KTK-Nutrition

Some nutrition and exercise news you may have missed.   Like to go out to eat?   Which restaurant is revising its menu?   No time to exercise?   What would a brisk walk for 10 minutes a day do for your health? 1.     Which restaurant is revising its menu?   Panera bread will soon have ten new choices on their menu.   But only in Lexington, KY and Providence, RI in September 2019.   But if successful, you may be seeing these items in your Panera in the not too distant future.   What are some of the new offerings? a.        Flatbreads : ·          Artisan flatbread – one of my favorite appetizers when we go out to eat so glad to hear that Panera bread is testing the addition of this to their menu.   ·          Margherita Artisan Flatbread – fresh mozzarella, fontina, a tomato and bell pepper sauce, some red grape tomatoes and fresh basil.   Sounds delicious. ·          Steak & Blue Cheese Flatbread – the stead will be from grass-fed beef, and blue cheese, fr

Going to the beach this summer?   Or to a summer cabin or lodge?   What foods and snacks can withstand the sun, sand and taste good from the cooler?   Remember to keep cold foods cold .   Foods that need refrigeration shouldn’t be left out for more than an hour in the heat of summer.   Use ice packs in the cooler or freeze some water bottles and use these to keep the food cold.   Once at your destination, cover the cooler with a blanket or towel or keep in the shade under that beach umbrella.     Hard boiled eggs – peel them before you go.   A great high-quality protein snack and low in calories.   If you get some sand on them, just rinse with water and eat. Wraps – may work better than sandwiches made out of bread.   You can protect the wrap with aluminum foil and peel it back as you eat the wrap. Buy a rotisserie chicken – use as a main course then as sandwiches. Bars – easy to pack and store.   Add some healthy ingredients like oats, dried fruit, nuts.   Fruit kebabs – gr

Summer is a great time to hit the road.   Off to the beach, the lake, the mountains, or a long road trip.   Many people stop for a quick bite to eat at gas stations or other places that offer a range of food items.   How can you eat healthy while on that road trip?   Watch the calories – sitting all day in a car burns up a lot less calories.   A short trip not to worry but a long road trip can decrease your daily burn of calories by up to 400 calories.     Take some healthy foods with you – pack a cooler of yogurt, some fresh fruit, veggies like baby carrots, some nuts, healthy nutrition bars and even some sandwiches to eat along the way.   My husband and I often eat at the picnic tables at rest stops – we eat the food we brought with us.   I once told my daughter to bring her lunch on a long road trip we were taking.   She pulled out a gourmet assortment of food – hummus and veggies, a fresh homemade salad, fruit, homemade granola mix, whole wheat chips with ranch dressing.  

The USA is well known for its safe food supply.   But there are foods and ingredients in the USA that are banned in other countries.   Each country and the European Union have their own food standards so what can be sold in one country may be banned for sale in another country.    Go on a trip to another country and you will see American food everywhere.   In France, you can easily stop at a McDonald’s for their coffee or food.   Our fast food restaurants seem to populate the globe.   But some foods you can easily buy in the USA are not sold in some other countries.   Or, there are some ingredients you can find on food labels in the USA but not in some countries.   What are some of these ingredients and what countries ban them?      1.     Artificial Food Dyes :     Many candies and other foods are colorful because of artificial food dyes.   M&M’s – one of my favorite snacks, especially the Peanut M&M’s, are colored yellow, blue, red and green.   If you look at the ingre

Carbs, carbs, carbs.   Last week we discussed two big carb myths .   One, the myth that grains are bad for you when they are not.   Two, that carbs are fattening when carbs such as whole grain carbs are good for your health, help you feel fuller and help one lose weight, not gain weight.      This week we will review any more myths about carbs .   Are you falling for some of these carb myths?   For every fact out there about carbs, you probably can find some fake information about carbs.   Before believing some of these fake posts, check out the information on WebMD, Mayo Clinic, a .gov website to see if the information is true. Myth #3:   Natural Sugars:   good or bad? Sugars – Americans eat a lot of sugar.   Some of the “sugar” is natural and already present in food.   But much of the sugar in our diets is added to foods.   Look at the ingredients on food in your pantry and you may be surprised at how many food items contain added sugar.   Americans eat too much added sugar,