KTK-Nutrition

Who doesn’t love a good cup of coffee or two to start their day?    I often get asked, “Is coffee good for one’s health?”    What does the research show?      My sister sent me an article describing the latest health benefit of drinking coffee. What are the health benefits of drinking coffee? Johns Hopkins notes  9 reasons  coffee is good for you.  What are some of the benefits? Coffee is loaded with healthful antioxidants .  These may lower inflammation and help protect against several diseases. Coffee lowers one’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes . Coffee lowers one’s risk of heart failure.   Enjoy those 2 cups of coffee a day as it makes your heart stronger. Coffee drinkers are less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease .  Coffee drinking is good for your liver .  How?  Coffee drinking promotes good liver enzymes. Coffee drinking reduces your risk of colon cancer  – a condition now...

Colon cancer was always a concern for people over the age of 50.    But now, it is becoming increasingly more common for people under the age of 50 to be diagnosed with colon cancer.    While colon cancer has been declining for older adults, since 1990 colorectal cancer has been increasing in younger adults (under 50) with rates increasing 2% a year.   What is the incidence of colon cancer in younger adults? Among those younger than 55 years of age, the proportion of cases increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019.  Although the  overall rate  dropped by 1% each year from 2012 to 2021, the drop was mostly in older adults, those 65 and older.    Why is the incidence of colon cancer increasing in younger adults? Research is investigating the  reasons  but factors being explored are diet, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and even changes in the gut microbiome, the bacteria in your gut.  (See:   Healthie...

So many people talk about “eating healthier” and then go on a fad diet thinking it is good for their health.   A TV personality said he avoids bread and cereal to eat healthier.   But is avoiding any food group a healthy choice?   What does “eating healthy” mean?   In the classes I taught, students always recommended we should “eat healthy”.   But when I asked them what this means they often struggle to come up with specifics.   Are there healthy diets to follow?   A diet not for weight loss or weight gain, but just a healthy eating pattern? Not a “diet” you go on for a week or two but a lifelong way of eating for a healthier you.         I was watching TV recently and saw the commercial for taking pills to get your fruit and veggies each day.   Rather than take pills, eat your fruit and veggies to eat healthier in 2025.   A popular quote from Hulk Hogan is “Train.   Say your prayers.   Eat your vitamins....

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.”   ...

So many commercials on TV advertise how one can ease their chronic pain and inflammation with one product after another.   But rarely is there anything about nutrition and chronic pain.   My daughter gave me an interesting article she found in the Cooperative Living magazine, Slowing Pain.   A nutritional approach for easing chronic pain .   While medications and therapies are common treatments, nutrition also plays a crucial role in managing these conditions.   How can you use nutrition to help ease chronic pain and inflammation?   What causes inflammation?   According to the Cleveland Clinic , “Inflammation is the body’s immune response to toxins as it works to “purify” itself.   The resulting inflammation not only causes pain in the body.   Over time, it also can trigger chronic diseases, such as heart disease and strokes, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and even depression.”   How can food help fight inflammation? The good news...