Dietary bioavailability of zinc is higher from animal food sources compared to plant food sources

This post includes a synopsis of a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition (2011), 106: 237-242 and a recipe for portobello burger.

Study title and authors:
Relationships of maternal zinc intake from animal foods with fetal growth
Yo A. Lee, Ji-Yun Hwang, Hyesook Kim, Eun-Hee Ha, Hyesook Park, Mina Ha, Yangho Kim, Yun-Chul Hong and Namsoo Chang
Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management, Ewha Womans University, 11-1 Daehyun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-750, Republic of Korea

This study can be accessed at: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8307850

Books:

Lee notes that zinc is an essential element for human growth and the nutritional adequacy of dietary zinc depends not only on the total zinc intake, but also on the type of food source (i.e. of plant or animal origin).

The study investigated the association between maternal dietary zinc intake from animal and plant food sources and fetal growth in 918 pregnant women at 12–28 weeks of gestation.

The study found:
(a) High maternal zinc intake from animal food sources relative to total zinc intake was associated with higher birth weight.
(b) High maternal zinc intake from plant food sources relative to total zinc intake was associated with lower birth height.
(c) A high maternal phytate/zinc diet ratio was associated with lower birth weight.

To conclude: Dietary bioavailability of zinc is higher from animal food sources compared to plant food sources.

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Recipe of the day

Portobello Burger

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients for the hamburgers:

Food Mall: Ground Beef

Makes 6 to 8 patties

•3lbs of ground beef (not too lean if you want a very flavorful patty);
•3 eggs;
•2 cloves garlic, minced;
•Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Ingredients for the portobello mushrooms:
•6-8 large Portabello mushroons;
•A few tablespoons of olive oil (the amount will depend on how large your mushrooms are, so start with a little and add more as needed);
•2 cloves garlic, minced;
•Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation for the hamburgers:
1.Place the ground beef in a large bowl and add the eggs. Combine until the eggs are evenly mixed through.

2.Mix in the garlic and season with salt and pepper.

3.Form 6 to 8 patties that are slightly smaller than the mushroom caps so they can fit on top once cooked.

4.Place on a preheated grill and cook each side for about 5-7 minutes (the time it takes will depend on the temperature of your grill. I cooked them at medium-low for approximately this time).

Preparation for the portobello mushrooms:
1.Rinse the mushrooms and pat them dry.

2.Remove the mushroom stems. The reason for this is because you want your mushroom cap to take the form of the hamburger bun. Do not discard, they can be great for many other recipes, or you can grill them along with the caps.

3.Coat the caps in olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Do not let the oil penetrate for long, as you will notice the mushrooms will start to get soggy.

4.Place on the preheated grill and cook on each side for about 5-7 minutes.

Now all there is left to do is stack your patty on top of your mushroom and add any toppings you want.

Portobello Burger

Worldwide cause of iron deficiency is plant based diets

This post includes a synopsis of a study published in the Lancet Volume 370, Issue 9586, 11 August 2007, Pages 511-520 and a recipe for scrambled eggs.

Study title and authors:
Nutritional iron deficiency
Dr Michael B Zimmermann MDa, b, , and Richard F Hurrell PhDa                                     Books:

aLaboratory for Human Nutrition, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland

bDivision of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(07)61235-5/abstract

In this review of the literature Zimmermann found that Iron deficiency is one of the leading risk factors for disability and death worldwide and has substantial health and economic costs, including poor pregnancy outcome, impaired school performance, and decreased productivity.

Doctor Zimmermann discovered that the cause of this iron deficiency is monotonous plant-based diets which leads to low iron bioavailability.

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Recipe of the day

Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:

4 eggs                                                                                                                    Food Mall: Eggs

4 tbsp single cream

salt
white pepper
butter
2 tsp chopped chives
2 tsp chopped parsley.

Instructions:
Break the eggs into a bowl, add the cream and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk with a fork until mixed.

Melt about 1 ounce (28g) of butter in a small saucepan. Add the egg mixture and cook gently, stirring constantly, until the eggs begin to set, but are not fully set. Use a low light or lift the pan occasionally.

While the eggs are setting but still creamy, stir in the chives and parsley.

Serve immediately.

