As I was scrounging around the kitchen today I came to the conclusion that our bodies are highly optimized for detecting, seeking out and consuming fats and oils. We love them! Consider the following two choices:
A
bowl of pasta, canned tomatoes, and brown sugar, heated.
A bowl of
pasta, canned tomatoes, brown sugar and olive oil, heated.
For me, the first makes me go… blah. And the second makes me go…. hmmm could be good. Add a bit of salt and some oregano and you’re all set.
When I think about these things, I also think- our bodies can’t really be that stupid. Which is why this article made me very happy. According to the article, some researchers discovered that your body has a very hard time absorbing certain nutrients, like beta-carotene, unless you eat the foods containing these nutrients at the same time as eating some fat. More precisely:
“Researchers say this study shows
that the minimum amount of fat required for optimal absorption of these
nutrients from the salads is more than 6 grams of added fat. But because
salads are often consumed with other items that contain fat, the use of a
reduced-fat salad dressing may still allow the body to reap the maximum
nutritional benefits of fresh vegetables.” Of course, they had to add that
extra bit in there so people didn’t just go crazy with the dressing, but
still, I say- bring on the dip!
posted at 14:50 on Fri, 17 Sep, 2004 |
path: /living
All material copyrighted by Jen Schellinck. All rights reserved.