Monthly Archives: December 2022

Can Junk Food Be Healthy?

Junk food is difficult to categorise, but a general definition might be food which provides no nutritional benefit and which at the same time might provide detrimental effects. Clearly some junk foods are worse than others, as the detrimental effects … Continue reading

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Glucosamine: More than A joint Protector

Glucosamine is a compound that is found naturally in cartilage. Animals and humans can synthesise glucosamine, and once synthesised it is transported to the joints where it forms part of the system that protects the joints from friction and impact. … Continue reading

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Hawthorn Leaves as Anti-Inflammatories

Inflammation is a highly important and necessary reaction to cellular changes. The inflammatory response is a protective mechanism that is activated as a result of environmental or internal challenges to homeostasis, and which result in activation of a cascade of … Continue reading

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The Dangers of Dried Fruit

Fruit is considered a healthy food. Many fruits are high in sugar, and this can be a detrimental effect if they are overeaten. However, it is difficult to overeat most types of fruit because fruit contain a high water content … Continue reading

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The Colour of Plants

The colour seen in plants has a nutritional significance. The primary reason that plants produce pigments are firstly to attract pollinating insects, and secondly to act as pigments in the photosynthetic process. With regard to the former, perhaps some of … Continue reading

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The Balance of Cooking

Humans are the only organisms that deliberately cook their food for taste and nourishment reasons. Cooking can take many forms including boiling, roasting, grilling and microwaving. The psychology of cooking food is interesting as clearly there is some comfort derived … Continue reading

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Free Food: Berries

Autumn is a great time of the year to stock up on berries in the United Kingdom. Many varieties of plant that produce edible berries grow naturally in the British Isles and these can be collected in the autumn and … Continue reading

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Too little, Too Late?

The link between good nutrition and health is very well established from both the scientific literature and traditional medicine. Many foods have healing properties and some foods act as medicines. However, there is an inherent requirement for good health that … Continue reading

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Plant Sterols and the Central Nervous System

Plant sterols are chemically related to animal steroids and consist of a basic 4 ring structure. Plant sterols are synthesised by plants and some show good bioavailability in humans and animals. One of the most researched effects of plant sterols … Continue reading

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Compaction of Tablets: Questions About Absorption

Supplements are a useful way of obtaining nutrients that may be missing or that which are not normally present in the diet. Supplements come in a number of forms including powders, capsules, liquids and tablets. Tablets are perhaps the most … Continue reading

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