KTK-Nutrition

Everyone is complaining about high grocery prices.   And groceries have gotten more expensive.   What are some superfoods that you might want to add to your grocery list?        1.   Choose Extra Virgin Olive Oil over Coconut oil For years my students would say coconut oil was the healthier oil.   I always taught them that was not the case.   Still many people swear by coconut oil, even putting it in their morning coffee.   And many cook with coconut oil thinking this is a healthy thing to do.   What is so bad about coconut oil?   The high saturated fat content, “a whopping 12 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon.”   What’s the problem with saturated fat?   According to Medline Plus , ‘too much saturated fat can cause cholesterol build up in your arteries (blood vessels).   Saturated fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol.   High LDL cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.”   ...

My daughter called me to ask me which is healthier, white rice or brown rice?   She had ordered some Chinese food and chose the brown rice.   Did she make the healthier choice?   Is brown rice healthier than white rice? In the U.S. we have two choices for rice, either white rice or brown rice.   Growing up we never ate brown rice.   We always ate the Minute white rice from the box.   Processing Both white and brown rice come from the same grain but white rice is much more processed.   There are 3 parts to grains – the bran, the germ and the endosperm.    Whole grains like brown rice contain all 3 parts of the grain.   Processed grains like white rice, have the bran and germ removed, leaving only the white endosperm part of the grain.   Brown Rice is more nutritious than white rice Because brown rice has all parts of the grain, brown rice provides more fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium and manganese.   White rice ...

What are some easy ways to add some whole grains to your day especially in March as March is National Nutrition Month?   When I told my husband that March was National Nutrition Month, he said, “I plan to celebrate by having an extra banana and carrot.”    Very funny.   But he did suggest healthy choices.   You can also celebrate National Nutrition Month by adding some whole grains to your diet.   What are some health benefits of whole grains?   Do you have to give up chips to have healthier snacks?    I like chips and snacks and it isn’t hard to make some healthier choices.     1. Why are whole grains so good for our health? The Mayo Clinic writes , “Why whole grains are the healthier choice”.   They state if you want to eat healthier, you need to add some whole grains to your day.   A dietitian at the Mayo Clinic notes, “The healthiest bread option is something made with whole grains.   It needs to say who...

Are you eating whole grains?   Can you name 3 whole grain cereals, name 3 whole grain crackers?   In the class I teach, it is amazing how few students eat whole grains until they learn how very important whole grains are to their health.   How can you add more whole grains to your day and why are whole grains so important to good health?           1.   What are whole grains?       The Whole Grains Council provides excellent guidance on whole grains and even have a tutorial,  Whole Grains 101 .  We are all familiar with grains – wheat, corn, oats, barley, quinoa, spelt, rye, rice.  It is interesting that all grains start out as “Whole Grains”.  It is only in refining that parts of the grain are removed, the healthiest parts.  When a grain is refined, it is no longer a “whole grain”.  Whole Grains include ALL 3 Parts of the grain – the bran (rich in fiber, antioxidants and B vi...