KTK-Nutrition

Does what you eat affect how you sleep?   My daughter sent me an interesting article discussing how the food you eat and the beverages you drink affect how well you sleep.   The author said she tried a new diet and found that she slept better.   She based her “diet” on information she learned from The Sleep Doctor who was on the TODAY show offering advice.   The Sleep Doctor not only has a website offering sleep advice, he also runs an online course, “ How to Sleep Better Course” .   Along with the Sleep Doctor a clinical psychologist also provided some diet advice that this article reviewed and the author tried.    If you want a better night’s sleep, what are some things you might want to try? 1.  Coffee  a.      Wait 60-90 minutes before your first cup of coffee:   The Sleep Doctor recommends you forgo coffee until 90 minutes after you wake up.   This would be a challenge for many people who grab their ...

What are some healthy lunches to eat at home or to pack for work or for going on a car trip?   When we go on car trips, we usually bring along a picnic lunch.   Just recently I went away with my two daughters and one daughter brought our picnic lunch.   Lean deli meats, whole grain rolls, fresh fruit, some greens for our sandwiches and some sides of egg salad and potato salad.   My husband and I also pack our lunch when we go on road trips.   This week we ate our picnic lunch on the way to our destination.   Sandwiches of whole grain bagels, lean deli meats, fresh fruit, whole grain chips, yogurt and milk.   So much healthier than any Fast-Food restaurant meal and often less time consuming. What are some healthy lunches you can pack or make for yourself at home?   Eat This, Not That! asked some dietitians about healthy lunch options and here are some of their suggestions.   1.  Pack an adult or child “lunchable” meal. So popular wi...

What foods should we eat together?   How do some foods help our health when eaten together?   Environmental Nutrition has an interesting article on Food Synergy Boosts Nutrition .   What food combos should you eat together to boost your nutrition? 1. Add some fat to your salads – so many times we hear, “cut the fat” out of our diets.   Yes, we should cut the fried food but healthy fats we need to add to our diet.   Especially when we are eating salads.   a.        SALAD + FAT – forget the fat-free salad dressing and reach for reduced fat or full fat dressing.   Why?   Salads, such as mixed spring salad mix are loaded with vitamins like vitamin A, E, K and folate.   They are also loaded with antioxidants. To best absorb these healthy nutrients, we need some fat in the meal.   A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that some fat on your salad improved absorption of antioxidants li...

So many nutrition myths about what foods are good for you and what foods are bad for your health.   MSN has an interesting article 11 things people think are terrible for your diet that actually aren’t .   What are some of these foods and drinks?   Red Bull – yes, it can be loaded with sugar.   But what if you get a can of sugar-free Red Bull?   The writer says when she drinks it, people say things like, “That stuff will kill you.”   The sugar-free Red Bull has about 80 calories so not really a high calorie drink and about 80 mg. of caffeine.   This amount is about one third the caffeine in a Starbucks' coffee.   They do add some B vitamins and taurine which most people don’t need but not really harmful.   Even white bread is enriched with B vitamins and any protein food provides taurine so these nutrients aren’t ones lacking in most Americans diets.  Fatty Foods like Avocado and Olive Oil will make you fat .    It is...