KTK-Nutrition

Who doesn’t love foods cooked on the grill?   Steaks, hamburgers, vegetables, fruit, all taste better when grilled.   Years ago, I directed a research lab at a university.   Almost every day smells of grilled steak and hamburger came from the research lab next door.   I had to ask them what they were researching.   They said they were studying the effect of grilling on cancer risk.   What is this risk and how can you reduce this risk and still enjoy all those wonderful grilled foods? What is the risk of grilling and cancer? Apparently, grilling meat   at high temperatures can burn the fat in the meat and generate 2 cancer causing substances, called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).   Extended exposure to these substances can alter DNA and lead to an increase risk of cancer. How big of a problem is this? According to UCLA Health , isn’t a problem for occasional grilling but grilling every weekend for y...

Who doesn’t like some fresh fruit?   This week my husband stopped at the farmer’s market and brought home fresh raspberries, fresh yellow plums, peaches, and fresh corn in the husk.   He also brought home a fresh watermelon. The fruit and especially the watermelon were summer sweet.   Our neighbor just rang our doorbell and gave us some home-grown tomatoes.   All kinds of fruit will be coming your way during the summer months:   strawberries ripened on the vine, cherries from Washington, blueberries from Michigan.   Not only is fruit delicious, it is super healthy, low in fat and low in calories.   A few years back, Consumer Reports had an excellent article on 100 calorie summer fruits (June 2018) and 100 calorie picnic foods .    If you are going on summer picnics or barbeques this summer, read what a 100-calorie serving of barbeque foods look like.   Enjoy some 100-calorie fruit :   What about the “sugar” in fruit? Most frui...

Do food manufacturers have secrets they don’t want you to know?   My sister recommended an MSN article on a number of things food manufacturers want to keep secret as outlined in   the article 50 Secrets Food Manufacturers Don’t Tell You That Could Change the Way You Eat.   Some of the changes food manufacturers are making are good for our health.   More manufacturers are cutting back on the added sugar in foods.    Also, manufacturers are reducing the artificial flavors and artificial colors in foods.   For example, Kraft has removed the artificial color in their macaroni and cheese.   Even fast food chains are focusing on healthier options by getting rid of the antibiotics in chicken.    What are some things you should be aware of?      1.  Crackers – are you being fooled by crackers?   Are crackers healthy?   Most crackers are made from refined flour (white flour) and sugar and salt.   Add so...

Who doesn’t like some fresh fruit?   My husband brought home a watermelon this week.   It was summer sweet.   All kinds of fruit will soon be coming your way as summer approaches; strawberries ripened on the vine, cherries from Washington, blueberries from Michigan.   Not only is fruit delicious it is super healthy, low in fat and low in calories.   Consumer Reports has an excellent article on 100 calorie summer fruits (June 2018) and 100 calorie picnic foods .    If you are going on summer picnics or barbeques soon, read what a 100-calorie serving of barbeque foods look like.    Enjoy some 100-calorie fruit:   most fruit is so low in calories that you can eat a handful or more and enjoy a number of servings throughout the day.   Yes, fruit has “sugar” but this is the natural sugar, fructose.   It is the “added sugar” that we should be cutting back on, not the natural sugar in fruit.   Some people mistakenly believe f...