KTK-Nutrition

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 love a bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day?   Soup can be a way to add to your daily nutrition.   However, there are some soups that one should leave on the shelf.   Eat This, Not That recently wrote,   The Worst Chicken Noodle Soups on Shelves.   What soups are ones you should be putting in your grocery cart and which ones should you avoid?   What about homemade soup?   How can you make a healthy soup at home? Chicken Noodle soup is a favorite of most people.   A great soup when you are feeling ill or just want something hot on a cold day.   What to watch for in canned soups? Sodium – we all know we should “watch our sodium” but canned soups can pack a high amount of sodium in each serving.   Little or no vegetables – a good way to get some nutrition in your day is to choose a soup that has some vegetables in it.   Even tomato soup is a healthy Added sugar – we don’t need added sugar in our soup.   Mo...

What are some healthy lunches to eat at home or to pack for work or for going on a car trip?   When we go on car trips, we usually bring along a picnic lunch.   Just recently I went away with my two daughters and one daughter brought our picnic lunch.   Lean deli meats, whole grain rolls, fresh fruit, some greens for our sandwiches and some sides of egg salad and potato salad.   My husband and I also pack our lunch when we go on road trips.   This week we ate our picnic lunch on the way to our destination.   Sandwiches of whole grain bagels, lean deli meats, fresh fruit, whole grain chips, yogurt and milk.   So much healthier than any Fast-Food restaurant meal and often less time consuming. What are some healthy lunches you can pack or make for yourself at home?   Eat This, Not That! asked some dietitians about healthy lunch options and here are some of their suggestions.   1.  Pack an adult or child “lunchable” meal. So popular wi...

As the weather turns colder, who doesn’t like a hot bowl of soup?   Is soup healthy?   What nutritional value does soup have?   Actually, soup can be a healthy addition to your diet.   What are some health benefits of enjoying that bowl of soup on a cold day? Vegetables – many soups are either loaded with vegetables or the base of the soup is made from vegetables.   Many Americans are low on veggies and soup is an easy way to add some veggies to your day.   If you have a toddler who is fussy about eating vegetables, that toddler may eat the smaller pieces of the soft vegetables in vegetable soup. Even kids who won’t eat tomatoes might enjoy a bowl of tomato soup.   And as I have noted before, cooking some vegetables actually makes them healthier.   The lycopene in tomato soup is better absorbed than the lycopene in a raw tomato.   Enjoy some split pea soup and you added veggies and beta carotene (vitamin A) to your day.   As noted i...

In the nutrition class I teach, students have commented on how much money “real” food costs.   They say it is so much cheaper to just buy the junk food, the fast food.   What are some ways to buy “real” food that doesn’t cost a fortune?   1. Frozen Food – some people think buying frozen food isn’t healthy.   But frozen food is quite nutritious.   A recent article, 10 Frozen Foods Nutritionist Always Buy highlights good choices to make in the freezer section of your grocery store. a.       Frozen Edamame – if you haven’t tried these baby soybeans, they are quite tasty.   And super nutritious as they provide vitamins, protein, and fiber.   One nutritionist adds them to her salads or quinoa. b.      Frozen berries – try frozen blueberries, frozen cherries, frozen strawberries or any frozen berry.   My husband just bought a huge bag of frozen blueberries.   He adds them to his morning o...