Nutrition Articles by Kathy Summers (full articles available by request)

Pick Your Protein Powder
Experience Life Magazine
Protein powders are one of the most popular supplements around. Athletes and bodybuilders have long used them as a convenient way to feed their post-workout needs. But for the ordinary person trying to fit a regular workout into a busy schedule, is protein powder worth a try?

Is your diet stressing you out?
American Legion Magazine
When you’re under stress, the last thing you want to worry about is nutrition. Unfortunately, the same food that feels good going down may lead to more stress down the road. Change the food, and you may actually lower stress levels.

Stop Weight Loss Sabateurs
MSN.com
Everyone has heard these rules of weight loss: Eat less; exercise more. Ah, if only it were that easy. Despite our best intentions, real life often gets in the way of meeting our weight-loss goals. Here’s how to keep real live from getting in the way of your goals.

Eat Smart At Parties
MSN.com
Parties should be fun, even when you’re watching your weight. But it’s easy to blow your eating plan when endless buffet tables and party trays tempt you at every turn. Here are 10 tips to help you survive going out.

Eating for Energy
Experience Life
If you’re running on empty, drop the candy bar and fuel up on healthy foods that keep you going strong. Making a few small changes in the way you eat can free up reserves of energy you didn’t realize you had. Once you understand how your current habits undermine your energy, you’ll know exactly how to turn your fuel crisis around …

Constant Cravings
Oxygen
Ever obsess over a crisp stalk of broccoli? Not likely. Vegetables will never seduce you like thick, hot fudge over cool vanilla ice-cream; a fresh buttery baguette, or a thick marbled rib-eye. But don’t worry. You really can honor your taste buds and your body …

Calories Count
Oxygen
When you have a few pounds to lose, you know you have to take in fewer calories than you burn. But is it as simple as counting calories and then locking your lips shut after reaching a certain magical number? Confusion reigns when it comes to weight loss. Here’s how to uncover the real scoop behind the numbers …

Eight Foods That Reduce Stress
Oxygen
Stressful situations can lead to binge eating and bad food choices. Rather than stress eating, why not take a more proactive approach. Here are eight fall and winter foods that actually help reduce stress …

Eat This, Stress Less
Oxygen
Forget high-priced spa days–here are eight foods in your cupboard that will keep you calm, cool and collected throughout the frenzied holiday season. (And stay tuned for my Oxygen articles on cravings, calories, and hidden fat.) …

It’s In Your Genes
Natural Solutions
We all know we need to eat our vegetables, but do some of us need extra servings of spinach to stay healthy while others get by on tomato-based condiments? Nutrigenomics–the science of how the chemicals in food interact with our genes–may be the missing piece of the puzzle that explains the role of genes and diet in causing diseases …

How to Read A Nutrition Label
Arthritis Today
For health-conscious consumers, nutrition labels make great reading. Everything you need to know to make healthy food choices is right there in black and white. Here’s how to decipher the daily values and translate the trans fats …

Chocolate’s Sweet Science
Delicious Living
Forget poets and philosophers. Scientists, studying the chemistry of the heart, are the ones who can explain our obsession with chocolate. We crave chocolate when we’re feeling blue, they tell us, because it contains a chemical that may raise endorphin levels in the brain. What other health benefits come in a heart-shaped box …

In Good Taste: The Way to a Healthy Heart
Sam’s Club Source
As the popular Peanuts character Charlie Brown once lamented, “Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love.” Then again, nothing improves the taste like knowing it can actually help your heart. Some of the richest most decadent and seductive foods are also heart-smart, making them the ultimate–if not quite requited–expressions of love …

Foods that Feed the Brain
Sam’s Club Source
Who doesn’t want to boost brain power, memory, and mental focus? The brain is a hungry organ, and the foods we eat play a key role in keeping it healthy. Research shows certain foods may protect the brain from diseases that destroy memory and cognitive function, such as Alzheimer’s. Although eating a well-balanced diet is always a smart idea, some foods go to the head of the class. Here are four foods that deserve high marks …

Trans Fat vs. Cholesterol
Sam’s Club Source
If you were Chief of the Food Police, would the food pyramid call for five daily servings of cookies, cakes, crackers, potato chips, and French fries? If so, you’d attract a very big fan club–and, unfortunately, big trans-fat trouble from the Cholesterol Cops. Here’s why (along with how to handle good and bad cholesterol) …

Let Them Eat … Organic
Sam’s Club Source
Once upon a time the word “organic” on a restaurant’s menu marked it as too trendy for mainstream customers. Times have changed. Organic is now the “fastest growing U.S. food segment,” according to the USDA. Tucking a few wholesome, organic ingredients into favorite recipes now marks an eatery as enlightened. Here are five easy ways to introduce organic foods to your restaurant business …

The Chemo Conundrum
Natural Solutions
Think chemotherapy, and hair loss often comes to mind. But loss of appetite, a far more serious problem, often accompanies treatment as well. Both chemo and radiation therapy cause cancer patients to become underweight and malnourished, drained of the energy and strength they need to heal. Here’s how to stay healthy when robbed of essential nutrients …

Running Start: What to eat to finish the race
Natural Health
The beauty of running your first 5k race is that it’s short enough for the average person to prepare for and long enough to give you a sense of accomplishment. No matter what your natural running ability, most people can train for–and finish–a 5k sprint-distance race …

Balancing Act: Filling the gaps in popular diets
Healthsmart Today
If you have a few pounds to lose, chances are you’ll choose a diet that lets you eat more of the foods you love no matter what the experts say. If you pine for pasta you’ll pick Pritikin or the Zone, but if you crave a juicy ribeye you’ll opt for Atkins. The diet that works for you is the one you’ll stay on–whether its popularity is peaking or passing …

We’re Not Bitter: Why some people won’t eat greens
Natural Health
Sure, we know veggies are good for us–they defend against cancer, heart disease, and a host of other ills. But around 75 percent of people say broccoli and spinach just don’t pass their taste bud test. Blame it on heredity, say researchers. A study published in the journal Pediatrics shows that a taste for greens may be in our genes …

Ten Foods To Speed Muscle Growth
Oxygen
Eating lean chicken something-or-other every day has no magic power to make your muscles grow–and neither does all that protein powder–unless you’re getting the right kind of workout. Here are ten food combinations to help speed muscle growth after your workout …