Zinc has been known for its medicinal qualities over the ages, as ancient Greek medical texts mentioned that zinc oxide was used in ointments to heal wounds.  Zinc oxide is still today a common over-the-counter skin treatment.  Historically, it was reported in 1869 that zinc was essential for the growth of microorganisms, in 1926 zinc was recognized as a growth factor for plants, and in 1958 zinc was shown to be essential for the growth of poultry.  It was only in 1963 that human studies established for the first time that dietary zinc is essential for human health. Zinc is one of the trace minerals that forms part of the micronutrients that our bodies need from our food to stay

“Life is like an onion.  You peel it off one layer at a time.  And sometimes you weep.” This piece of wisdom comes from the American poet Carl Sandburg.  There is however much more to an onion than having layers and bringing tears to your eyes.  Apart from adding abundant flavor to a wide variety of food and being low in calories with no fat or cholesterol, onions contain important nutrients and claimed to provide many health benefits. Characteristics of onions: Onions have been around since ancient times and are not often in the spotlight as a trendy “superfood”, due to its pungent odour and taste, not to mention the after effect of “onion breath”.  (Eating parsley helps to get

The idea of showing food groups in the form of a pyramid paints a clear picture – eat more of the foods listed at the widest part at the bottom of the pyramid and eat less of the foods listed at the narrow top apex. The food pyramid is a visual guide that represents dietary recommendations.  It originated in the USA in 1992 as a helpful guide by the Department of Agriculture to be used by parents, teachers, and dietitians to ensure that the illustrated six food groups result in proper and balanced diets, as viewed at the time.  When the original food pyramid was published, the dietary thinking then was low fat and high carbohydrates.  Foods such as bread,

Flavor of the month diets seems to come and go, with social media trending specific foods to eat, or avoid altogether.  Lately claims have been doing the rounds that vegetables in the nightshade family, such as tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and potatoes, are bad for you and should be avoided.  From gluten free, to diary free, to all-meat, to no meat, it is not easy to decide which foods to put on your personal watch list.  Should nightshades be added to your watch list? What are nightshades? Both edible and non-edible nightshade plants are part of the Solanaceae botanical family with more than 2 000 different species.  The main edible members of the nightshade family are: Tomatoes. Potatoes (but not sweet

Trending diets seem to come and go, with the latest fad diet becoming flavour of the month.  One of these trending diets is the carnivore diet, also known as the all-meat diet. True to its name, the carnivore diet implies that you only eat meat and other animal products for every meal.  For those who love to eat meat, the carnivore diet seems to be just the ticket, as you only eat meat, fish, eggs, and some other animal products.  Aiming for zero carbs per day, even fruit and vegetables are excluded. The carnivore diet originated from the controversial belief that our ancestors ate mostly meat and fish, and that the modern high-carb diets result in today’s high rates of

Proteins are the building blocks of life and every cell in your body contains protein.  Protein is the glue that holds each cell in the body together, from your hair to your toenails, from your muscles and organs to the bones in your body.  You need protein in your diet to assist your body to repair cells and make new ones.  It is important to get enough protein in your daily diet, as the body doesn’t store it the way it stores carbohydrates or fats. What is protein? Protein is an essential macronutrient and is made from basic building blocks called amino acids.  Put differently, proteins are macromolecules composed of amino acid subunits.  The body needs 20 different amino acids