These five foods are only nutritious if consumed in large quantities
To survive, humans get nutrients from food. And we know that a balanced diet can make a healthy body .
Some people also see various foods as "medicine". They hope that when certain types of food are eaten will be able to prevent or treat certain conditions.
Indeed, some foods contain " bioactive compounds " - chemicals in the body that act to improve health. These types of foods are being widely studied in the prevention of cancer, heart disease, and other conditions.
However, even though the idea of food as a drug is interesting, this idea is still only selling headlines .
Usually, news about food as medicine tells the results of research on food concentration extracts in the laboratory. In real people, who eat real food, the effect will be different from the effect seen in petri dishes in the laboratory.
If we do the math, we need to eat certain foods in very large quantities to get the benefits. In some cases, this can actually endanger our health, not protect it.
These four types of food (and one drink) show the claim that food can cure diseases is not always true.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde compounds , which are claimed to help with weight loss and regulate appetite .
There is evidence that these compounds can reduce cholesterol in diabetics . But this is based on research that analyzes large doses of compounds - not just by eating a stick of cinnamon.
The above studies were successful by giving respondents between 1 and 6 grams (g) of cinnamaldehyde compounds per day. Cinnamon itself contains about 8% cinnamaldehyde by weight. So we have to eat at least 13 grams of cinnamon, or about half a jar per day.
So much more than we put in our round.
Red grape
The health benefits of red wine are commonly reported because of a chemical in grape skin called resveratrol . Resveratrol is a polyphenol compound that has antioxidant properties .
Many claims say that resveratrol protects our cells from damage and reduces the risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and heart disease.
There is a limited amount of evidence about resveratrol that shows resveratrol has a positive impact on animals . However, studies conducted in humans have not shown the same effect .
Depending on the type of wine, but red wine contains about 3 micrograms (about one third million per one gram) of resveratrol per bottle . Successful studies at least show the benefits of using resveratrol at least 0.1 g per day (or 100,000 micrograms).
To get that much resveratrol , one must drink around 200 bottles of wine a day. We all might agree that it's not healthy.
Blueberries
Blueberries , like red wine, are a source of resveratrol . With only a few micrograms per fruit, one must eat more than 10,000 fruits a day to get the right dose.
Blueberries also contain compounds called anthocyanins, or pigments that activate several markers of heart disease . But to activate this compound, we need to equalize 150-300 blueberries per day. This makes more sense, but this number is still quite a lot and will be very expensive.
Chocolate
News that dark chocolate lowers blood pressure is believed to be true. Theobromine , a chemical in chocolate has been shown to reduce blood pressure in doses of about 1 gram. If the dose is lower than that, it will not be effective. Depending on the type of chocolate, we need to eat 100 grams of dark chocolate to achieve this dose.
Chocolate, including 'junk food' that does not provide the nutrients needed by the human body or. The recommended food for this type of food is no more than 600 kilojoules per day, or 25 grams of chocolate. Eating 100 grams of chocolate is equivalent to more than 2,000 kilojoules.
Excess consumption of kilojoules can cause weight gain. Being overweight increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. So, this risk is likely to eliminate the benefits of eating chocolate which is claimed to reduce your blood pressure.
Turmeric
Turmeric is a favorite condiment that is often used to make curry. Many people talk about the efficacy of curcumin , the main active ingredient in turmeric, for healing.
Curcumin refers to a group of compounds called curcuminoids and may have several health benefits, such as reducing inflammation. Inflammation helps us fight infections and respond to wounds, but too much inflammation will cause problems in diseases such as arthritis , and may be related to other conditions such as heart disease or stroke .
Human trials of curcumin do not look convincing . Most people who take curcumin supplements consume it in doses, which are 1 to 12 g per day.
Turmeric contains about 3% curcumin, so for every gram of turmeric we eat, we only get 0.03g of curcumin . That is, we need to eat 30g more turmeric to feel the benefits.
Curcumin in turmeric is also not directly absorbed in the body. We only absorb about 25% of what we eat, so we might actually have to eat more than 100 grams of turmeric every day to get a reasonable dose of curcumin .
Then what to eat?
We all want food that can cure us, but focusing too much on one type of food and eating it in large quantities is not the answer. Instead, a balanced and varied diet can provide each of them a variety of different nutrients and bioactive compounds. Don't focus on quick fixes; instead, focus on enjoying a variety of foods.
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