Food Nutrition Facts

Sadly enough, a recent US cancer report shows that most foods, unless organically grown, contain an alarming amount of chemicals that have a negative effect on us, especially on children. In a reaction to this report the US cancer panel has asked the President to lower the amount of chemicals allowed to be used in the production of food.

And at the same time in Australia: Australia's Organic Federation wants that farmers to urgently cut down their use of pesticides and fertilizers.

Knowing all this it would be good to protect yourself from all this by buying organic food.

Nutrition Facts About Food - Here on this page and in this section of this website, we will study the nutrition facts of some healthy foods and some harmful foods.

Even though this website is centered mainly around fruits and vegetables, I think it is important we go over some of the other less healthy foods too - like milk, cereal nutrition information, fast food nutrition facts and junk food, for you to be able to see the difference.

I will not be able to tell you how many or what quantity of chemicals each food contains... Chemicals should not be part of the food nutrition facts anyway, even though chemicals are many times present in the food we eat. It is difficult to measure the amount of chemicals in food, unless of course you are a scientist. The easiest would just be to remember that you are on the safe side if you buy organic.

To go to any food category, click on any of the foods below. You can also just continue reading about fruits and vegetables below the links.

Healthy Foods and their Nutrition Facts

Dried Fruit nutrition facts, Calories in dried fruit

Fruit nutrition facts

Nutrition facts about food: Spices and Herbs

Vegetable nutrition facts

Vitamins in fruits and vegetables

Harmful Foods and their Nutrition Facts / Foods to Avoid

Cereal nutrition facts

Chinese Food nutrition facts (fast food and restaurant Chinese food)

Coffee
Coffee, energy drinks and other products containing caffeine are not very good for us because the caffeine in them can cause a mineral and vitamin B loss. It is the same with the theobromin in chocolate.

Fast Food and Junk Food

Milk nutrition facts

Cheese nutrition facts

Meat
Meat is also something that we have been taught is healthy, but really is not very healthy for us. Yes, it is true that there are iron, protein and a few vitamins present in meat, but it is also true that meat contains bad fats that are not good for the heart muscle. Meat also often contains hormones, chemicals and antibiotics. Leaving meat out of your families diet is for sure one big step toward a healthier way of eating.

Nutrition facts about Chocolate

If you instead would like to see the nutrition facts of a specific fruit, go to the fruit list in the navigation menu to the left.

Food Nutrition Facts - Fruits and Vegetables

We start with the vitamins and their vegetable, fruit, nuts and seed sources, then we continue with the most common minerals. And then on the next page we will continue with the phytochemicals!

Vitamins help many essential functions of our body, including proper growth and development. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables gives you all the types of vitamins needed. Deficiency of even one vitamin can lead to serious problems.

Food Nutrition Facts - Vitamins in Fruits & Vegetables

Vitamin A (retinol) Carrots, apricots, melon (for example cantaloupe), green leafy vegetables, mango. vitamin A is essential for eyes, skin, hair and bones.

Vitamin B complex A group of vitamins, which although not chemically related, are often found together in same foods. B vitamins are for example important for our nervous system.

B1 (thiamine) Avocado, artichokes, sunflower seeds, nuts, peas

B2 (riboflavin) Spinach, beat greens, almonds, sweet potatoes

B3 (niacin) Avocados, peanuts, sunflower seeds, potatoes

B6 Bananas, avocados, prune juice, artichokes, sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds (and if you are not on the raw food diet, chickpeas are good to eat if you want to top up your vitamin B6 levels)

B12 This vitamin is not present in fruits or vegetables or plants of any kind. Deficiency can be quite unpleasant with nerve damage and anemia, but it takes years to develop an deficiency though, because the liver stores B12 for long periods of time. If you are a vegetarian supplementation is wise. Animal sources: seafood, meat, eggs

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) Can be found in most fruits and in all citrus fruits. Some examples of other fruits high in vitamin C are guava, papaya, strawberries, cantaloupe and kiwi. Red, yellow and green peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C. Even broccoli contains a good amount of this vitamin. Vitamin C it is essential for the formation of collagen. Vitamin C is a very important vitamin, but also easily found in most fruits.

Food Nutrition Facts - We continue with an important vitamin...
Vitamin D No fruit and vegetable sources known. This vitamin is a sun-vitamin. You need to spend time outside in the sun every day if you want to have healthy vitamin D levels. Animal sources are liver and fish oils. Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium and the prevention of rickets in children and soft bones in adults.

