The total carbohydrate content of a food includes starches, or complex carbohydrates, which provide energy for your body. They constitute an important source of calories in grains, such as bread, rice and oatmeal; legumes; and some vegetables, such as potatoes, yams, green peas and corn.

While coconut cream does have certain redeeming nutritional qualities, such as small doses of fiber, iron and potassium, it also contains a large amount of fat, almost all of it saturated.

Carrying excess fat can pose a serious health risk, especially if that fat is deep in your abdomen. This extra fat -- called visceral fat -- secretes compounds that put your body in a state of chronic inflammation, which increases your risk of disease. The foods you eat have a powerful effect on your body fat levels.

Many products you can buy have similar-sounding names and ingredients, but are quite different in their use and safety. Sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride, or table salt, have the sodium atom in common. Both are used to prepare food. Both have health and household applications.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 2 to 3 cups of vegetables per day for adult men and women. Blending fresh vegetables, such as spinach, to make juice is a simple way of meeting your recommended daily vegetable requirement.

Protein is key to good health -- it's involved in immune function, oxygen transport and maintaining strong muscle tissue. "Crude protein" is a measure of how much protein is in food, based on laboratory tests studying the food's chemical composition.

Factors that affect nutrient loss in cooking include cook time, temperature and amount of liquid used. As each of these factors increases, nutrient loss increases. Because microwaving generally includes a short cooking time and uses less heat, it retains more nutrients than conventional methods.

The octopus available in the United States comes from two species. The giant north Pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini, may weigh up to 100 lb., according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The smaller Octopus vulgaris is a common species from the Atlantic Ocean.

Tempura can be vegetables, tofu or seafood, but it's always battered and deep-fried to a pale golden color. Depending on the style and desired result, the tempura coating can be quite light and delicate or much thicker. Tempura is traditionally served with soup, pickles and hot rice, as well as a daikon dipping sauce.

A tasty bite of tomato contains more than 10 different types of acids, but two account for a large percentage of the total: citric acid and malic acid. Tomatoes also contain another essential acid, ascorbic acid, which is better known by its common name: vitamin C.

Butter, oils, fried foods and fatty meats all have varying amounts of fat, and surprisingly, so do some vegetables.

Soy-based foods like tofu and soy milk contain chemicals known as isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen. They are compounds only present in plants, and they perform functions in the human body similar to the hormone estrogen.