KTK-Nutrition

Vegetables, just say this word and people have some strong reactions.   Some people love vegetables and others not so much.   Last week I wrote about bananas, such a healthy fruit (See:   Enjoy bananas for good health ).   I always have a banana a day and even bring bananas with us on road trips to be sure I can eat a banana.   What about vegetables?   Some of my nutrition students ate few or no vegetables.   When they did their diet recalls, their “vegetable” was often a slice of lettuce on a burger.   Recently I was in Subway and watching a woman order subs for her kids.   She ordered a 12-foot sub with meat and cheese and a lot of mayonnaise.   When it came time for the vegetables to put on the sub, she stated her son didn’t like vegetables.   Not a one, not even a few slices of lettuce.   Pretty sad as Subway actually offers quite a choice of veggies to put on a sub.   When I go to Subway, I ask for just about every v...

As the weather turns colder, who doesn’t like a hot bowl of soup?   Is soup healthy?   What nutritional value does soup have?   Actually, soup can be a healthy addition to your diet.   What are some health benefits of enjoying that bowl of soup on a cold day? Vegetables – many soups are either loaded with vegetables or the base of the soup is made from vegetables.   Many Americans are low on veggies and soup is an easy way to add some veggies to your day.   If you have a toddler who is fussy about eating vegetables, that toddler may eat the smaller pieces of the soft vegetables in vegetable soup. Even kids who won’t eat tomatoes might enjoy a bowl of tomato soup.   And as I have noted before, cooking some vegetables actually makes them healthier.   The lycopene in tomato soup is better absorbed than the lycopene in a raw tomato.   Enjoy some split pea soup and you added veggies and beta carotene (vitamin A) to your day.   As noted i...

Many of my students and blog followers ask, “What foods can I eat for healthier skin”?   There are many topical beauty products one can buy for healthier skin but eating healthy foods should be a first step.   Eat This, Not That ! has a great article, 25 Healthy Foods That Give You Glowing Skin .   Besides eating healthy, keeping the sun off your face by wearing a hat and using sunscreen are also wise ideas.   The article makes the point that having healthy, “hydrated skin starts from within” by eating healthy foods.   Healthy foods can help build up collagen in your skin, and help strengthen your skin. Collagen is important as one New York dermatologist says, “It’s the glue that holds the body together.   “Collagen makes up about 75% of the dry weight of your skin, providing volume that keeps skin looking plump and keeps lines at bay.”   What are some foods that promote healthy skin and what is in these foods that works that magic? Tomatoes – ...

Who isn’t interested in upping their immune system and boosting their health during this COVID-19 pandemic?   One way to do so is to boost your intake of foods rich in antioxidants.   Everyone has heard of our need for vitamins and minerals, but for good health we also need the oh so important antioxidants.   MSN has a good article this month, Why antioxidants are so important to your overall health .   What are antioxidants?      NIH notes “Antioxidants are man-made or natural substances that may prevent or delay some types of cell damage.”   Some vitamins and minerals have antioxidant properties like Vitamins C and E and the mineral, selenium.   But there are other antioxidants naturally present in foods like carotenoids (think orange like carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe) that include beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin.   No need to remember the chemical names, but what is important to know is which foods are ric...