KTK-Nutrition

So many kids’ diets today are lacking in fruits and veggies.   A lot of greasy fries but little or no fresh fruit and veggies.   A simple goal for all of us, but especially for kids is “5 A DAY”.   At least five servings of fruit and veggies a day.   I say at least, because I’ve always taught “5 A DAY” but one of my students thought eating 6 a day was too much.   Not true.   In fact, the World Health Organization recommends 9 servings a day.   But aiming for at least “5 A DAY” is a good start.     CDC has a good fact sheet and recommendations, let’s look at some of them.   10 Ways to Help Kids Eat More Fruits and Veggies Make it easy - Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter.    Also, refrigerate cut up fruits and vegetables in small bags for easy snacks.   So much fresh produce is available right now. Keep it visible. Serve fruits and vegetables at every meal.   Fruit for breakfast, 2 servings of fruit/vegeta...

So many people “avoid carbs” and avoid grains.   The latest diet craze is to go low carb.  Is that the healthiest choice for a longer life?  Are some carbs healthy?   Absolutely.    If you are watching carbs, you should watch to see you add whole grain carbs to your diet.   Whole grains aren’t carbs to avoid but to add to your diet.   A recent Harvard study on Whole Grains found that people who ate whole grains lowered their risk of heart disease.   How much whole grains did they eat to lower their risk of heart disease?   The more they ate they lower the risk 5% lower risk of heart disease for those eating 1 ounce a day (1 slice of whole wheat bread) 8% lower risk for those who replaced one serving of refined grains with one serving of whole grains every day   20% lower if a serving of red meat was replaced by whole grains Whole grains contain all parts of the grain including the bran.   The bran is rich in B vit...

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was “brain food”?    Just eat a few foods and be smarter, more alert, improve your memory?   Well, apparently there are foods you can eat to improve your memory and learning.   A recent article in Environmental Nutrition, 5 Steps for Feeding Your Brain , lists a number of foods and steps to feed your brain.           1.    Foods rich in Phytonutrients – these aren’t vitamins or minerals but plant nutrients that have health benefits to plants and to us.   There are many phytonutrients, the one called flavonoids, are good for brain health.   These promote memory and learning.   Whole plant foods are better than processed so choose:         a.        Citrus fruits – whole orange vs. orange juice, grapefruit, slices of lemon in ice water              ...

Good news for consumers.   Many manufacturers and fast food restaurants are making healthful changes in their food offerings.    In the last few weeks, Kraft, Chipotle, and Pepsi have made announcements about upcoming changes.   What drove these changes?   You the consumer, did by requesting healthier options.    It is usually the government forcing manufacturers to make changes and now with social media, the consumer is in the driver’s seat.   So what is changing? Kraft Macaroni and Cheese:     has announced it is going to make macaroni and cheese without the synthetic colors or artificial preservatives.   This change won’t take place until early 2016, but is good news for consumers.   Last March, a Change.org petition requested Kraft remove dyes from its mac and cheese.    This petition garnered over 365,000 signatures so carried a lot of weight with the company.   Before complying, Kraft went to the st...

So many myths about carbs.    Are carbs good or bad for your health?   A student in my class, Nicole Hamby, has been asked to be a guest author on this blog site.   Her paper on Good vs Bad Carbs is below.        Carbohydrates have been given a very bad reputation. However, it is not the actual carbohydrate that is bad, but what we have created them into with all of our processing. Instead of eating brown rice or whole wheat bread, Americans have chosen to consume the refined processed versions. Not only do these processed foods now lack essential nutrients but some of them can contribute to obesity and type II diabetes. Perhaps instead of grabbing a handful of jelly beans, which contains refined simple sugars, a piece of fruit would be much more beneficial to help prevent some of these diseases. While fruit may contain some simple sugars, it is natural, unrefined, and packed with vitamins your body needs. Whole grains, which are comp...