While looking at the nutrition labels on food products can be useful, it can also be confusing. Low fat, saturated fats, unsaturated fats, trans fats are typically listed on the labels of foods you may be shopping for. The food we eat is made up of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Let’s look more closely at that fat category. Some fats, occurring in animals, are solids. Others, from plant sources, are usually in liquid form. Taken together solid fats and liquid fats (commonly called oils) are called lipids. Lipids in our bodies have many important functions such as stored energy sources, some are critical components in our cell membranes, some help dissolve critical vitamins while others are associated with health-related problems such as heart disease. Listen to learn more…

Do you have what is commonly called a “sweet tooth?” Nearly everyone, including new born babies, has at least some desire for the sweet taste of sugar. Let’s take a closer look at a molecule of a type of sugar. The term sugar is a bit general. In ancient times the root word for ground sugar meant grit. There are many types of sugars but today let’s focus on the most commonly consumed one – sucrose. When you take a drink of a sweetened soda, taste the icing on that birthday cake, a lick of ice cream or enjoy the sweet taste of a breakfast cereal, you are eating some sucrose. Listen to learn more…