KTK-Nutrition

Do you know anyone playing sports this fall or coming winter?   In order to play at one’s best, one has to eat healthy.   As I noted before, many people have a poor understanding of what “eating healthy” means.   This month I will focus on eating well for sports, starting with protein.   Although focused on sports, the information provided is helpful to anyone interested in nutrition and eating healthier.   Ask some friends or family members, “Which food provides the highest quality protein?”   You will be surprised that few people know the correct answer. Many young people playing sports want to boost their muscle mass but often have little understanding about protein.   What foods are the best sources of high-quality proteins?   What does “high quality” protein actually mean?   How do you know what protein foods are high quality? A nutritionist in the United Kingdom and host of Movement and Nutrition on Facebook, wrote an interesting...

Yogurt was so popular for many years.   And rightly so as it is a very healthy food to add to your diet.   However, in the past year or so, my husband has noted the shelf space for yogurt is getting less and less.   And the flavors we used to love are getting harder to find.   This means the popularity of yogurt is waning but this is not good news for people’s health.   Not only does yogurt provide a good source of calcium, it also provides vitamin D, a vitamin so many Americans are low in.   Recently I was talking to a health care professional and she stated how many of her patients are deficient in vitamin D.   Guess those patients aren’t drinking cow’s milk, eating yogurt and going outside.   Yogurt also provides an excellent quality protein. Consumer Reports has an excellent article on yogurts .   Why is yogurt so healthy? Calcium – Children and adults need bone-building calcium every day.   Easy to do if you drink milk at me...

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...

Who doesn’t enjoy some sweets in their diet?   We all like our desserts and treating ourselves.   There are a lot of myths about sugar in our diets.   Food for Health has a great article this month on Sugar:   The Not-So-Sweet Truth .   Do you believe some of these myths about sugar?   Below are some common myths many people have about sugar. Myth 1:   Some sugars such as honey or agave are healthier for you than white table sugar or high fructose corn syrup. A little bit true, as honey and agave do provide some traces of vitamins and minerals such as potassium and vitamin C.   But the amounts are so small, that honey and agave are not really healthier than white table sugar or high fructose corn syrup.   Some people use honey as a cough suppressant .   Others like the taste of honey in baked foods like muffins.   Nothing wrong with choosing honey or agave, they just aren’t much healthier.     Myth 2: ...

Are you eating some yogurt every day?   You should be.   Researchers are finding more and more health benefits to eating yogurt.   When teaching nutrition, I give the students nutrition “homework” focused on healthier eating habits.   One big piece of dietary advice is to add yogurt to their day.   My husband has added yogurt to his breakfast meal as he finds his breakfast seems to last longer and stave off those morning hunger pains.   I like yogurt at lunch.   Even on vacation, we bring our yogurt or find a store to buy some so we don’t miss our “daily dose” of yogurt. Should you buy low fat or regular yogurt? Consumer Reports has an interesting article, Is Whole-Milk Yogurt a Whole Lot Better?   Taste – some people prefer the taste of whole-milk yogurt and for many it has a richer, creamier taste.   I am so used to low-fat yogurt that whole-milk yogurt seems too rich for me.     Is Whole-Milk yogurt healthier?   Mo...