KTK-Nutrition

America is growing, not just in terms of population but also in size.   The Editorial in our local paper reads:   Obesity rates remain a national concern .   As the editorial notes, too many Americans are getting bigger.   Trust for Americas’ Health released their 2017 Obesity report.   The report found that, “far too many Americans, both adult and children, are significantly overweight to the extent that it jeopardizes their overall health and well-being.”    States vary a lot in the number of adults who are overweight or obese.   West Virginia leads the nation as 37.7% of the adults in West Virginia are obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. The state with the lowest rate of obese adults was Colorado at 22.3%.   If you are interested in your state, visit Adult Obesity Rate by State, 2016 .   Some states and their rankings are noted below: States % Obese Adults (BMI 30+) District of Columbia, H...

Why is yogurt so healthy? Protein – yogurt is not only a good source of protein, the protein in yogurt is a high-quality protein.   Eating protein at meals helps you feel full longer as protein has “staying power” and takes longer to digest than carbs.   This may be the reason that yogurt helps keep off the weight.   Greek yogurt is higher in protein than regular yogurt but often has less calcium. Probiotics – a huge, benefit of yogurt is the probiotics.   The “friendly bacteria” in yogurt that seems to have so many health benefits.   Look on the label for “live” active cultures when buying yogurt. Fat in Yogurt – the fat in yogurt contains “sphingolipids” a type of fat that actually seems beneficial to heart health.   And fat is more filling.  Eating whole milk yogurt would be a snack that would be more filling and have more "staying power" than a low fat yogurt.  Not All Dairy Fat is Equal – one would think that the dairy fat in b...

Are you eating some yogurt every day?   You should be.   Researchers are finding more and more health benefits to eating yogurt.   When teaching nutrition, I give the students nutrition “homework” focused on healthier eating habits.   One big piece of dietary advice is to add yogurt to their day.   My husband has added yogurt to his breakfast meal as he finds his breakfast seems to last longer and stave off those morning hunger pains.   I like yogurt at lunch.   Even on vacation, we bring our yogurt or find a store to buy some so we don’t miss our “daily dose” of yogurt. Should you buy low fat or regular yogurt? Consumer Reports has an interesting article, Is Whole-Milk Yogurt a Whole Lot Better?   Taste – some people prefer the taste of whole-milk yogurt and for many it has a richer, creamier taste.   I am so used to low-fat yogurt that whole-milk yogurt seems too rich for me.     Is Whole-Milk yogurt healthier?   Mo...