KTK-Nutrition

Carbs – so many myths about carbs.   Come January, you hear about people going on diets and many people say they are “cutting my carbs”.   Are there carbs you should cut back on?   Yes, but there are also carbs you should be adding to your diet, not cutting.   Healthy carbs add important nutrients to your diet.   And carbs are your body’s fuel.   Low carb diets can mean low energy diets.   I love carbs and we aren’t cutting carbs in our family.   Recently, I was out eating lunch with my two daughters.   The waiter asked, “would you like a bread basket?”    We all responded in unison, “YES!”   And we enjoyed every piece of bread in that bread basket. So, what are the “healthy carbs” and what are the carbs we actually should be cutting back on? What are carbs? I showed a video in the nutrition class I teach that asked people on the street, “What are carbs?”   Most people really couldn’t answer that question. ...

So many myths about carbs.    Are carbs good or bad for your health?   A student in my class, Nicole Hamby, has been asked to be a guest author on this blog site.   Her paper on Good vs Bad Carbs is below.        Carbohydrates have been given a very bad reputation. However, it is not the actual carbohydrate that is bad, but what we have created them into with all of our processing. Instead of eating brown rice or whole wheat bread, Americans have chosen to consume the refined processed versions. Not only do these processed foods now lack essential nutrients but some of them can contribute to obesity and type II diabetes. Perhaps instead of grabbing a handful of jelly beans, which contains refined simple sugars, a piece of fruit would be much more beneficial to help prevent some of these diseases. While fruit may contain some simple sugars, it is natural, unrefined, and packed with vitamins your body needs. Whole grains, which are comp...

This  week my husband saw an interesting slide show on MSN health and fitness, 35 simple tips to help you lose weight and keep it off too!    They have some great suggestions.    Their focus: We're not talking about drastic measures here, but quick and easy changes you can make in your daily life to help you achieve your weight loss goals.   If you want to see all 35 tips, click the link.   Here are a few they highlighted:      Don’t give up your favorite foods – how often do you hear someone say, “I ate a cookie and blew my diet.”   Nonsense, as Joyce Meyer says, “ eat the cookie ”.   But don’t eat the whole box.   MSN recommends limiting the number of times you eat your favorite or junk food to once a week and eat less of it than you normally do.     Opt for Whole grains – so many people forgo the whole grains when they are such a healthy addition to your diet.   My relatives are now into Ezekiel br...

Which carbs are good for your health?  Introduction:   In the nutrition class I teach, students were asked to respond to and prepare a convincing argument to counter the myth, Carbohydrates are bad for you .  One of those students, Jackie Kunstmann, has been asked to be a guest author on this blog site.  Her paper on The Case for Carbs is below. Carbohydrates, or “carbs,” have been given a lot of bad press lately.  Many people I know are very quick to jump onto the Atkins or South Beach Diets with their low carbohydrate ways when wanting to lose weight. I even had leanings this way until this Nutrition class.  The DRI Committee has determined that all persons need to have a diet composed of 46 to 65% of carbohydrates (with only 10 to 35% for protein and 20 to 35% for fat) to adequately meet their energy needs and reduce the risk of chronic disease.(1)  The USDA’s current dietary recommendation, My Plate , features the plate being filled with ove...

Who hasn’t heard the myth, “Carbs are bad for you.”   You should avoid carbs”.   Really, is that myth true?   Briefly, NO – you shouldn’t avoid carbs.    There are “bad carbs” such as white sugar and white flour but there are many good carbs such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.   Avoiding carbs can mean avoiding the many nutrients carbs provide that our bodies need and that athletes need. Should athletes focus on carbs?   Absolutely.   For good athletic performance, an athlete needs carbs.   During exercise, carbs provide the greatest source of energy in the form of glucose.   Our bodies convert the carbs we eat to glucose.   Glucose is the sugar in our blood that feeds our cells and glycogen is how we store carb energy in our muscles and liver.   Eating carbs before a workout, before soccer, baseball or other sports game provides one with the energy needed for that event. Weight lifters – should those who are...