KTK-Nutrition

 So much nutrition information on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and all over the internet.   Easy to find nutrition information, but what it true and what is a myth?   A while back I had a student in my class who seemed to know a lot about nutrition.   One day I asked him why he was taking my nutrition class as he seemed so knowledgeable about nutrition.   He replied that he wanted to know what was true and what wasn’t.   What were really the facts and what were myths and misinformation?   Just because something about nutrition is on the internet, doesn’t make it true.   What are some popular nutrition ideas that are in fact nutrition myths?          1.   Will going on a gluten-free diet promote weight loss? Will going gluten-free improve your health? Go to the store and package after package is labelled “gluten-free”.   Some are so odd like “gluten-free juice”.   Why would juice have any grains i...

Eggs – who hasn’t heard that eggs are high in cholesterol and we should limit how many eggs we eat?   Because of this, many of us have cut back on how many eggs we consume.   But what does the latest research show?   Gluten free – one of the latest fads in eating.   One can hardly buy a packaged good without seeing “gluten-free” on the label.   But are gluten-free foods good for your health?   Do you really need to be concerned about gluten?    Did you read my blog last week about how much plastic we are consuming each week in our foods and beverages?   This week I took a look around the kitchen and was surprised to see how many foods that used to be in glass or cardboard, are now in plastic.   Are there ways to cut back on plastic?   Let’s look at each of these topics. Enjoy those eggs Eggs are much maligned – we have been scared for years about eating too many eggs. But for those of us who love eggs, there is good news.   Yes...

How often have you heard of a person cutting out a food or group of foods because they read something on Facebook or saw an ad on the internet?   I actually saw a headline that read “The Reason You Should Never Eat Bananas”.   So untrue.   Luckily, the Doctor who posted this article dispelled this myth and admitted to eating 2 bananas a day. I eat a banana every day – as bananas are so good for one’s health.   Yet, so many people are confused about such claims.   Some articles on Facebook or the internet tell you to ban a healthy food like bananas, or even ban an entire food group.   Some dietitians in Vancouver wrote a great article, “ 7 ‘Toxic” Foods That Aren’t Actually Toxic ” that helps explain some of these myths about foods that some people have labelled “toxic” to your health.   What is the nutritional truth about these foods?   1. Gluten – you can’t go to the grocery store, a restaurant or open up a magazine without seeing the word...

How healthy is the pasta in your spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, rigatoni, and other pasta dishes?   So many people have been avoiding pasta as it is a “carb” and they think carbs are unhealthy.   Americans still enjoy their pasta as we eat about 20 pounds of it a year.   How healthy is pasta? Pasta provides a lot of nutrition.   Not just carbs but also protein, about 5-7 grams of protein in a cup of cooked pasta.   The flour used to make pasta is a high protein durum wheat flour which is higher in protein than other types of flour. If you want to add more nutrition to your spaghetti or pasta dish, add some whole wheat pasta.   We usually use about ¾ white pasta and about ¼ whole wheat pasta.   Some people use all whole wheat pasta but it is a taste one needs to get used to.   Most people hardly notice if you add just a little whole wheat pasta.   Even the white pasta provides some fiber.   And pasta is enriched with some B ...