KTK-Nutrition

Who doesn’t love sweets?   Always fun to enjoy some desserts like cookies, cake, candy.   But Americans eat way too much sugar, not just in desserts but in so many foods.   And it is the added sugar in foods that we need to cut back on, not the natural sugar found in fruits or even real cow’s milk.   What are some ways that we can cut back on all that added sugar and those cravings for sweets? Psychologists have studied how sugar affects our brains and body weight as noted in the Frontiers in Psychiatry .   The article notes that “studies have linked sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) to an increase in body weight in children and adults”.   What are sugar-sweetened beverages ?   Think sugar-sweetened sodas like Coke, Mountain Dew, Sprite, sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, sweet tea, sweetened coffee drinks like Frappuccino, energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster and fruit drinks like lemonade or fruit punch.   These beverages not only contain...

Interesting news this week for those interested in losing or maintaining their weight. A surprising study out of Scotland about the benefits of sunlight on our health.          Sunlight and Childhood Obesity and Diabetes – Scottish researchers reported that sunlight can be important in preventing diabetes and helping to avoid childhood obesity.   We all know spending time outside is healthy for exercise, fresh air and to get our vitamin D. a.        Sunlight and weight:   But now they have a new finding about sun.   “A natural gas, nitric oxide, is released by our skin after exposure to sunlight.”   ( Sunlight key to fighting childhood obesity and diabetes ).   This helps us control our metabolism and slow weight gain.   b.         Sunlight and diabetes – because one gains less weight, one is less likely to get diabetes.   Exposure to sunlight also seem...