KTK-Nutrition

Last week I wrote about the Mediterranean diet.   A major component of this diet is eating many fruits and vegetables.    A very easy way to ensure you are getting enough fruits and vegetables is to focus on eating at least 5 A DAY .   Not only are fruits and vegetables loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber they are also loaded with PHYTOCHEMICALS.    “Phyto” is from the Greek and means “plant”.   Phytochemicals are only in plant foods, are not nutrients but are ever so important to your health.    Different fruits and vegetables have different phytochemicals so varying the kind of fruits and vegetable and varying the color is important.   Blue/Purple - helps fight aging, improves your memory and reduces cancer risk.    Choose plums, eggplant, raisins, blueberries, black olives, blackberries, purple grapes Red – great for your heart, tomatoes and other red vegetables and fruits have lycopene – a phytochemical that is a...

As discussed in last week’s blog, the US News and World Reports ranks the best diets ( Best Diets 2015 ).   One of the top rated diets is the Mediterranean diet.   This diet is not really a “diet” but a way of eating that is healthy overall.    So why is the Mediterranean diet so great and what is the diet? Mediterranean diet – health benefits Heart Health - This diet promotes heart health as it decreases your risk of heart disease Depression – want a diet to improve your mood, this is it. Dementia – want a brain healthy diet?   This is it. Cancer – following the Mediterranean diet reduces your risk of cancer Parkinson’s disease – the Mediterranean diet reduces one’s chances of getting Parkinson’s disease What is the Mediterranean diet? Focus on Fruits and Vegetables – you have heard of “5 a day”, to eat at least 5 fruits and veggies a day.   Well the Mediterranean diet steps it up   – 6 servings of fruit and vegetables a day minimum, but...

Every year for the past 5 years, US News and World Reports ranks the best diets ( Best Diets 2015 ).   They gather a panel of diet and nutrition experts and they rate various diets on areas of: ease in following diets ability to produce long-term and short term weight loss how nutritionally complete the diet is  safety of the diet       if the diet has the potential to prevent diabetes, heart disease or helps manage these diseases            What are the Best Diets Overall?      DASH diet – this diet was originally developed for high blood pressure and the acronym stands for D ietary A pproaches to S top H ypertension.   But it is also a nutritionally complete diet, very safe, helps prevent and control diabetes, supports healthy hearts.     TLC Diet – stands for Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes and was created by the National Institutes of Health. ...

My nephew posted a sign on Facebook that read:   “ This year I will get to a Healthier place ”.    It was posted at Anytime Fitness in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.    How many people want to be healthier, make New Year’s Resolutions to be healthier and then fizzle out after a few weeks or months?   My husband says the gym was packed yesterday as it usually is in January, then less in February and by May it is back to the regulars.    So what could you do to make 2015 a healthier year with goals you can keep?     1.  Start small – set small, specific, realistic goals a.          NOT - “I will go to the gym more” b.       But set goals like:                     i.       I will go up and down the steps in my home (or at work) 5 times a day (aerobic chal...

Everyone says to “eat healthy” but many people aren’t quite sure what this means.   To some it means Pop Tarts and Sunny D as these foods are “fortified” with vitamins.   But they are not really healthy foods as they are full of sugar, white flour and few nutrients.   Eating healthy means including nutrient dense foods in your daily diet.   Not exclusively, as we all like our treats.    But our meals and many of our snacks should be focused on nutrient dense foods.    The January 2015 edition of Environmental Health had an excellent article, Make your Diet More Nutrient-Dense.   The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics refers to these foods as nutrient-rich foods. What are nutrient-rich or nutrient-dense foods?   These foods contain the most nutrients per calorie.   Usually they are the least processed foods and foods not diluted with a lot of added sugar or added fat. What foods are considered nutrient-rich? Whole gra...

  MSN had a great article on How to Stay Slim During the Holidays.   Then I read a great suggestion about High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT.           1.   Break up Your Exercise – yes, you are supposed to exercise an hour a day but it doesn’t have to be an hour all at once.    It can be 10 minutes here, fifteen minutes there.   Park your car far from the front door, go up and down the stairs a few extra times.   Go for a 15 minute walk if you don’t have time for a longer walk.         2.   Exercise with a friend – more fun to go for a walk or to the gym with a friend.                 3.    HIIT – Geralyn Coopersmith, global director of performance and fitness training at NIKE, Inc.  recommends HIIT. (BHG.com).  She notes that this type of training burns more calories and more fat. ...

Who doesn’t love the holidays with freshly baked cookies, eggnog, boxes of chocolates given as gifts and food buffets galore?   So how does one eat their way through the holidays without gaining 10 pounds?   The Washington Post provided some helpful guidelines in their 5 ways to fight the winter holiday bulge .          1.    Holiday Party - beverages  - Stay hydrated    Eat something before you go – don’t get to the party starving as you will then overeat.   Try some salad and some protein so you won’t be over hungry at the start of the party.      If cocktails, other alcoholic drinks are offered, have a drink or two.   But alcohol can affect your judgment and then affect how much you eat.   Rebecca Scritchfield, R.D. suggests alternating alcoholic drinks with regular beverages such as sparkling water.   Having ice water is another way to stay hydrated at a party.  ...