Emulsifiers are ingredients used to combine water and oil. Egg yolks and lecithin are examples of natural substances that can emulsify and are commonly used in baked goods and dressings. Some less-than-natural food additive emulsifiers, however, are being called in to question for creating illness. Polysorbate-80 and carboxymethylcellulose were studied for their abilities to disrupt the protective mucus […]

Selenium is an essential mineral, classified as a micronutrient or microelement, that acts as a building block for important enzymes in the body. Research shows a large body of evidence of its necessity for optimal health, but much is still unknown about this complex substance, which though essential, can actually harmful in the wrong forms and […]

Most of us in the industrialized world don’t get enough fiber–and average of just 15 grams a day. That’s as little as one-tenth of the intake among the world’s dwindling hunter-gatherer and rural agrarian populations, whose living conditions and dietary intake presumably most closely resemble those of our common human ancestors, said Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, associate […]

Cloves may conjure an image of hot mulled cider on a wintry day, but their powerful spice compounds offer more benefits than adding delicious flavor to favorite comfort foods. These pungent sweet-savory spicy buds are actually the dried buds of an Indonesian evergreen tree and have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of […]