Author: Kate Scarlata

The food we eat is made primarily out of 5 major nutrients: carbohydrates, protein, fats and vitamin and minerals. Carbohydrates are essential to the body as they provide our body with energy. In addition, studies have linked carbohydrate foods with mood regulation. Eating carbohydrates help keep us calm! There are simple carbohydrates, such as sugar in soda and candy and complex carbohydrates as found in pasta and bread. Complex carbohydrates can be refined or unrefined. Refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta and white rice have been stripped of their healthy fiber and many other key nutrients. Food manufacturers…

In my nutrition consultation practice, I often tell my clients, it is not WHAT you’re eating that contributes to your weight gain; it is HOW MUCH you are eating! Portion control is essential to any weight management program. There are many obstacles that contribute to poor portion control. Let’s take a closer look at three problem areas. These include: large restaurant portions, copious quantities of snack foods eaten directly out of a box or bag, and numerous food items consumed off of someone else’s plate. We are all dining out more. The U.S. Department of Labor’s consumer expenditure report released…

Some of us can fondly remember the days when eating unlimited quantities of food never seemed to lead to gaining a single pound? Now, you simply look at food and it goes straight to your hips. You have one major culprit to blame for that, your metabolism. As we age, our metabolism slows down. For many of us, it seems we always have had a slow metabolism. Metabolism is your body’s way of burning energy. More specifically, it is the way your body uses chemical and physical processes to break down nutrients from food to produce energy. Men tend to…

You can have your fruit and veggies and eat them too! A diet that includes a colorful array of fruits and vegetables is a great start to a healthy eating plan. Not only do fruits and vegetables taste great, they add beautiful color and interesting texture to every meal! Fruit and veggies are power packed with disease fighting phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. The typical American diet does not even come close to meeting the recommended amount of servings of fruits and vegetables. In fact, a recent survey looking at fruit and vegetable consumption in the United States reported that 67%…

Here are the top ten reasons for keeping your personal water tank on full. Water is one of the body’s most important nutrients as it plays a significant role in your health and well-being. Water provides the following benefits: Detoxification-flushes out toxins. Hydration-keeps our cells moving. Satiety-helps make our stomachs feel full. Mental clarity-keeps our mind sharp. Blood pressure management-helps keep blood pressure in normal zone. Skin health-keeps skin moist. Kidney stone prevention-helps inhibits stones from forming. Digestion-helps move food through our body Lubrication-keeps our body moving. Essential to live! Water is vital to living. The brain is about 70% water and…

Kate Scarlata is a Registered Dietitian with a Bachelor in Science from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts. Her formal training was completed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate. Kate remained at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital for 7 years enhancing her knowledge in a wide array of health conditions until starting her own practice. Services Kate provides practical and healthy ways to improve well-being through sound nutritional choices. Kate has been in private practice for the past 12 years providing individual nutrition consultation as well as leading comprehensive nutrition workshops in the corporate and healthcare…