KTK-Nutrition

Food dyes are in the news a lot lately.    Robert F. Kennedy wants to work with the food industry to get artificial food dyes out of our food including out of the National School Lunch Program.    My husband showed me an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal,  Removing Artificial Food Dyes Will Be Difficult .    Why?    Because artificial food dyes are in so many of our foods.             1 in 10 foods contain artificial food dyes           40% of food items containing artificial food dyes contain 3 or MORE food dyes The article notes artificial food dyes are in popular foods such as Pop-Tarts and Doritos.  And in foods that even I was unaware of.  I told my daughter that some pickles have artificial dyes.  She didn’t believe me, opened her fridge and looked at her jar of pickles.  Not one but two artificial yellow dyes in the pickles....

Who doesn’t love a good cup of coffee or two to start their day?    I often get asked, “Is coffee good for one’s health?”    What does the research show?      My sister sent me an article describing the latest health benefit of drinking coffee. What are the health benefits of drinking coffee? Johns Hopkins notes  9 reasons  coffee is good for you.  What are some of the benefits? Coffee is loaded with healthful antioxidants .  These may lower inflammation and help protect against several diseases. Coffee lowers one’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes . Coffee lowers one’s risk of heart failure.   Enjoy those 2 cups of coffee a day as it makes your heart stronger. Coffee drinkers are less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease .  Coffee drinking is good for your liver .  How?  Coffee drinking promotes good liver enzymes. Coffee drinking reduces your risk of colon cancer  – a condition now...

Colon cancer was always a concern for people over the age of 50.    But now, it is becoming increasingly more common for people under the age of 50 to be diagnosed with colon cancer.    While colon cancer has been declining for older adults, since 1990 colorectal cancer has been increasing in younger adults (under 50) with rates increasing 2% a year.   What is the incidence of colon cancer in younger adults? Among those younger than 55 years of age, the proportion of cases increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019.  Although the  overall rate  dropped by 1% each year from 2012 to 2021, the drop was mostly in older adults, those 65 and older.    Why is the incidence of colon cancer increasing in younger adults? Research is investigating the  reasons  but factors being explored are diet, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and even changes in the gut microbiome, the bacteria in your gut.  (See:   Healthie...

According to  WebMD , “there are over 100 different emulsifiers that can be added to foods”.  In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates what emulsifiers can safely be added to foods and list these on the list of  G enerally  R ecognized  A s  S afe or the GRAS list.  Some common  emulsifiers  on this list include:           Lecithin may be used in mayonnaise, creams and some sauces           Mono- and diglycerides           Monosodium phosphate derivatives           Glycerol monostearate           Carrageenan           Xanthan gum           Guar gum           Gum Arabic           Polysorbates like polysorbate 80 What foods may have emulsifiers? Many processed foods have emulsifiers.  ...

This week at the gym, a few people were saying how they or a relative were recovering from some illness, colds, flu or other illnesses that got them run-down and not feeling good.    Are there immunity boosting foods that will help you fight off infections?    As we get   older , our immune system is weaker and we are more likely to get sick.    For those over 65, respiratory infections and in particular pneumonia, are leading causes of death.  What foods can you add to your diet to boost your immune system? Citrus Fruits Citrus fruits are a great way to add some important nutrients like vitamin C and folic acid to one’s day.  (See:  How does vitamin C keep you healthy? )   Citrus fruits  include oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, clementines, and mandarins.  Vitamin C is known for helping to strengthen one’s immune system.  Besides vitamin C, citrus fruits add important antioxidants that have ant...