KTK-Nutrition

Plant-based milks like oat milk and almond milk have been in the news lately.   And not for a good reason.   So many people have flocked to replacing real cow’s milk with either almond milk or oat milk.   I was never a fan of plant-based milks and now there seems to be more concerns about plant-based milk’s “health halo”.   This week the Daily Mail came out with the headline, Oat milk linked to ANOTHER cancer-causing chemical as people flock back to dairy .   Earlier in October, the Daily Mail had another headline, Additive in oat and almond milk linked to colon cancer ”.   Both articles presented information I had not been aware of before. What is oat milk? Oat milk is a plant-based, non-dairy milk that is made by soaking oats in water, blending and then straining.   The texture is creamier than cow’s milk with an oatmeal-like flavor.   There are many flavors of oat milk and you can buy it unsweetened or flavored with vanilla or chocolate....

Most people know drinking milk is important for healthy bones.   But how about your overall health?   And for years the American Heart Association and other organizations have recommended low-fat or fat-free milk for heart health. But a new study sheds a different light on real milk and whether or not whole milk may be a healthy choice.   In fact, the latest research is showing that drinking real whole milk may actually lower your risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.   What do the studies find? 1.       An international study found a link between consumption of real dairy foods, especially whole fat diary, and lowering one’s risk of high blood pressure and diabetes.   The study looked at nearly 150,000 people from 21 countries across the globe whose ages ranged from 35-70 years old.   They asked these individuals how often they ate certain foods.   Dairy foods included real milk, yogurt and cheese.   Researchers also ...

Odd that so many people are choosing plant-based beverages labeled as “milk” over real cow’s milk.   Most people do this thinking these plant-based “milks” are nutritionally superior to real cow’s milk.   Is it?   If one replaces real milk with plant-based milks, are they missing out on important nutrients?   Yes.   Yet the popularity of these plant-based milks continues.   A recent article in the paper, Stop Milking it, farmers tell plant-based competitors ” describes how dairy farmers are concerned as to why   plant-based beverages can be labeled “milk” when they contain no milk at all.    What has happened to real cow’s milk?   Dairy farmers across the country are pushing to have “milk” mean from a “cow” and not the plant-based milk – oat, almond, soy and other plant-based beverages labeled “milk”.   North Carolina has led the states in legislating what can be called “milk”. The farmers aren’t trying to restrict production ...

Who doesn’t like pizza?   Is pizza healthy?    How can you make healthier choices and still enjoy pizza?   Many people, including some nutritionists, ban pizza thinking it is unhealthy.   But we enjoy pizza at least once a week.   We make modifications to our pizza to make it healthier and we add some healthy sides.   Consumer Reports had a great article on the Best Frozen Pizza .      They taste tested 26 frozen pizzas and found some that are reasonably healthy.   Yes, ordering out and having that pizza delivered is great.   But many of us enjoy a frozen pizza a couple of times a month.   If you do, what are some of the highly rated frozen pizzas and how can you “doctor” them up to be healthier? What are some healthier options in frozen pizza? Frozen pizza would probably not be considered a “health food” but there are healthier options.   Choose a plain cheese pizza or a veggie pizza if you want a healthier cho...

So many food fads come and go.   In the nutrition class I teach, it is interesting to hear about the latest food fad trends.   A current trend is alternative milk.   For some reason people are shunning real milk for fake milk.   Another faux milk is coming to a store or coffee shop near you.   Some food fads are really unhealthy fads like coconut oil.   Almost every week I hear someone talking about adding coconut oil to their diet.   Thankfully, this unhealthy fad seems to be coming to an end.    1.  Oat milk – yes, you read this correctly, the newest alternative to real milk is made from oats.   Time magazine’s article, The dairy aisle’s next new thing , describes this faux milk and why it is being used as yet another replacement for real milk.   Apparently, almond milk was the number one faux milk but has fallen from grace recently.   Why?   According to Time, almond milk was linked to the drought in Californ...