Polyphenols are found in a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and teas that we regularly consume. "Polyphenol" is a general term for a family of compounds with multiple phenolic hydroxyl groups (hydroxyl groups attached to the benzene ring), and about 8,000 species have been identified so far. Polyphenols are becoming widely recognized in society due to their promising health benefits, such as their preventive effects against obesity and cardiovascular diseases. To understand how polyphenols exert their health benefits from a molecular viewpoint, researchers in the food and nutrition fields have been elucidating the various biochemical and molecular biological activities exhibited by polyphenols themselves. It has been pointed out that polyphenols are generally poorly absorbable and therefore unlikely to be taken up by the body or to reach various organs in their native form. The molecular mechanisms by which polyphenols express their functions in vivo include direct interaction with receptor proteins, action of polyphenol metabolites, and effects on intestinal bacterial fermentation. In this paper, I will not only outline the types and chemical characteristics of polyphenols, but also explain their molecular behavior along with their potential health-promoting effects.

　Problems related to the unbalanced diet of children with autism spectrum disorder have been analyzed from the characteristics of the disorder and studied on how to deal with it. However, the problem of not being able to eat is not just the fact, but also a complex combination of factors, such as the various situations and emotions that arise for the person, family, and other people who live with them. So in this paper, I want to highlight toddlers with autism spectrum disorder, their families, and their supporters to understand the meaning of a world where people want to eat but can't. Episodic narrative was used as a method to achieve this. Episodic narrative refers to a narrative in which the narrator reconstructs facts that occur in the actual scene and outputs them as an expression that includes the characters' actions, interiors, environments, knowledge and skills. Here, through episodic narrative, I depicted a "story" in which a toddler who wants to eat lunch in kindergarten but can't, through interaction with various people, ends up eating lunch in elementary school. The results suggest the importance of taking into account behavioural psychological findings, such as hypersensitivity of the response to a specific stimulus and how easily it can be reinforced, for problems related to the situation in which a person wants to eat but is unable to do so. However, the narrative also depicted the relationships within the context of their lives and the internal world of each individual, which cannot be understood by such findings alone. The richness of eating is realized in the context of life.

　Health is defined as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" by WHO. Based on this definition, brain health must be a key for health, because all our output actions, experiences, and emotions are related with brain functions. The most important input for brain health is the ingestion of foods and sufficient nutrients. Recently, we and others have suggested that the altered amino acid metabolites by inflammation may influence brain function and caused mental health issues. Additionally, proteins are the main building blocks of our body. They are used to make muscles, organs, enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and various molecules that serve important functions. Recent studies have supported the evidence that protein intake and their quality are important for health, especially, with elderly people to maintain their muscles and brain function.

　The human brain needs a substantial portion of the body's total nutrients intake. Therefore, nutrients strongly influence both brain structure and function, and nutrition also affects neurodevelopment for the next generation. Quality of eating is important for quality of life, and we should not forget that mental health and brain functions maintain with salutary diets and a dietary lifestyle.

　White kneaded sweet bean paste is made mainly from white adzuki bean (Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & H.Ohashi), white tebo bean (var. of Phaseolus vulgaris), and butter bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.). We compared and considered the gelatinization properties of the three bean starches and the characteristics of white bean paste and white kneaded sweet bean paste made from these three kinds of beans. The average starch particle size of white adzuki bean was significantly larger than those of white tebo bean and butter bean. Starch gelatinization start, peak, and end temperatures were highest in butter bean, followed by white tebo white adzuki beans in that order; white adzuki beans were easy to gelatinize even at relatively low temperatures. White adzuki bean paste was yellowish white, white tebo bean paste was white, and butter bean paste was bright. Lightness and whiteness decreased significantly by processing any bean paste into kneaded sweet bean paste. The hardness of white adzuki bean kneaded sweet paste was significantly higher than those of white tebo bean kneaded sweet paste and butter bean kneaded sweet paste. The adhesiveness of white adzuki bean kneaded sweet paste was significantly higher than that of white tebo bean kneaded sweet paste. White adzuki kneaded sweet bean paste was hard and weakly sticky, white tebo kneaded sweet bean paste had high whiteness and low stickiness, and butter bean kneaded sweet bean paste was white, weakly scented, and smooth with high brightness and small bean paste particles. In a sensory evaluation, white adzuki kneaded sweet bean paste was hard and weakly sticky, white tebo kneaded sweet bean paste had high whiteness and low stickiness, butter bean kneaded sweet bean paste was very bright, had small bean paste particles, and was weakly scented and smooth.

　Ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) living in the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture were caught at three sites upstream,midstream and downstream to test fat content and fatty acid composition in edible portions. In the lower reaches, Ayu were fished twice, in summer (from June to August) and fall (October).

　The fat content in edible parts was higher in the order of midstream ayu, Depending on where they were caught,the percentage of the fat content changed.Midstream Ayu is the highest, and Downstream Ayu (June to August) is significantly low.

　Comparison of fatty acid composition showed significant differences in the proportions of several fatty acids. Palmitic acid was more abundant in upstream and midstream Ayu. The proportion of icosapentaenoic acid was higher in downstream Ayu (October), and that of arachidonic acid was higher in downstream Ayu (June-August) and (October).

　The fat content and fatty acid composition of edible parts differed among downstream, midstream, and upstream Ayu, even in the same river. This was attributed to the different flow velocities and feeding conditions of epiphytic algae in each habitat. It has also been shown that Ayu's unique aroma is produced by the oxidation of certain fatty acids, suggesting that differences in fat content and fatty acid composition may affect the flavor of ayu, such as fat content and aroma, rather than merely differences in nutritional composition.

　Seeds of sword bean (Canavalia gladiata), a leguminous plant, is rich in proteins and cannot be eaten raw because the seed contains toxins, such as concanavalin A (ConA) and canatoxin. Therefore, the seeds are soaked, boiled, rinsed, and pounded before using them as a protein ingredient. Also, the seeds have been utilized as a natural medicine. Recently, it was reported that consuming sword bean tea alleviates allergic rhinitis symptoms. Because ConA is a known mitogen of T-cell lymphocytes, the protein may be involved in the alleviation. Therefore, we examined the detection of ConA in the extracts of sword bean teas. We prepared sword bean tea from the embryos collected after removing seed coats from the seeds immersed in water. We analyzed the proteins in the tea extract during the production process using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Immunoblotting with antibodies against ConA or canavalin, a major seed storage protein, was conducted to detect the protein in the tea extract. Our result indicated that the extractable protein amount decreased after heating during the processing phase. As described above, the extracts of commercially available sword bean teas were also examined with electrophoresis and immunoblotting. The results indicated that a lower amount of ConA was detected in the tea but not canavalin.

　Partially cooked vegetables can easily be prepared into an intended dish after briefly being cooked fully, which is why their use is assumed to lead to an increase in vegetable intake. However, partially cooked vegetables are thought to lose water-soluble components due to pretreatment in the manufacturing process. Focusing on potassium as a water-soluble component, the current study sought to ascertain the potassium content in partially cooked vegetables. The samples used were partially cooked vegetables for use in pork in miso soup, stewed chicken and root vegetables, and curry. Samples labeled as "boiled in water" all had to be drained. Samples were categorized by ingredients, diluted to about 10-fold their weight, and homogenized. The potassium content in the diluted solution was measured. Results indicated that many of the samples labeled as "boiled in water" had a significantly lower potassium content (p＜0.01) than samples that were not so labeled. This is presumably due to the method and duration of pre-treatment of the partially cooked vegetables during the manufacturing process. Partially cooked vegetables can be used as a source of dietary fiber and components other than water-soluble components. If the characteristics of partially cooked vegetables are known and raw ingredients are added, the use of partially cooked vegetables could lead to increased vegetable intake.