Eating For Health

What is so important about bone health?   Last week, my daughter was playing flag football just for fun.   Then she turned her ankle and heard a snap.   Her teammates helped her off the field but she knew something was seriously wrong with her ankle.   At the Emergency Room an X-Ray revealed her bones were broken on each side of her ankle.   Later in the week she had surgery by a very well-known and respected surgeon.   The doctors and nurses were polite and provided excellent guidance on pain management and recovery.   But not one word was spoken about diet and what foods to eat to aide the healing process.   As a result, I decided to come up with the KTK Bone Health Diet based on my knowledge as a nutritionist, some web research and knowing what my daughter liked to eat.    What nutrients are needed for strong bones? Calcium – most people know that calcium is needed for our bones.   About 99% of all the body’s ca...

Have you heard of people going on a Detox Diet?   A guy at the gym says he detoxes every January.   For him it is a week long fast with nothing to eat.   He drinks water but his main source of calories is a bit of real juice to drink. Usually during this detox week, he has very little energy and feels light headed.   What a surprise.   When one doesn’t fuel their body, they will not have the energy for exercise and because of low blood sugar can feel lightheaded.   Is there really any reason a person should “detox”?   Is it healthy?   Are there health risks? The Mayo Clinic has some good information on Detox Diets.    Why do some people want to “detox” their body?    Some people think because our environment has pesticides and our food is contaminated, they need to cleanse themselves of harmful chemicals.   Yes, there is some mercury in fish, arsenic in rice and they do use pesticides on the foods we eat. ...

Have you heard of the 5/20 rule when it comes to reading food labels?   Most people haven’t, but it is an easy and handy rule to use.   Students in my class often ask what they are supposed to look for when reading food labels.   Food labels can be confusing so applying the 5/20 rule can help you decide what foods are healthy to eat. What is the 5/20 rule? The 5/20 Rule has to do with the % Daily Value on Food Labels.   The % Daily Value shows you how much of a nutrient you are getting in each serving of that food.      When you look at any food label you will “% Daily Value” and then a lot of numbers and %’s by various nutrients.   To paraphrase The Moxy Kitchen blog, “By the 5/20 Rule, a % Daily Value at or below 5% indicates a low amount of a nutrient in the food, whereas a % Daily Value at or above 20% indicates a high amount of a nutrient in that food.”  In the 5/20 rule, what is the 5% or less?    ...