KTK-Nutrition

Have you ever heard of brain food?   Foods you can eat for a healthier brain?   I always told my students that before an exam they should drink some water.   Why?   Because even being slightly dehydrated (1%-5%) can adversely affect brain function .   A 2% decrease in brain hydration can result in short term memory loss and have trouble with math computations. Besides staying hydrated, what foods can you eat for a healthier brain? My sister sent me an interesting article, “ People who eat magnesium-rich foods like spinach and almonds may have bigger, healthier brains” .    Why magnesium?   According to NIH , about half of Americans have diets deficient in magnesium.   It is known as a “silent deficiency” as most people are totally unaware that they are lacking in magnesium.   What are the health benefits of magnesium?   Magnesium is a mineral that has many roles to play in your body.         Heart – ...

Are you eating some nuts every day?   When teaching nutrition, I often told my students little habits like eating a handful of nuts a day, can be good for your health.   Some people think healthy eating is giving up things like sweets, chips.   But I emphasize adding healthy foods to your day.   It is easy to add a handful of nuts to your day.   In one nutrition class I was teaching, I was talking about eating some nuts every day.   I looked over and a student had a can full of nuts and was munching away on them.   This student could afford the calories in more than a handful of nuts and he always brought to class some nutritious snack.   This week both my sister and my daughter sent me some good articles on nuts and I thought it would be good to discuss how healthy nuts are.    What are some health benefits of eating nuts? Nutrition :   nuts are loaded with vitamins, minerals, are low in carbs and the fat in nuts is a heart hea...

Are you getting your daily vitamin C?   Growing up everyone had juice glasses in their homes and almost everyone drank some real, 100% juice for breakfast.   This could be orange juice, tomato juice or grapefruit juice.   Now, juice glasses are a rarity in people’s home.   And, rather than real, 100% juice, the people that do drink “juice” often choose a fake juice or a fruit drink that contains little or no juice.   But you do not have to drink juice to get enough vitamin C.   Many fruits and vegetables are rich in C. What is vitamin C?   Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that is also known as ascorbic acid.   What does “essential” mean?   It means your body does not make vitamin C and you need to “eat it to get it”. Since it is water-soluble vitamin, your body does not store it and you should eat some vitamin C rich foods every day.   How does vitamin C help keep you healthy? Some people hear “vitamin C” and they think of colds...

Who doesn’t like bananas?   One of my favorite fruits.   Such a fave, that I eat a banana every morning.   What are some health benefits and convenience of eating bananas?   Easy and convenient Bananas are now available in grocery stores all year.   One doesn’t have to wait for them to be in season. Bananas are easy to store, don’t need refrigeration and easy to pack in a lunch. Kids find bananas easy to eat.   If you ever went to a school lunch room when apples are served, you would be shocked to see how many apples have a tiny bite in them and then the rest of the apple hits the garbage can.   But when bananas are served, the kids usually eat all of the banana.    What are the health benefits of bananas? Potassium:   Loaded with the mineral, potassium .   “A medium banana gives you 422 milligrams, which is 9% of what you need every day.”   Potassium helps you lower your blood pressure.   How?   Potassium h...

Enjoy some vitamin C rich foods every day. Most people know we need vitamin C daily.   Are you getting the vitamin C you need each day?   Just because a fruit drink is labelled rich in vitamin C, it doesn’t mean it is a healthy choice.   What foods and beverages have vitamin C and why do our bodies need vitamin C? What is vitamin C? You may see “vitamin C” on a label or you may see its scientific name, ascorbic acid, on a label.   Our bodies don’t make vitamin C so we must get this important vitamin from the foods we eat or the juices we drink.   Why do our bodies need vitamin C? Healthy Skin : Vitamin C is important to our bodies in so many ways.   Want healthy skin?   Then eat foods rich in vitamin C as vitamin C helps our bodies boost collagen production.   To make collagen, your body needs vitamin C.   Vitamin C not only supports collagen production, it helps stimulate collagen production .   Vitamin C also protects your ...