KTK-Nutrition

Everyone has heard the recommendation of drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day.   And water is an essential nutrient and we should be drinking water every day.   But can drinking water help you lose a few unwanted pounds?   If so, how? Relatives and friends often send me blog suggestions.   This week my daughter sent me an interesting article in Medical News Today, Can water help you lose weight?   The article describes 6 ways just drinking more water can promote weight loss. As noted in previous blog posts, water is important for many reasons including staying hydrated ( How to stay hydrated this summer ) and to help prevent kidney stones ( Kidney stones and prevention ).   How does water help with weight loss?             1.  Drinking water can help suppress your appetite Drinking some water before a meal can fill up your stomach so you feel fuller and less hungry.   A 2014 study o...

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...