KTK-Nutrition

Snacks – who doesn’t love to snack? When I visit foreign countries, I am amazed at how little some people snack in other countries.   They eat well at meals, but just don’t seem to snack much.   Not true of Americans, we love our snacks.   About 57% of us enjoy a snack at least once a day.   About 31% say they snack a few days a week.   Why do people snack?   Some say because they are hungry.   And that may be true, especially for growing children and teenagers.   Some are craving sweets and others are craving a salty snack.   Some people think snacking is bad for your health.   But is it?   Yes, some snacks like Cheetos are not a healthy choice.   But many snacks can be good for your health.   Children in particular, need snacks.   They have small stomachs and should have snacks between meals.   Pre-school kids should have morning and afternoon snacks.   School-age kids should have an afternoon snack. ...

Look around and you will see so many kids who are overweight.   Often these kids also have parents who are overweight.   CDC reports that childhood obesity in the USA has become a very serious problem.   Being overweight puts adults and children at risk for poor health.   How many kids in the US are obese? For kids ages 2-19 years of age: 18.5% are obese which equates to 13.7 million obese kids in the USA 13.9 % of kids ages 2-5 are obese 18.4% of 6-11-year olds are obese And 1 out of 5 or 20.6% of 12-19-year olds are obese Moms (and Dads) play an important role in helping prevent obesity in their kids.   Medical Press has a good article discussing 5 healthy habits of Moms that can reduce obesity risk in their kids.   The article published by the journal BMJ discusses research about 17,000 female nurses and their 24,289 kids and looked at five healthy habits of the moms.   These 5 healthy habits lowered their kids risk of being overwei...

Smoothies are the rage and many people have their favorite smoothie recipe.   Which one is better for you?   A recent article in the New York Times, Are Smoothies Better For You Than Juices? , outline the pros and cons of juice vs. smoothies.          1.          Juice – to be healthy, juice has to be real, 100% juice.   Many people buy Sunny D, Hi-C, or Capri-Sun juice drinks and think they are getting real, 100% juice.   But these are fruit drinks or juice drinks and not 100% real juice.   These fruit drinks may contain some juice as Hi-C drinks contain about   10% real juice.   Simply Fruit Punch Juice Drink contains only 15% juice.   The rest is mostly sugar water.   The added sugar in these drinks is often high fructose corn syrup or cane sugar which provide only “empty calories” without the nutritional benefits of real juice.     Choose "juic...

As school gets underway this fall, it is important to remember to feed kids breakfast every day.   Also, important for parents to eat breakfast every day.   Many have said, “Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day”.    More and more research is demonstrating how important breakfast is to our overall health.   Yet, surveys show less than half of us are eating breakfast every day.   What is so important about breakfast? Nutrients – breakfast is a great time to get calcium, vitamin C from orange juice, potassium from orange juice, bananas or other fruit, some protein from milk or yogurt.   All to boost your energy and brain power throughout the morning.   Healthier eaters throughout the day – those who eat breakfast eat healthier foods throughout the day.   Maybe because they aren’t hitting the snack machine for candy bars or other sustenance around 10 AM when hunger strikes and reminds them they haven’t eaten breakfast. Better ...

School has started or will soon be starting across the land.   How can you pack lunches that are not only healthy but contain some super foods?    Kaiser Permanente recently published, 8 Superfoods to Pack in Your Child's Lunch .   Why are these Super Foods?   For one, these foods are loaded with nutrients.   Thus, even a small serving packs a big nutrition boost.    Second, since they are packed with nutrients these foods fuel your child’s body and their brains.   So what are the 8 Super Foods?                      1.  Berries – all berries are super healthy foods.   They are full of vitamins like vitamin C which can help fight off infections and they have a lot of antioxidants.   Serve berries at breakfast by adding them to oatmeal, dry cereal, a smoothie. Pack in a lunch box with some yogurt or in a container for your child to...

We all should be eating at least five fruits and vegetables a day.   But it may be challenging to get kids to eat fruits and vegetables.   One of my daughters had to be coaxed to eat grapes, she didn’t like feel of biting into them.   Another daughter, didn’t like tomatoes, they were to be avoided at all costs.   She would eat spaghetti sauce but not with chunks of tomato. Every kid has likes and dislikes.    A good tip sheet from CDC is Encourage Kids to Eat More Fruits and Veggies .   So what are their suggestions for encouraging kids to get their 5 A Day? Keep fruits visible – have a bowl of fruit on the counter, put cut up fruit and vegetables in small bags in the refrigerator to pack with a lunch or grab as a snack. Fruits and Veggies at Every Meal – MyPlate shows half the plate should be fruit and vegetables.    Have them as side dishes, add vegetables to soup, to entrees.   Top off a yogurt with fresh fruit, put some sliced ...

 How many of us say we are going to get healthier?   We will start going to the gym, we will start eating healthier.   But then it never happens.   The September 2015 issue of the Berkeley Wellness Letter has some suggestions for not only changing habits, but changing them for good.   The article is based on James Prochaska, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Rhode Island.   Over 30 years ago, he proposed stages of changing our habits.   If you follow these stages, suggestions, you should have better success in changing bad habits to good habits.   Studies have found that changing behavior doesn’t happen overnight but it is a process and we can improve our odds of making changes permanent and a “habit” that lasts.        What are the 5 stages?    Precontemplation – yes, you have to decide to change a habit – to get off the couch, to cut back or eliminate the sugared sodas, to go for a walk e...

Are there foods that will lead to a healthier, longer life?    Students in my classes love to ask questions and one student noted:   “I want to live a long time.   What foods do I need to eat?”    Great question and there are foods that will decrease your risk of disease and increase your changes of living longer.   Actually, there are two food groups that will lead to a longer life: fruits and vegetables.   So boring yet so important to our health.   What is the minimum servings of fruits and veggies we need?   5 A Day, a minimum of 5 A Day. Who is lacking in fruits and veggies?   Most of us are.                   87% of Americans are not eating enough fruit (at least a 1.5 to 2 cups a day)                 75% of Americans are not eating their veggies (2-3 cups a day) ...

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...

Last week we talked about small changes you could make for a healthier you.   I had gathered some ideas from Jo-Ann Heslin, a registered dietitian.    I have adapted some of her suggestions for small changes families with children can make to be healthier. What are some small changes you as a parent can make for a healthier child?        1.    Eat together – in today’s go, go lifestyle so many families no longer eat together.   At least a few times a week plan a family, sit-down meal together.   Cornell University recommends eating together as a family at least 3 times a week.   Family meals means a focus on the family, so turn off the TV, the cell phones and focus on the kids.   According to Cornell University, ( Do Famiy Meals Really Make a Difference? ), family meals have huge health benefits:           a.        Children are 24% more likely to eat health...