KTK-Nutrition

Who doesn’t love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?   What is the number one sandwich consumed at lunch in the U.S.?   You guessed it, the simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich.   So simple to make and it can be a pretty healthy addition to your diet.   But many people are buying a ready-made PB&J and not bothering to make their own PB&J sandwiches.   Years ago, a student noted they ate an “Uncrustable” for lunch.   I had no idea what this was so I looked it up.   I was really surprised that she was buying a ready-made peanut butter and jelly sandwich.   Even more surprising, this week I read that Smucker’s Uncrustables are now nearly a $1 billion a year business.   So popular that Smucker’s is building their third Uncrustable factory.   What are Uncrustables? Smucker’s notes Uncrustables are frozen sandwiches, prep-less, crustless and a day-saver.   These include not just the traditional “sandwiches” made from pean...

Are you making some nutrition mistakes?   Even those who are health conscious and pride themselves on eating well can make some of the mistakes noted below.   Or, you may be interested in eating healthier and want to avoid some nutrition mistakes.    An interesting article in the Washington Post, 10 Nutrition Mistakes Even Really Healthy People Make covered a number of “mistakes” you may not be aware of.   What are some of these nutrition mistakes?          1.       Flax seeds – Flax seeds are the latest trend and healthy so you add some whole flax seeds to your cereal, your smoothie.   Flax seeds are super healthy, loaded with heart healthy omega-3 fats plus fiber and some antioxidants.   But to get the benefit of flax seeds, don’t eat them whole as they may go through you pretty much undigested.   Instead, buy ground flax seeds and sprinkle some on your morning oatmeal, add to your sm...

The health headlines this week read:   To Live Longer, Cut Out the Bacon and Soda; Eat More Nuts.     Researchers studied what foods are linked to a longer life and what foods are linked to diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.   They found a diet high in processed foods like bacon and high sugar foods like soda shorten your life and a diet high in healthy food choices like nuts leads to a longer life.   The study published in JAMA reviewed diets of 7000,000 Americans who died from heart disease, strokes or diabetes.   They analyzed what they ate or did not eat.   A great research article to focus on during March, National Nutrition Month. What foods/nutrients to eat to live longer by lessening your chances of a heart attack, stroke or diabetes? “ Good” Foods – Eat more of these for a longer life: Nuts – As noted in a number of my blogs, a handful of nuts a day is a Dr. Oz recommendation and a good habit to adapt.  ...

February was heart health month and March is National Nutrition Month, a campaign led by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.   Their theme this year is, “Put Your Best Fork Forward” meaning that each bite of food counts and even small changes in your diet can have big health benefits.   The overall theme of this nutrition/health blog has been small changes for a healthier you.   Recently, students in the nutrition class I teach wrote down everything they ate for 24 hours.   One student ate Frosted Flakes for breakfast.   I noted if they made just one change, switching to a General Mills cereal such as Cheerios or choosing oatmeal for breakfast, would be a huge change in their diet. Why?   By just switching to a healthier cereal, they would add a serving of whole grains, more fiber, and more nutrients to their day.   The student went to the grocery store, bought a new cereal, took a picture of the box and showed me the picture at the next class. Th...

How many times do you hear people say, “I am watching my carbs.”   Have you ever heard someone say, “I am watching the fat in my diet”?   Probably not.   So much focus on carbs but so little focus on fat in one’s diet.   Since February is heart health month, let’s look at what fats you should be “watching” in your diet.   We need fat in our diets but we also should cut back on saturated fats in our diets.   The Dietary Guidelines offer specific recommendations about saturated fat: Limit calories from saturated fat by consuming an eating pattern low in saturated fats.   Specifically, by consuming less than 10 percent of calories per day from saturated fats.   Why the focus on lowering our saturated fat intake? The Dietary Guidelines and the American Heart Association recommend lowering our saturated fat intake because: The recommendation to limit intake of calories from saturated fats to less than 10 percent per day is a target based...

Almost everyone is interested in healthy habits but then seem confused by nutrition myths as to what is healthy.   So many people are “watching their carbs” or avoiding starches, avoiding bread.   But none of these are really healthy habits.   Adopting good, healthy eating habits and making even small changes in daily habits can result in good things for your health.   The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition has Eight Healthy Eating Goals .    We will review 4 this week and 4 goals next week.   They recommend making small changes each week towards a healthier diet and a healthier you. Goal 1:    Make half your plate fruits and vegetables :     Eating more fruits and vegetables is so very important to good health.   The easiest way to do this is 5 A Day – aiming for eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day.   Have a serving of fruit at breakfast, a fruit and vegetable serving at lunch and then 2 veg...

What are 4 nutrition habits you can adopt in 2017 that are easy and will lead to a healthier you?    So many people make New Year’s Resolutions with broad goals that they never attain.    Goals such as “I will lose weight.”   “I will exercise more.”    No specifics and no real changes in your habits.   What are some nutrition habits you can easily adopt in 2017 that will improve your health, the way you look and the way you feel?   Try adopting one of these habits a month and see how easy it is to eat healthier in 2017. Nutrition Habit #1:   Eat breakfast Eat breakfast every day.   So many people skip breakfast, send their kids off to school without any breakfast and then wonder why they feel so tired by 10 AM.   Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day and the way to fuel up and “break the fast” of not eating all night. Whole grains – breakfast is a great time to add some whole grains to your day. Ce...