KTK-Nutrition

Who doesn’t love some pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving or any other time of year?   Fall is a great time to enjoy some fall foods and many of these foods, like pumpkin, are loaded with good nutrition.   I always tell my students to enjoy their pumpkin pie or some pumpkin pudding. Pumpkin – a very healthy, nutritious food.   So, enjoy some pumpkin pie, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancakes, or pumpkin muffins.   Pumpkin is loaded with beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.   The beta-carotene gives pumpkin its orange coloring. Beta-carotene is super healthy as it helps prevent cancer, protects against asthma and for older folks helps reduce the risk of getting macular degeneration.   Additionally, pumpkin adds fiber to your day and many Americans aren’t getting enough fiber.   Besides pie, there are many other ways to enjoy pumpkin: pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, or enjoy some pumpkin pancakes.   Good information on the surprising heal...

Who doesn’t love to snack?   Some people think snacking is bad for you, but not so.   Healthy snacks can add some important nutrients to your day.   And kids need some snacks as they have small stomachs and need some snacks between meals.   Americans love their snacks as 73% of us eat at least one snack a day (up from 57% in 2019).   Who is snacking?   According to Food Insight , 78% of Millennials and 79% of parents with kids under 18 enjoy snacking at least once a day.     Why do people snack?   Food Insight’s survey shows: Hungry or thirsty:     34% Snacks are a treat:     25% Need energy:   22% Snacking is a habit:   21% As noted, many people say they snack because they are hungry or thirsty.   And that may be true, especially for growing children and teenagers.   Others are craving sweets and some people crave a salty snack.   Some people think snacking is bad for your health.   B...

So many Americans have diabetes.   The National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2022 , which is published by the Centers for Disease Control, provides information on the prevalence and incidence of diabetes and prediabetes, and the risk factors for this disease and complications and costs.   Here are some facts from this report. Diabetes Facts: 37.3 million Americans have diabetes. This equates to 11.3% of the U.S. population Diagnosed – 28.7 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes Undiagnosed – 8.5 million have diabetes but are not yet diagnosed.   Prediabetes 96 million Americans aged 18 and older have prediabetes.   This is 38.0% of the U.S. population. Of those who are 65 and older:   26.4 million have prediabetes.    What are the best diets for those with diabetes? As noted in the past few weeks’ blog posts, the U.S. News & World Report ranks diets best for overall health, best weight-loss diets but also the Best Diabetes ...

Who hasn ’t heard people talking about losing weight .   As I noted in a recent blog, a guy on Twitter went to his doctor and the doctor said his BMI was too high and he needed to lose 67 pounds.   Now, that is a challenge.   What weight loss diet should this guy chose to go on?   What are some healthy choices that will help him lose weight but not cut out food groups or nutrients needed for good health?   What diet will help him not only lose weight but keep it off because the diet emphasizes lifestyle changes and adopting good habits? Anyone can go on a diet and lose some weight.   But often people choose a fad diet that may result in some weight loss but then they give up on it and many gain the weight back.   What most people want is to lose weight and keep it off.   This requires more than a diet, but lifestyle changes like more exercise and more healthy foods.   A relative gained some weight over the holidays.   Rather than goin...