KTK-Nutrition

Seems like everyone is going on vacation this summer.   But how can you enjoy your vacation and not return 5 or more pounds heavier?   We all want to have fun on vacation by eating out in new restaurants, trying new foods, and not worrying about gaining weight.   For those who want to return from vacation at the same weight they left, what are some things you can do?   WebMD has some good advice in their article, Avoid Vacation Weight Gain: 5 Simple Rules   .   Tip 1:     Plan Ahead to Include Some Physical Fitness Every vacation my husband and I go on, includes hiking on trails, renting bikes to enjoy some bike trails, or walking a lot.   Yes, we still enjoy site seeing, eating at restaurants, but we also enjoy being active on our vacations.   On a recent trip to Yellowstone, we hiked a lot, walked a lot and also rented bikes and enjoyed biking by a number of geysers.   The WebMD article notes , “Keep in mind that physical acti...

Have you heard people say, “I need to get in shape.” But then nothing happens.   Oh, they mean to join a gym someday or they join a gym and then don’t go.   Going to the gym is great but so is just going for a walk.   My sister sent me some interesting articles this week about the many ways simply going for a walk benefits your health.    What if you only have a few minutes to walk.   Are there benefits to walking a mere 10 minutes a day ?   Self-confidence – Research has found that a short walk , say 12 minutes (yes, a little more than 10 minutes), can lead to better attentiveness, a more positive mood, and greater self-confidence.   Reduce Your Risk of Death by 15% - a short, 10- minute walk a day, can reduce your risk of an early death by 15%.   A physician , Muir Gray, in the UK states, “I’d advise anyone of any age and activity level to start to fit in at least one 10-minute brisk walk a day as a simple way to get more active, especial...

Many of us can’t go to the gym or participate in our usual fitness classes right now, but we can still go for a walk.   And walking is good for your health.   A new study by the National Cancer Institute, CDC and the National Institute on Aging finds the more you walk, the longer your lifespan.   The article in JAMA notes:   “Greater number of steps per day were associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality”.  What was the study? Researchers looked at 4840 adults at least 40 years of age who wore a step counter for up to five days over the study period of 2003-2006.   Not just any step counter but an accelerometer that not only measured steps taken but also the intensity of the walking.    How many steps did study participants take? The average number of steps taken a day by this group was 9124.   Those taking 8000 steps a day had significantly lower mortality than those taking 4000 steps a day. Going up to 12,000 steps...

Seems like everyone has some health advice to give.   Turn on the TV and there is an ad for some health product, diet fad, or food we should be purchasing.   The internet is full of good and not-so-good advice on diet and health.   Well, some registered dietitians got together and provided some health advice on reliable sources to go to for health and diet advice.   The go-to-sources we can all rely on for accurate, up-to-date and expert advice.    What are some reliable sources of health and nutrition advice? 1.   American Heart Association – have heart disease in your family?   Do you want to eat for a healthier heart and lower LDL and cholesterol levels?   This is the go-to-place for that information.   These are the experts that noted we can add some eggs back to our life.   But it isn’t the easiest website to navigate so here are some suggested links:   a.        Healthy Eating ...

Exercise.   Who has time to fit exercise into their day during the holiday season?   And what are the guidelines for how much exercise we should get each day?   A frequently asked question from my students is “How much exercise do I need each day?”   Well, recently, November 2018 to be precise, the federal guidelines on physical activity were updated.   So, what are the latest recommendations and who sets those guidelines anyway? Who sets the guidelines for exercise? The federal government sets guidelines for what we should eat at MyPlate.   A number of federal agencies worked together to update the physical activity guidelines including:   Centers for Disease Control, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, National Institutes of Health and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.   The guidelines were first issued in 2008 and November, 2018 is the first time the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans have...

Are you at risk of diabetes?   About 1 in 4 Americans have diabetes and don’t even know it.   About 23 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes and 7 million of us don’t even know it.   Another 79 million Americans have prediabetes.   We can take some steps to lower our risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.   The American Diabetes Association has a wealth of information on diabetes and even a Diabetes Risk Test you can take. There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2.   They used to call these juvenile diabetes and adult diabetes.   However, so many Americans, even those at a young age are getting Type 2 diabetes that they no longer refer to this as adult onset diabetes.   Type 1 – Usually kids or young adults get this type of diabetes, that is why it used to be called juvenile diabetes.   This type affects about 5% of Americans.   The body does not produce the insulin needed to get sugar (glucose) into the cells so blood suga...

America is growing, not just in terms of population but also in size.   The Editorial in our local paper reads:   Obesity rates remain a national concern .   As the editorial notes, too many Americans are getting bigger.   Trust for Americas’ Health released their 2017 Obesity report.   The report found that, “far too many Americans, both adult and children, are significantly overweight to the extent that it jeopardizes their overall health and well-being.”    States vary a lot in the number of adults who are overweight or obese.   West Virginia leads the nation as 37.7% of the adults in West Virginia are obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. The state with the lowest rate of obese adults was Colorado at 22.3%.   If you are interested in your state, visit Adult Obesity Rate by State, 2016 .   Some states and their rankings are noted below: States % Obese Adults (BMI 30+) District of Columbia, H...