I just came across of dubious food fact about bananas. The tryptophan in bananas has sleep-inducing properties. Therefore, if you eat a banana before going to bed it will help you sleep. Anyone who has suffered bouts of insomnia will not have to be told that this is highly unlikely, but what about turkey? Everyone […]
Food Science
Do Ripe Bananas Contain Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Making them an Anti-Cancer Food?
You may have seen a post floating around Facebook and other social media platforms (also Instagram) asserting the benefits of a fully ripe banana with dark patches on the skin. According to this message, it only takes one ripe banana a day to fight cancer! The message goes something like this: “According to the latest […]
Does Sugar Cause Your Kids to be Hyperactive?
Dad is enjoying a night out with the kids. Dad, Billy, and Joey scarf down some hamburgers and french fries, enjoy a kick-butt action movie (don’t tell mom) and, for the piece de resistance, they stop off at the ice cream parlor for some loaded hot fudge sundaes. Dad doesn’t know it, but he’s in […]
What Are Amino Acids?
Many people are confused about the difference between amino acids and proteins, especially in how these relate to nutrition and out biological processes. One of the first things to know is that the foods we eat contain proteins but these proteins are not themselves directly turned into other proteins. With a very few minor exceptions, […]
What is Lactose Intolerance?
What is Lactose? Lactose is the carbohydrate sugar naturally found in milk and milk products. Lactase is the enzyme needed to break down this sugar in the digestive tract. Lactase is secreted by the cells lining the small intestine. The enzyme breaks down lactose into two simpler forms of sugar called glucose and galactose, which […]
What Does it Mean to Denature a Protein?
What’s the Big Deal About Protein Denaturing? Raw foodies make a lot of noise about proteins being denatured by cooking and so losing their natural goodness. These ideas provide fodder for advertisers wishing to set their products apart in a busy marketplace. For example, whey protein supplements for athletes and bodybuilders represent a multi-billion dollar […]