KTK-Nutrition

Have you heard of fa!rlife (the brand uses all lower case letters and an exclamation point for the “i”) Milk?   My daughter asked me if I had heard of it and a friend of hers read about it in a Men’s Health magazine.   The friend really liked the taste of it.   So, what is it and how does it differ from regular cow’s milk?   Is it healthier, does it cost more?   What is Fairlife (intentional cap) milk? It is cow’s milk that is altered in a number of ways.   One it is it ultra-filtered and two a lactase enzyme is added.   Like regular skim or fat-free milk, it is fortified with vitamins A and D. How is Fairlife milk different from regular cow’s milk, from Almond milk? Ultra-filtered – you may have seen other milks labeled “ultra-filtered”.   Ultra-filtration creates milk that has a longer shelf life.   Pasteurized milk means it is heated for 15-20 seconds to kill off some of the harmful bacteria.   Ultra-filtered milk is pa...

Traveling this holiday season?   Who isn’t up for a fast food breakfast?   My favorite is a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin, orange juice and black coffee.   Are there healthier breakfast choices at fast food establishments?   What are the not so healthy choices? The ones loaded with fat, sugar and calories? WebMD has a great slide show, Better Best for Fast-Food Breakfast . McDonald’s Healthier Breakfast Options Egg McMuffin – only 300 calories, 12 grams of fat and 6 grams of saturated fat.   Yes, there is bacon but it’s lean Canadian bacon so more protein and less fat.   Egg White Delight McMuffin – if you want less cholesterol – 250 calories, 8 grams fat and 4.5 grams saturated fat Breakfasts to pass on Big Breakfast with Hotcakes – a whopping 1050 calories with lots of fat (56 grams) and lots of saturated fat (19 grams) and loaded with sodium, 1960 mg. Burger King Healthier Breakfast Options Egg & Cheese Croissan’wich - like the ...

Chocolate was in the news this week.   Nestle is planning to reformulate chocolate to make it lower in calories.   Who doesn’t love chocolate?   And more recently they have discovered chocolate actually has many health benefits.    But the downside has been that chocolate is often loaded with sugar and fat which somewhat negates its health benefits.   So, what does Nestle plan to do to make chocolate lower in calories? Nestle will lower the sugar content in chocolate. Lowering the sugar content sounds good from a calorie and health perspective but not from a taste perspective.   How can Nestle lower the sugar content but keep the taste? Restructure the Sugar Molecule: Nestle has found a way to basically reform the sugar crystal, making it hollow on the inside.   But one still gets the sweet taste from the hollowed-out sugar crystal so they say the reduced sugar chocolate will still taste sweet.   The Nestle technology officer ex...