Vitamin E Avocados, peaches, almonds, sunflower seeds. Vitamin E prevents cell damage and is a good anti-aging vitamin.

Vitamin K Kale, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, lettuce, onions, broccoli, spinach. Vitamin K is extremely helpful in diminishing blood clotting.

Vitamin F (folic acid) Asparagus, spinach, artichokes, avocados. If you are not a raw foodist, good sources of folic acid could also be lentils and chickpeas. Folic Acid is a vitamin that is very important for women in childbearing age, and should preferably be taken as a supplement even years before planning to have a baby. Alternatively you could eat LOADS of fresh spinach, artichokes and asparagus and have an avocado once a day - or 1/2 an avocado if you are on a diet.

If you are interested, find Anti-Aging secrets by clicking here.

We all know that preventative care is the answer. Along with your fruits and vegetables you want to make sure to supplement with daily vitamin supplements. Because we don't get all the nutrients we need everyday, a high-quality daily vitamin gives us what we aren't getting from our diet.

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Food Nutrition Facts - Minerals in Fruits and Vegetables

Now lets take a look at the most common minerals found in vegetables sources:

Calcium Calcium is present in for example oranges, papaya and many other tropical fruits. An other good source of calcium is kale. Calcium is needed for bones and teeth. Calcium also provides signaling ions.

Magnesium Spinach, broccoli and most green vegetables, banana, dates, peanuts and seeds. Magnesium builds bones and increases flexibility and alkalinity.

Phosphorous Guava, kiwi, passion fruit, pomegranate, avocados, dates. Phosphorous is an important component for bones and is also utilized for energy production. But it also good to know that phosphorous does not go so well with calcium, because it prevents calcium from being absorbed! But veggies are low in this mineral, and that is why we can easily boost up our calcium levels by having some kale or cabbage or other vegetables each day.

Potassium Found in many fruits and vegetables, for example in amaranth leaves, potatoes, pumpkin, cherries, lychee, papaya, watermelon, banana, avocado. This mineral is good for the heart and for nerve health.

Sodium Most vegetables contain sodium, even if it is in low quantities. Passion fruit has a good amount of sodium, should you be looking for it. So does celery. The body does need sodium but too much can be very harmful. Sodium maintains the blood pressure of the body.

Sulfur Sulfur is mostly found in animal products and legumes, but it is also found in kale, brussels sprouts, garlic, lettuce, seaweed and in nuts. sulfur in the form of amino acids is required for the production and maintenance of skin, hair, liver, pancreas, nails etc. Sulfur also seems to have some anti-aging properties, as it is very good for our skin.

Food Nutrition Facts - Trace Minerals in Fruits and Vegetables

Now lets go over some of the trace minerals. These are the catalysts that play a very important role but are required in small quantities.

Copper Artichoke, cherries, kale, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash, banana, avocado, lychee, mango, spirulina. Copper helps your body absorb iron. Copper is required by many "redox" enzymes and helps growth and the eyes and hair.

Iodine Fruits, vegetables and nuts grown in soil that is rich in iodine. Many organs, for example the stomach and the saliva glands need iodine.

Iron Present in for example artichokes, apricots, kale and spirulina (a nutritious sea vegetable or seaweed, available as a supplement). We need iron to maintain good hemoglobin levels.

Manganese Present in most fruits, for example, avocado, banana, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, kale, squash, leeks, potato, pine nuts, pecans. Manganese helps in processing oxygen.

Molybdenum Found in dark green leafy vegetables, peas, sunflower seeds. It is required for many oxidation reactions.

Selenium Brazil nuts are the best source. But selenium can also be found in many vegetables and fruits, if they are grown in selenium rich soil. Selenium is required by antioxidant proteins, decreases the risk of developing diabetes and helps the thyroid gland to function normally.

Zinc Avocados, raspberries, blackberries, dates. Zinc helps in healing wounds and strengthens the immune system and is great for boosting fertility.

PAGE 2
Food Nutrition Facts - Phytochemicals in Fruits & Vegetables

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Continue to the next page (PAGE 2) of Food Nutrition Facts for phytochemicals...

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Hope you enjoyed this Food Nutrition Facts page :) Feel free to look through this website for more nutrition fact information.

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