KTK-Nutrition

So many people grab bottled water and have no idea if they will be drinking purified tap water or spring water.   As the LA Times noted , “You do know that, in most cases, bottled water is just tap water?”   And Americans drink A LOT of bottled water as it is now the #1 beverage, even surpassing sodas.   In 2018 , an American consumed about 42 gallons of bottled water and sales were huge reaching $31 billion.   People drink bottled water thinking it is healthier and it is healthier than sugared sodas.   But is bottled water healthier than plain tap water?   Is bottled water tap water? In many cases yes.   Rather than open up the tap or fill up a glass of water from your refrigerator, Americans are choosing bottled water .   Both Coke and Pepsi filter tap water, bottle it and then sell it at a nice mark up.   In fact, a study found that “nearly 64% of bottled water in America is just tap water...” What major brands of bottled water are ...

Water – who would think one has different choices for plain water?   Growing up, there was water from the tap and some businesses had the water in the large bottles and you held a paper cup under to get a very small drink of water.   Now, there are so many choices and a lot of misinformation on what water is best to drink.   With the heat of summer upon us, hydration is important as drinking water is always a good way to stay hydrated.   But what “water” is best and which “water” should you avoid? Water is actually a nutrient and we need water to keep our temperature normal, to help cushion and lubricate our joints, and to get rid of wastes through perspiration and urination.   In hot weather and when we are physically active, we need even more water.   Since plain water has no calories , researchers have found drinking water can help one control body weight and can cut back on calories if plain water replaces sugared sodas.     And we are drin...

Are you eating plastic every day?   Most people have never even thought about how much plastic they are consuming each day, each week, each month.   Consumer Reports has a great article, How to Eat Less Plastic .   In the article it notes, “Each of us might ingest up to a credit card’s worth of plastic weekly through food and water”.    Kind of alarming since most of us never think about eating plastic and that we might be getting plastic in the foods we eat and from the water we drink. How much plastic are we ingesting? Besides the credit card reference, an article in Environmental Science & Technology, discussed “Human Consumption of Microplastics”.   They estimate that our annual consumption of microplastics from foods and drinking water “ranges from 39000 to 52000 particles”.   Those of us who rely on water from plastic bottles ingest another 90000 microplastics each year.   Interestingly, even those who consume only tap water c...

In the nutrition class I teach, students have commented on how much money “real” food costs.   They say it is so much cheaper to just buy the junk food, the fast food.   What are some ways to buy “real” food that doesn’t cost a fortune?   1. Frozen Food – some people think buying frozen food isn’t healthy.   But frozen food is quite nutritious.   A recent article, 10 Frozen Foods Nutritionist Always Buy highlights good choices to make in the freezer section of your grocery store. a.       Frozen Edamame – if you haven’t tried these baby soybeans, they are quite tasty.   And super nutritious as they provide vitamins, protein, and fiber.   One nutritionist adds them to her salads or quinoa. b.      Frozen berries – try frozen blueberries, frozen cherries, frozen strawberries or any frozen berry.   My husband just bought a huge bag of frozen blueberries.   He adds them to his morning o...