(Even More) Interesting (Nutrition) Tid-bits.

Two more down and only two to go. Speaking of exams, I am thankful for not only my supportive family, but for my super supportive classmates. It is such a great feeling to walk out of a bad exam into a group discussion about just how bad the exam was. When the majority of my classmates think an exam or particular question was unfair, then it must have been unfair to have so many people in agreement!

In preparation for my Nutrition midterm tomorrow, here are some more interesting tid-bits. I promise after today's post I will stop talking about nutrition for a bit; I just find nutrition so facinating.

- Vitamin C is good for allergies and skin conditions as it decreases the amount of histamine in the blood (and histamine levels are increased during a skin or allergy flare-up).
- The absorption of vitamin C is reduced by Aluminum (if you drink a lot of pop or beer out of cans, then you may not be absorbing your vitamin C. Also, note to self: canned orange juice is a pointless product!).
- On the other hand, vitamin C absorption is increased when consumed with green tea due to the epicatechin (EGCG) content. (Note to self: drink some green tea with my clementine snack!).
- The body requires more vitamin C when it is sick or when it is stressed.
- (By this point you are probably thinking, Wow, she learned a lot about vitamin C. You're right; we spent three hours learning all about it one day).
- Whole grains go bad quicker than "white" or refined products as whole grains contain bran. Bran contains healthy fats which eventually go rancid, making the product spoil.
- White rice is created by "polishing" the rice grain, removing its bran and subsequently its nutrients. It was created by those who thought that white rice would have a better texture than regular brown rice.
- Milk is no longer stored in glass bottles in order protect the riboflavin (vitamin B2) as riboflavin degrades easily when exposed to light.
- Riboflavin (flavin means yellow in Latin) also contributes to the yellow color of urine. If you start taking a multi-vitamin, you may see your urine turn more yellow in color due to the extra vitamin B2 you are receiving.