KTK-Nutrition

  Eating out at a Fast-Food place?   What sandwiches are healthier options and which sandwiches should you skip?   WebMD has some good suggestions for you.   Why should you skip some sandwiches?   Calories for one.   Some sandwiches are loaded with calories and often loaded with fat.   Here are some sandwiches to avoid and some sandwiches to enjoy. Burger King What to skip?   Skip the Triple Whopper with Cheese .   Good to have the lettuce, tomato and onion but not so good to have the 3 beef patties.   This sandwich packs a whopping 1299 calories and that is before you add any sides like a sugared soda and some fries.   Why so many calories?   Because this sandwich is loaded wit 90 grams of fat.   Since fat has 9 calories a gram, that is 810 fat calories.   More fat than many people should have in an entire day. What to choose?   Instead of the Whopper, choose the Original Chicken Sandwich .   Ye...

Summer is a great time to hit the road.   Off to the beach, the lake, the mountains, or a long road trip.   Many people stop for a quick bite to eat at gas stations or other places that offer a range of food items.   How can you eat healthy while on that road trip?   Watch the calories – sitting all day in a car burns up a lot less calories.   A short trip not to worry but a long road trip can decrease your daily burn of calories by up to 400 calories.     Take some healthy foods with you – pack a cooler of yogurt, some fresh fruit, veggies like baby carrots, some nuts, healthy nutrition bars and even some sandwiches to eat along the way.   My husband and I often eat at the picnic tables at rest stops – we eat the food we brought with us.   I once told my daughter to bring her lunch on a long road trip we were taking.   She pulled out a gourmet assortment of food – hummus and veggies, a fresh homemade salad, fruit, homemade gran...

Are there foods that will lead to a healthier, longer life?    Students in my classes love to ask questions and one student noted:   “I want to live a long time.   What foods do I need to eat?”    Great question and there are foods that will decrease your risk of disease and increase your changes of living longer.   Actually, there are two food groups that will lead to a longer life: fruits and vegetables.   So boring yet so important to our health.   What is the minimum servings of fruits and veggies we need?   5 A Day, a minimum of 5 A Day. Who is lacking in fruits and veggies?   Most of us are.                   87% of Americans are not eating enough fruit (at least a 1.5 to 2 cups a day)                 75% of Americans are not eating their veggies (2-3 cups a day) ...

So many kids’ diets today are lacking in fruits and veggies.   A lot of greasy fries but little or no fresh fruit and veggies.   A simple goal for all of us, but especially for kids is “5 A DAY”.   At least five servings of fruit and veggies a day.   I say at least, because I’ve always taught “5 A DAY” but one of my students thought eating 6 a day was too much.   Not true.   In fact, the World Health Organization recommends 9 servings a day.   But aiming for at least “5 A DAY” is a good start.     CDC has a good fact sheet and recommendations, let’s look at some of them.   10 Ways to Help Kids Eat More Fruits and Veggies Make it easy - Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter.    Also, refrigerate cut up fruits and vegetables in small bags for easy snacks.   So much fresh produce is available right now. Keep it visible. Serve fruits and vegetables at every meal.   Fruit for breakfast, 2 servings of fruit/vegeta...

In the health class I teach, it is a challenge to get parents to serve fruit and veggies to kids.   Then when they do, they say the kids won’t eat the fruits and veggies.   Some of my students work in day care centers and the center tries to serve healthy fresh fruit and vegetables only to have the kids turn up their noses.   So how can parents, day care centers and others who work with kids, get the kids to eat more fruits and veggies?   For good health kids should eat a minimum of 5 A DAY – five fruits and veggies a day.   Many eat none.   So here are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control: 10 Ways to Help Kids Eat More Fruits and Veggies 1.     Keep a bowl of fresh fruits on the counter.   Keep cut up fruits and veggies in the fridge in small bags to easy snacks.                           ...