Before I completely forget it: Happy Anniversary to Eating Fabulous! It’s been a year since this blog has been launched!

There were two phases when I regularly took Calcium supplements: during pregnancy, and just last year, as a final effort to stock up calcium in my bones, hoping it wasn’t too late yet. Without wanting to reveal my age here, I’m at that point where they say the bones no longer absorb much, or rather, not much of the calcium I take in gets deposited in the bones any longer.
However, reading that even the elderly can benefit from taking calcium pills daily indicates that mine is not yet a lost case. Based on the data from 29 studies from …read more

I am fascinated by functional foods, more popularly known as “superfoods”, and their ability to help the body fight diseases. Having been a scientist in my past life (haha!), I am amazed at the number of scientific studies that show how certain foods are not merely for satisfying hunger, but also as tools to a healthy lifestyle. But I’m no nutritionist. I’m not a dietician. Therefore, when it comes to specific diet/nutrition advice, I’m of no use.

A reader of this blog pointed out the Bitwine’s Nutrition Advisors’ Network, which features licensed dieticians available 24/7 to provide professional consultation for a …read more

Anthocyanins, the compounds responsible for the rich dark colors of grapes, radishes, purple carrots and bilberries have been reported to significantly slow the growth of colon cancer cells by 50 to 80% in studies on laboratory models of human colon cancer cells. According to the article (emphasis mine):

Pigments from purple corn and chokeberries (almost black berries from shurbs native to North America) not only stopped the growth of cancer cells, but also killed roughly 20 per cent of the cancer cells while having little effect on healthy cells.
Extract derived from purple corn was the most potent, in that it took …read more

In most cases, the “super” in so-called superfoods are due to their high antioxidant content. These antioxidants have been documented to help fight cancer, heart disease, aging and degenerative diseases, and many other ailments.
But the main challenge for many is to incorporate these healthy foods into their daily diet. Eating Well magazine has a collection of a dozen recipes for healthy, colorful, antioxidant-packed meals. The menus are categorized based on the main pigment, and thus the primary antioxidant flavonoid present. Click to see the recipes for:

Quinoa & Smoked Tofu Salad
Strawberry Bruschetta
Sugar Snap Pea & Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad
Watermelon Gazpacho
Watermelon …read more

Vitamin K seems to be a multitasking vitamin. By influencing the secondary modification of osteocalcin, a protein needed to bind calcium to the bone matrix, vitamin K promotes bone health and prevent osteoporosis. It has also been previously shown to help promote cardiovascular health by preventing arterial calcification.
In a new study published in Cell, osteocalcin appears play a role in glucose metabolism by regulating the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas and release it into the bloodstream. Thus they study shows that osteocalcin may play a role in the development of diabetes.
Since the formation of osteocalcin is dependent on …read more

Whenever I post about certain food items being good against certain maladies, I am always careful to emphasize that some studies are still on the early stages of research, often involving animal studies. While the results are promising and thus merit their being published in this blog, extensive, long-term human trials are necessary to conclusively say such and such food are good against so and so health problem.
Sadly, not all potential functional foods and nutraceuticals undergo the kind of rigorous testing required by the FDA to prove that they are indeed effective against a certain disease or not. Not only …read more

According to a new study published in the current issue of the Journal of Medicinal Foods, an anthocyanin-rich extract from Concord grapes (provided by Welch Foods Inc.) have breast cancer chemopreventive potential due in part to their capacity to block carcinogen–DNA adduct formation, modulate activities of carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, and suppress ROS in these noncancerous human breast cells. Whew, what a mouthful! For the short version, just read the title of this post.
Emphasis, however, is placed on the type of grapes. Concord grapes are what’s inside Welch’s Grape Juice–the purple, not the white, variety. According to Welch’s website, Welch’s 100% Grape …read more

Score another point for green tea. Aside from the growing number of health benefits of drinking tea that I’ve pointed out in the past, a preparation that consists of concentrated green tea catechins has also been found to boost the body’s production of enzymes believed to be crucial to the body’s production of detoxification enzymes. Polyphenon E, which contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in amounts equivalent to about 8-16 cups of green tea, increased the production of glutathione S-transferase group of enzymes.
GST enzymes are believed to be crucial to the body’s defense against cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins, according to the …read more

A reader sent me a tip about Men’s Health article titled “The 10 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating”, and while it was originally written with men in mind, I think the info is something we can all benefit from, gender aside. According to the article, here are ten of the healthiest foods (and what makes them superfoods) you should consider tossing in your shopping cart next time you head to the grocery:
1. Beets: “…one of the best sources of both folate and betaine. These two nutrients work together to lower your blood levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory compound that can …read more