More often than not, nutrition news focuses on the health benefits of single foods: for instance, eating broccoli may help protect against cancer. But what we are frequently not told is how some foods make better partners than others. Lisa Patient writes
A cup of tea and a biscuit is one of life’s simple pleasures, but there are reasons why this pairing can be so satisfying. Fluids do help us soften food for swallowing, but there is also an interaction between the astringent tea and the fat in the biscuit. Research shows that combining astringent drinks and foods such as tea, wine or pickles with fatty foods reduces our perception of how fatty the food is. So, think of pickle with cheese or red wine with steak. Likewise, the fat in the food reduces the astringency of the combined food or drink. This means that red wine can taste smoother when accompanied with cheese, making the combination very moreish1 — nature can be very cruel indeed! (Although, the combination of equal fat and sugar, which works so deliciously in cakes, is not found in nature.)
However, whilst some food partnerships can make us eat more, others can be helpful, making a big difference to the nutrients that we actually absorb.
COMBINATIONS THAT HELP
• One feel-good combo that may help improve our mood is carbohydrate and protein, enabling better uptake of the amino acid tryptophan. Found in protein rich foods such as chicken, fish, dairy, soya, nuts and eggs, tryptophan is used by the brain to make the neurotransmitter serotonin, which helps mood and sleep.
To do its work, tryptophan has to cross a physical and chemical layer called the blood brain barrier, which is there to protect the brain from unwanted nutrients and toxins. However, it has to compete with all the other amino acids found in protein that are also trying to reach the brain. The solution to this is to eat carbohydrates with tryptophanrich foods. The carbohydrates cause the release of insulin, which lowers the levels of other amino acids in the blood except tryptophan, reducing the competition at the blood brain barrier and allowing more tryptophan to cross over.²
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Summer 2017-Ausgabe von Optimum Nutrition.
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Summer Of
Summer is when we want to be out and about, as the warm embrace of the sofa on a cold winter’s night becomes a distant memory. So where do you go when the brain is willing but the body just can’t cut it at the same level of performance that it managed decades ago? Graeme Wilcockson reviews a few ways to satisfy those competitive weekend instincts that will tax both mind and body — yet leave you able to move on Monday morning
Common Kitchen Practices Making Us Sick
Every year, thousands of us fall sick from food poisoning because of how we have handled food. Louise Scodie and Louise Wates look at common ways in which we are going wrong
Could Antioxidants Save Our Bacan?
Nitrates and nitrites have long been linked to cancer. We look at how they are part of a chain reaction that may not always be harmful to human health... So what’s the case with bacon?
Eat For A Glow That Is More Than Skin Deep
Now that summer is here, it’s time to peel off the layers and make some vitamin D. But if your skin isn’t as peachy as you would like, or if you are worried about staying safe in the sun, find out how good nutrition may support your skin’s health. Maggie Charlesworth writes
Natural Beauty
If headlines about microbeads from cosmetics polluting our seas have got you wondering how you can do your bit for the environment, try using nature’s harvest to feed your skin. Hannah Maryse Robinson writes
A Summer Selection Of Goods And Goodies
Lazy Vegan frozen Chunky Pulled Peaz is a gluten-free, plant-based protein source suitable for vegans and — with a substantial texture — flexitarians.
Do Something Different
As many of us are concerned about keeping our brains active, Ellie Smith investigates whether trying something completely new could boost both our brain health and mental wellbeing
Lifting Weights, Lifting Confidence
When Bianca Mills was bullied at school she could not have dreamt that she would be able to speak in front of a group of women, let alone coach them in lifting free weights. She told Louise Wates why she believes buddying-up is just as important as physical strength for fostering confidence
Teaching Children How To Forage
Catherine Morgan finds out how foraging can teach children (and adults) about more than nature’s store cupboard, and can foster an understanding of and respect for the environment.
Keep Calm And Curry On
In August, India celebrates the anniversary of Indian Independence, yet the Anglo-Indian community, a legacy of the British Raj with its roots in European and Indian ancestry, still treads the cultural line between both communities. Jenny Mallin, author of A Grandmother’s Legacy, tells us about the fusion food in her family and recipes passed down through the generations
