KTK-Nutrition

So many people focus on cutting back on carbs but not as many focus on cutting back on fat in their diets.   Some fats are truly the bad fats, the worst kinds of fat for your health.   These are trans fats.   Trans fats are so bad for your health that during 2007-2011, eleven counties in New York actually banned trans fats.   Restaurants, bakeries and concessions like park concessions could no longer sell foods containing trans fats.   This became a perfect experiment on trans fats and health as some counties in New York allowed trans fat in food sold in public places and other counties did not.   Granted, in every county in New York you could still go to the grocery store and buy foods containing trans fats, but not in restaurants and other public establishments that sold food.   So, what did the researchers find?   Heart disease – in counties that banned trans fats, heart disease declined even more than in counties that did not ban the...

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was “brain food”?    Just eat a few foods and be smarter, more alert, improve your memory?   Well, apparently there are foods you can eat to improve your memory and learning.   A recent article in Environmental Nutrition, 5 Steps for Feeding Your Brain , lists a number of foods and steps to feed your brain.           1.    Foods rich in Phytonutrients – these aren’t vitamins or minerals but plant nutrients that have health benefits to plants and to us.   There are many phytonutrients, the one called flavonoids, are good for brain health.   These promote memory and learning.   Whole plant foods are better than processed so choose:         a.        Citrus fruits – whole orange vs. orange juice, grapefruit, slices of lemon in ice water              ...