KTK-Nutrition

Most people know about the recommendation of drinking 8 glasses of water a day.   But, it doesn’t have to be plain water to benefit your health.   This summer, add some lemon water to your day.   No, not lemonade, which is loaded with added sugar and of little nutritional value.   But lemon water – just water with some fresh lemon juice added.   The Cleveland Clinic recommends small changes in your habits can lead to some big changes in your overall health.   One change recommended by the Cleveland Clinic is to add some lemon water to your day.   How to make lemon water:   The Cleveland Clinic suggests taking a half a lemon and squeezing the juice into a glass of water.   Exact measurement isn’t needed.   Take the other half and add some lemon slices to a pitcher of water and enjoy some lemon-infused water throughout the day.   And for extra nutrition, add some lemon zest when baking or cooking. How does drinking lemon water promote good health? Digestion:   Lemon juice is acidi

Most people know drinking milk is important for healthy bones.   But how about your overall health?   And for years the American Heart Association and other organizations have recommended low-fat or fat-free milk for heart health. But a new study sheds a different light on real milk and whether or not whole milk may be a healthy choice.   In fact, the latest research is showing that drinking real whole milk may actually lower your risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.   What do the studies find? 1.       An international study found a link between consumption of real dairy foods, especially whole fat diary, and lowering one’s risk of high blood pressure and diabetes.   The study looked at nearly 150,000 people from 21 countries across the globe whose ages ranged from 35-70 years old.   They asked these individuals how often they ate certain foods.   Dairy foods included real milk, yogurt and cheese.   Researchers also looked at consumption of whole fat dairy, whole fat real mi

Sugar – how much are you eating each day?   Who doesn’t like their sweets and desserts?   The students I teach are surprised to learn that I enjoy my desserts and we have a candy dish – usually full of chocolate, on our coffee table.   Some people think nutritionists don’t eat any sugar, but not true.   However, I do point out to my students that my “sugar” intake is usually from a dessert and not from sugared soft drinks, and every day food items that can be loaded with sugar.   How can you cut back on the sugar in your day and still enjoy some desserts and sweets?   Since I enjoy having a dessert, I liked the article , “6 Simple Ways to Eat Less Sugar – Without Giving up Dessert”.     The American Heart Association also has a great article, “Tips for Cutting Down on Sugar”.   Sugar isn’t an enemy.   All the cells in our body use sugar, in the form of glucose, for energy.   What does our brain use for energy?   Glucose.   But our bodies can make glucose from the foods we eat.   The

Potassium – why do you need it and what foods can you eat to be sure you are getting enough of this important mineral?   Most of the students in the classes I teach know we should all be cutting back on the amount of sodium in our diets.   But most students don’t know we should also focus on increasing the amount of potassium in our diets.   Why do we need potassium and why is it so important to good health? Why is potassium important to our health?         1.  Blood Pressure, heart disease -   Maxine Yeung, a Registered Dietitian who founded The Wellness Whisk states, “Potassium is an electrolyte that helps with nerve and muscle function in the body.   And, “Potassium also helps regulate heart and blood pressure by counterbalancing sodium.”   Low intake of potassium is related to high blood pressure , while an increase in potassium helps counteract the effects of sodium and helps keep our blood pressure normal.   One study found that people who consumed 4,069 mg of potassium