KTK-Nutrition

What is “Healthy Eating”?   Ask some of your friends and you will get so many different answers.   Some may say stop eating “junk food”, but what is “junk food”?   It means something different to whomever you ask.   Some may say, “cut back on carbs”.   Why?   We want good carbs in our diet – whole grains, fruit and vegetables.   So, what are some easy things for you to do to eat healthier? I like to tell my students to eat healthier, there are foods you should be adding to your diet.   What are some of those foods and things you should be doing to eat healthier ? Stay hydrated - -drink plenty of fluids throughout the day.   If you are thirsty, your body is becoming dehydrated.   It doesn’t have to be water.   You can hydrate with real juice, ice tea (unsweetened to avoid the added sugar), coffee.   As noted in my blog, How to Stay Hydrated this Summer , real milk and real orange juice are beverages that are actually more hyd...

Now that the weather has turned colder, it is time to think about how you can protect yourself and family members from getting colds or flu this winter.    There are many things people can do in terms of diet, exercise and habits that can greatly reduce your chances of getting sick.    What diet and other changes can you focus on to boost your immune system and keep you healthy?      1.   Fruits and Vegetables – 5 A Day is the suggested amount but eating even more than 5 A Day during the cold and flu season is a wise choice. a.        Antioxidants for your immune system: Fruits and vegetables are not only full of vitamins and minerals but also antioxidants that can help you fight off those infections and build your immune system.   But each color of fruit and vegetable has different antioxidants.   To ensure you are getting a wide range of colors, vary your colors.   Include many differ...

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...

We have all heard that you should drink 8 glasses of water a day for good health.   But is this true?   What if you drink coffee, tea and only 4 glasses of water a day?   Are you unhealthy?   Now that it is summer, paying attention to fluid intake is a good idea.   How do you know if you are becoming dehydrated?   Thirst is the first sign of dehydration.   So if you are thirsty, get something to drink to replenish your body fluids. Does coffee, tea count as fluid?   Yes.   Both are fluids that can help you stay hydrated.    Popular belief says these drinks contain caffeine so they don’t count as “fluids” or part of the 8 glasses a day.   But that isn’t true.   Researchers have found that the caffeine in these beverages doesn’t cancel out their hydration effects. Does milk, juice or even foods like watermelon – other foods count towards our “water” intake?   Yes.   All liquids count towards your fluid inta...