging to the B-complex group of vitamins. These vitamins help the body break down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars to be used for energy. The roles of folic acid include maintenance of healthy pregnancy, bones, hair, red blood cells, nervous system, digestion, immune systems, protein metabolism, and [...]
Dietary Fibre Q & A Fibre, in a nutshell (pardon the pun), is generally any plant material that the body cannot digest and use. Although our gastrointestinal secretions and enzymes cannot break down the fibre, given the right colonic microflora (bacteria, yeasts), our body can still derive some nutritive benefit from it. For example, some [...]
Add Spice to your Life Cayenne Pepper Go ahead. Shake that cayenne pepper all over you meal! Researchers in New Orleans have discovered that it can kill fungus and bacteria and may also have other health benefits. From just one pound of cayenne peppers, 500 milligrams of a new substance, called CAY-1 was prepared and [...]
Yeast and Mould Allergy Yeasts and moulds are minuscule single celled fungi. They belong to the same biological group as mushrooms, but are smaller. Mould colonies are often seen growing on the surface of moist foods such as bread, jam, and cheese. Yeasts (Saccharomyces species) are used in food production to ferment the nutrient source [...]
Oxalate Stones What is Oxalate? Oxalate is an end product of metabolism and is normally excreted from the body after it is formed. It is derived from dietary sources (e.g. spinach), vitamin C metabolism, and synthesis within the body. Although most of oxalate comes from its formation in the body (50%), 10-15% is derived from [...]
