KTK-Nutrition

Everyone has heard of Alzheimer’s and you may know people who have suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.   My sister called my attention to an article in Forbes magazine, People with Alzheimer’s disease tend to be deficient in these 5 nutrients that ‘help keep brains in top condition at all ages’ researchers say.   What are these 5 nutrients and how do these nutrients help protect against Alzheimer’s disease?   These research findings are interesting to me not only as a nutritionist but the work Forbes cited was done at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine by Professor Kathleen Dorey. What was the study and what other studies have been done? Virginia Tech scientists analyzed the brains of 31 donors, average age 75.   Most but not all of the donors had died with Alzheimer’s.   The scientists found that those with Alzheimer’s had brains with only half the level of 5 nutrients.   NIH has also studied diet in preventing Alzheimer’s Disease.   ...

Who doesn’t enjoy some fresh watermelon?   So juicy and naturally sweet.   We have some sliced watermelon in our fridge as my husband went to the farmer’s market this week. Many people enjoy watermelon and don’t realize how healthy it is.   Cleveland Clinic says, “watermelon should be part of your diet”.   Why?   Watermelon is “packed with vitamins and minerals and can be enjoyed all year ‘round”.   We hear a lot about superfoods like blueberries but we don’t hear much about other fruits like watermelon.    Watermelon packs a big nutritious punch. One reason why watermelon is so good for your health is that it is loaded with many vitamins and minerals as well as fiber.            Vitamins : watermelon is a good source of vitamins A, C and many B vitamins.   One cup of watermelon balls provides 12.5 mg of vitamin C, almost 25% of daily needs.   One cup also provides 876 IU of vitamin A, ...

As the weather turns colder, we think of enjoying a hot cup of soup.   Last week, we enjoyed tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.   True comfort food.   How healthy is soup?   Have you tried making your own soup?   Some recipes are actually pretty easy to make and taste oh so good.   Livestrong asks “ Why is Soup Healthy ?” Vegetables – soup is a great way to add some vegetables to your day.   A relative hates tomatoes but enjoys a bowl of tomato soup.   Tomatoes are loaded with good nutrition – vitamins A and C and the healthy antioxidant, lycopene, which is so good for your eyes.   An interesting fact :   about 80% of our dietary lycopene comes from tomato products like tomato soup.   And, the lycopene from cooked products, like tomato soup, is even more bioavailable than lycopene in raw tomatoes.     Vegetable soup, pea soup, bean soup – so many choices that add some veggies to your day.   Kids often shu...

Who doesn’t enjoy some fresh watermelon?   So juicy and naturally sweet.   We have some sliced watermelon in our fridge as my husband went to the farmer’s market this week. Many people enjoy watermelon and don’t realize how healthy it is.   A dietitian, Julie Upton, provides some great news about watermelon in her article, One Major Side Effect of Eating Watermelon, Says Dietitian .   We do hear a lot about superfoods like blueberries but we don’t hear much about other fruits like watermelon.   Watermelon packs a big nutritious punch. One reason why watermelon is so good for your health is that it is loaded with many vitamins and minerals as well as fiber.   Vitamins : watermelon is a good source of vitamins A, C and many B vitamins.   One cup of watermelon balls provides 12.5 mg of vitamin C, almost 25% of daily needs.   One cup also provides 876 IU of vitamin A, almost 20% of daily needs.   Minerals :   think potassium.  ...

When you hear someone giving you nutrition advice – how do you know if it is good advice or some myth?   There is so much information on nutrition and some is reliable and some is not.   Here are 5 Nutrition Myths you may have heard of.     “Sugar is Addictive” – Most people know sugar isn’t healthy.   I was talking with a relative about sugar and she stated that we all need some sugar each day – some white table sugar.   Out of respect, I didn’t argue with her but no, we don’t need any white table sugar.   In fact, our bodies easily make sugar (glucose) out of the carbs we eat each day.   Some people think that if you eat foods with white table sugar or other added sugar, you will be addicted to “sugar”.   Food Addicts Anonymous recommends abstinence from sugar (along with flour and wheat which makes no nutrition sense.)   Science doesn’t back up the claim that sugar is addictive.   An article in the European Journal of Nutri...

Who doesn’t want to stop father time?   So many advertisements for products that promise one can slow down the clock.   Are there foods you can eat that may slow the aging process?   Eat This, Not That had an interesting article on anti-aging foods and how some foods can help you look and actually feel younger.   Who doesn’t want that?   What are some foods that can help your hair, skin, nails and even your joints?   1. What fats promote healthy skin? a.       Olive oil – yes, we are always being told to cut the fat in our diets.   But some fats are healthy fats and olive oil is one of the healthy fats.   What does olive oil have to do with fighting wrinkles?   Think omega-3 fats and olive oil is rich in omega-3’s.   These healthy fats help fight the so called “free radicals” that harm your skin.   Additionally, olive oil has some healthy antioxidants that may also reduce harmful skin damage that c...

Enjoy that pasta and cover it with some spaghetti sauce.   How healthy is spaghetti sauce?   Are some brands healthier than others?   What should you look for when buying spaghetti sauce? Is spaghetti sauce healthy? Yes.   Spaghetti sauce provides vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.   All good for your health.    Vitamins :   Spaghetti sauce is full of a number of vitamins like vitamins A, C and K.   A half cup serving of spaghetti sauce supplies about 10 mg of vitamin C.   An important vitamin for collagen formation and our immune system.   A half cup supplies about 1000 IU of vitamin A or about 20% of what you need each day.   Vitamin A helps us see at night and for our skin as it builds the connective tissue under our skin.   I always tell my students to eat carrots for healthier skin but I can add eat some spaghetti with tomato sauce on it for healthier skin.   Vitamin K – lots of it in spaghet...