Folate
Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9, the leafy-green vitamin that takes its very name from “foliage”. It is abundant in spinach, lentils, asparagus, broccoli
22 June 2026
Evidence-based nutrition, in plain English — every entry sourced from clinical research.
Every entry in this collection — sourced, checked and written to be read.
Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9, the leafy-green vitamin that takes its very name from “foliage”. It is abundant in spinach, lentils, asparagus, broccoli
Vitamin B12 is the most chemically complex of all the vitamins, and the only one your body cannot obtain from plants. It is found almost exclusively
The sunshine vitamin: scarce in food (oily fish lead), it works like a hormone for bone, muscle and immune health.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant the body cannot store for long, so a regular dietary supply matters. Beyond immune support it is essential for collagen…
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and the structural backbone of the skeleton. Dairy is the best-known source, but tofu, canned fish with…
Magnesium is among the most common shortfall nutrients in modern diets, since refining strips it from grains. It is concentrated in seeds, nuts, dark chocolate and…
Zinc is a workhorse trace mineral behind immune function, skin repair and taste. As with iron, the phytates in unsoaked legumes and grains bind zinc and…
Iron sits at the centre of oxygen transport and energy production. Plant (non-heme) iron is absorbed far less efficiently than the heme iron in meat and…
Dietary nitrate from leafy greens and beetroot underlies their well-replicated effects on blood pressure and endurance performance.
Beta-glucan is the soluble fibre behind oats’ FDA-approved cholesterol-lowering claim — one of the best-evidenced functional compounds in food.
Flaxseed is by far the richest food source of lignans, polyphenols studied for hormone-related and cardiovascular health.
Curcumin is the active fraction of turmeric — only about 3% of the spice by weight, which is why concentration and absorption matter so much.