KTK-Nutrition

Another year and another year when many people make some New Year’s Resolutions.   So many people make resolutions, only to forget about them by February or so.   I read that about 75% of us make resolutions which are broken only a week later.   About half of us actually get through 6 months of keeping our resolutions.   How can you set some health goals that you are more likely to keep in 2023?   How often have you heard people say, “I want to eat healthier” or “I want to lose weight” but then nothing happens.   How can you set some easy-to-follow health goals? Last week I provided some easier ways to eat healthier in 2023.   If you like goal setting, here are some ways to set SMART goals.   First – set some S.M.A.R.T . goals.    Specific – many people set goals that are vague.   Many students in my class start out with goals like, “I will eat healthier.” When I ask them what specific thing they will do, many haven’t really th...

So many people develop New Year’s Resolutions focusing on giving up things or on losing weight.   Why not focus on adopting some healthier habits in 2023 and some healthier lifestyle changes?   Last year I discussed some recommendation by a   nutritionist in London, Kate Llewellyn-Waters, on how you can adopt a healthier lifestyle.   Below are some of her easy-to- adopt suggestions and I have added some suggestions of my own. Protein at every meal – Protein is filling and helps stave off those hunger pains between meals.   What are some high quality protein foods?   All animal foods provide high quality protein.   Focus on lean proteins like chicken breasts.   Chicken and other lean meats, provide not only high-quality protein but also many nutrients like iron, zinc, selenium and many B vitamins.   B vitamins are known as the energy vitamins as they help your body produce the energy needed for all your activities.   A top-rated prote...

You may have heard the saying, “You are what you eat”.   Are there foods that promote healthier hair?   What do nutritionists and researchers say? Are there foods, nutrients that promote hair growth? Like any part of your body, your hair needs nutrients.   What foods provide some of these nutrients?   Not surprisingly, eating for good health can also mean eating for healthier hair.   As the registered dietitian , Samantha Cassetty, states, “Eating for optimal health and healthy hair go hand-in-hand”.   Some nutrients important for hair are some vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds in food.   Cassetty and others note these nutrients are especially important for a healthy hair and for hair growth: Vitamins A and C Biotin Iron Omega 3 fatty acids The Cleveland Clinic has an excellent article on The Best Vitamins and Supplements for Hair Growth .   The article highlights iron, biotin, vitamin A and omega-3 fa...

My daughter called me to ask me which is healthier, white rice or brown rice?   She had ordered some Chinese food and chose the brown rice.   Did she make the healthier choice?   Is brown rice healthier than white rice? In the U.S. we have two choices for rice, either white rice or brown rice.   Growing up we never ate brown rice.   We always ate the Minute white rice from the box.   Processing Both white and brown rice come from the same grain but white rice is much more processed.   There are 3 parts to grains – the bran, the germ and the endosperm.    Whole grains like brown rice contain all 3 parts of the grain.   Processed grains like white rice, have the bran and germ removed, leaving only the white endosperm part of the grain.   Brown Rice is more nutritious than white rice Because brown rice has all parts of the grain, brown rice provides more fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium and manganese.   White rice ...

As the weather turns colder a cup of hot tea can be welcoming after a walk in the cold or as a soothing hot drink on a cold winter’s day.   Are there any health benefits to drinking green tea?   There are many.   So often people say “eat healthy” and then we think of all the foods we need to eliminate from our day.   But there are many foods and drinks you can add to your day that add health benefits.   And adding in some green tea is one of those things.  What are some health benefits of green tea? Green tea can lower your bad cholesterol .   In my blog, How to lower your bad cholesterol , I talked about how the “bad” cholesterol can build up in your arteries and lead to heart attacks or stroke.   Cutting back on foods with saturated fat is one way to lower your bad cholesterol.   But did you know that drinking some green tea can help lower your bad cholesterol?     In a study published in the Nutrition Journal , of over 3000 ...