KTK-Nutrition

When the scale isn’t moving, it can be frustrating.   Many people shut down on their weight loss journey when they don’t see immediate progress.   But important changes are happening.   A relative called me.   They were dieting, adding exercise and did lose a few pounds.   But then they reached a plateau and were very frustrated.   How do you know your diet and new exercise habits are working when the scale doesn’t move?   Environmental Nutrition outlines six ways to know you are still making progress in the April 2024 article, “Look Beyond the Scale”.    Weight loss is a great indicator you are improving your health when you are dieting and trying to get in shape. But you don’t need to rely just on the scale in your weight loss journey.   There are also other wins for your health. 1.   Better health :   When one loses weight and adds more exercise to their routine, their body benefits in many ways even if they hit a plate...

We have all seen frail, elderly people who have seemed to have lost a lot of muscle.   But did you know that you start losing muscle long before you become elderly?   Studies have found that after the age of 30, yes 30, you begin to lose about 3-8% of your muscle mass per decade.   This loss accelerates after the age of 60.   Environmental Nutrition (April 2024) has a great article, “Preserving Muscle is a Key Part of Healthy Aging”.   But this information isn’t just for the elderly but for anyone who wants to preserve muscle mass.    What is sarcopenia? Sarcopenia is a fancy name for losing muscle and muscle strength as we age.   Building muscle requires your body to make muscle protein.   Unfortunately, our body’s ability to make muscle protein declines as we age.   Sarcopenia is more common in people over 60 and it affects both men and women.   Studies estimate about 5-13% of people over 60 have sarcopenia and up to “50% o...

Whether you are an NFL fan or not, everyone knows that NFL players are in shape.    Many teams now have a dietitian/nutritionist coaching them on good nutrition.   In the nutrition class I taught, I showed a video of an NFL team being consulted on eating to win with nutritionist/dietitian Leslie Bonci .   In the video, an NFL player noted how he ate 3 chicken breasts and 8 egg whites for breakfast. Bonci showed the team members that protein is important but so are other foods like fruits and veggies.   Recently, MSN has a great article on 3 simple principles to follow to get in shape and stay healthy for life, according to an NFL nutritionist ,   Mike Minnis .    Sounds easy.   What are these 3 principles?   Principle 1:   Maintain a healthy weight by understanding energy balance Nutritionist Minnis says understanding energy balance means: the balance of the calories you take in versus the calories you burn up.   Take i...

Do you know how much protein you need each day?   I have heard many people say, “I am watching my carbs.”   Have you ever heard anyone say, “I am watching my protein?” Probably not.   The students in my classes are often confused as to what foods provide high quality protein and how much protein they need each day.   Do you need that protein shake, those protein bars?   Did you know most Americans get much more protein than they need each day?   This is true for those ages 19-59.   You may not know that people over 59 may need to focus on adding more protein to their day.   How much of your diet should be protein? The Mayo Clinic notes :   About 10-35% of the calories you eat should come from protein.   If you eat about 2000 calories a day, this equates to 200-700 calories from protein.   Or, if you count grams, this would be 50-175 grams of protein a day.   Most of the young adults in my nutrition class ate over 90 grams of ...