Iron bioavailability is significantly greater from animal based sources

This post includes a synopsis on a study published in the Journal of Nutrition December 1, 2010 vol. 140 no. 12 2162-2166 and a recipe for Moroccan chicken salad.

Study title and authors:
Utilization of Iron from an Animal-Based Iron Source Is Greater Than That of Ferrous Sulfate in Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women1,2,3
Melissa F. Young4, Ian Griffin5, Eva Pressman6, Allison W. McIntyre6, Elizabeth Cooper6, Thomas McNanley6, Z. Leah Harris7, Mark Westerman8, and Kimberly O. O’Brien4                       Books:

4Cornell University, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Ithaca, NY 14853

5USDA/Agricultural Research Service Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
6The University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY 14642
7Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, Nashville, TN 37232
8Intrinsic LifeSciences, LLC, La Jolla, CA 92037

This study can be accessed at: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/140/12/2162.abstract

The objective of the study was to examine relative differences in heme (animal based) and nonheme (ferrous sulfate) iron bioavailabilty in pregnant and nonpregnant women.

Heme (animal based) iron bioavailabilty was significantly greater than nonheme (ferrous sulfate) iron bioavailabilty in both pregnant and nonpregnant women.

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Recipe of the day

Moroccan Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

For the Chicken                                                                                        Food Mall: Chicken Breast

◦1 ½ lbs. chicken breasts, cut into chunks

◦2 t paprika
◦1 t coriander
◦1 t cumin
◦½ t cinnamon
◦¼ t red pepper flakes
◦salt

For the tasty stuff that goes in the salad
◦2 heads romaine lettuce
◦4 small golden beets
◦1 small-to-medium butternut squash
◦toasted almonds
◦dried cherries (or cranberries–something tart will work best)

For the dressing
◦juice 1 lemon
◦juice 1 lime
◦½ avocado
◦1-2 T vinegar (champagne or cider)
◦¼ – ½ c avocado oil (olive oil will work too)
◦s&p

Method:
Preheat your oven to 400ºF.

Peel the beets and butternut squash (+remove the seeds). Chop into small pieces, salt/pepper and oil the pieces. Roast until the squash is soft, about 20 minutes (depending on how big the pieces are).

While the veggies are roasting…

In a large bowl, combine all the spices together. Toss the chicken pieces into the bowl and coat them evenly with the spice mixture. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat and saute the chicken until cooked through. Remove from the pan and add to the serving bowl.

Wash and chop the lettuce. Add it, along with the rest of the “tasty” ingredients to the serving bowl. Add the squash and beets too.

For the dressing…

Combine all ingredients into a small food processor and process until smooth. Of course, you could use a whisk and bowl, in lieu –just make sure you’ve smashed the avocado up before adding it to the dressing.

Cholesterol lowering diets and high fibre foods implicated in vitamin malabsorption

Published in the Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2002 Jan;72(1):53-9.

Influence of lifestyle on vitamin bioavailability.
van den Berg H, van der Gaag M, Hendriks H.
Dept. of Nutritional Physiology, TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute, P.O. Box 360, 3700 AJ, Zeist, The Netherlands. berg@vc.agro.nl

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11887754

Van den Berg found that fat-soluble vitamin absorption and vitamin bioavailability may be compromised by:
(a) cholesterol-lowering compounds (diets)
(b) unabsorbable fat substitutes
(c) certain vegetables (particularly raw)
(d) high fiber foods

AMAZON UK Fiber Menace
AMAZON USA Fiber Menace: The Truth About the Leading Role of Fiber in Diet Failure, Constipation, Hemorrhoids, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease, and Colon Cancer

Spinach inhibits calcium absorbability

Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 47, 707-709

Calcium absorbability from spinach
RP Heaney, CM Weaver and RR Recker
Department of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68178.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ajcn.org/content/47/4/707.abstract
 
The study revealed that people absorbed calcium much better from milk than spinach. 
 
Absorption of calcium from milk was 27.6% 
 
Absorption from spinach was 5.1%
 
The author concluded that the results conclusively establish that spinach calcium is much less readily available than milk calcium.

AMAZON UK Untold Story of Milk Revised
AMAZON USA The Untold Story of Milk, Revised and Updated: The History, Politics and Science of Nature's Perfect Food: Raw Milk from Pasture-Fed Cows