Bioavailability is the proportion of a nutrient the human body is able to absorb and use. You might think that when you eat an apple every iota of vitamin A, every antioxidant, and every mineral it contains is used by your body with total efficiency, but that’s not exactly the case.[1] (more…)
Fats are a highly varied macronutrient group, and they're present in both animal and plant-derived foods. At nine calories per gram, fat is the most dense source of calories required by the human body.[1] However, not all fats are created equally and it’s crucial to pay attention to which types of fat you include in your diet.[2] Some fats are healthy, some are fairly neutral, while others are actively detrimental to your health. (more…)
The hemicellulase enzyme breaks down hemicellulose, which is a type of cellulose and a key component of the cell wall in all plants. Different forms of plant hemicellulose include glucans, galactans, xylans, mannans and pentosans. Common fiber-rich breakfast cereals, for example, have a large amount of hemicelluloses (2 to 12%). Hemicellulase is needed to break down these fiber-rich components, and because it is not produced naturally in the human body, we rely on microorganisms that live in the human digestive tract to produce it for us. (more…)
