Physical Activity Recommendations for Weight Loss

To maximize benefits, exercise should be done in at least 10 minute bouts. For weight loss or weight maintenance, follow the recommendations below:

1. At least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week.

• Aerobic activity not only burns calories, but it also keeps your heart healthy.

2. At least twice per week, participate in strength training exercises like weight lifting or weight baring activities.

• Strength training increases muscle mass. When muscle mass increases more calories are burned to maintain this new mass. With more muscle, more calories are burned to stay alive, which means metabolic rate increases. This can help aid with weight loss.

*Table estimates calories burned on average based on different weights. Actual calories burned may differ based on intensity of workout and person’s weight. Talk with your doctor to ensure your health is compatible with exercise. (Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/SM00109)

Submitted by:
UTK Dietetic Intern

Exercise Tips for Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance

Exercise can help at every age and is essential to any weight loss or weight maintenance regimen. If calories burned are greater than calories taken in, then weight loss will occur. Many people feel overwhelmed when it comes to exercise. The good news is that you can start out slow then build up, and every bit helps. Check with your doctor to ensure it is safe for you to start exercising.

Here are some tips if you are just starting out:

• Read about the benefits of exercise for motivation
• Exercise offers many benefits for physical and mental health
• See this website for examples: http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/health/index.html
• Start slowly by introducing exercise bouts lasting about 10 minutes a few times a week
• Don’t over-do exercise at first to avoid soreness or feelings of inadequacy
• Set goals for exercise
• Make specific and reasonable goals to stay on top of exercise
• Example: I will exercise for 45 minutes next week. I will break this down into 15 minutes of exercise on Monday, Wednesday and Friday after work. I will record my exercise in a diary.
• Track your exercise (minutes and type) in a physical activity diary
• Reward met exercise goals with a non-food treat
• Example: Shopping, fishing, hiking, or spending time with a loved one you don’t see often.
• Make it fun
• Pick activities that are enjoyable
• Get an exercise buddy
• Set time to take each day for exercise
• Take an hour of TV time or find other time to make for exercise; this will help make a habit of being active
• Exercise with friends or family
• Get a support system in place to help stick with an activity plan
• Example: Exercise with your spouse, best friend or dog.

Submitted by:
UTK Dietetic Intern

An RD & CSA: Weeks 6 and 7

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!

Tis the season for cook outs and fun by the pool. I was in such a rush to get to my July 4th cook out that I didn't take a picture of week 7's share. Sorry about that! Week 6 was both beautiful and delicious.. See below for recipe ideas.

Swiss chard, turnips, spring onions, potatoes, purple cabbage, squash, arugula, zucchini

 { Week 6 Share }

Swiss chard: Spaghetti with Swiss Chard

Turnips + potatoes: Mashed Potatoes and Turnips with Horseradish
Purple cabbage: sauteed with garlic, served on bratwursts and hamburgers
Squash: veggie kebobs

Zucchini: Zucchini and Goat Cheese Dip

Arugula: Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula

{ Week 7 Share }

Kale: Spicy Kale Stuffed Shells
Tomatoes + tomatillas + onions: salsa (recipe below)
Green beans: roasted
Zucchini + squash: more zucchini dip from week 6

This is what happens with Dietitians plan cook outs!

So obviously our cook outs are not short on veggies.. or colors! For the most part, everyone has their go-to cook out contribution. I usually include salsa in mine.

I couldn't tell you the last time I bought salsa at the grocery store. I prefer to throw ingredients together at home. Needless to say, I was super excited to see both tomatoes AND tomatillas in my share last week.

Salsa at a pool party is pretty much a necessity. Sometimes I use fresh tomatoes, sometimes I use canned - whatever I have around. I actually added a can to my fresh this go round to bulk it up.

{ Recipe }

Homemade Salsa

3 tomatoes, medium
2 tomatillas, medium
1 onion, medium
1 jalapeno (with or without seeds, depends on your heat preference)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 can of diced tomatoes (low/no sodium is even better!)
Lime juice
Salt and pepper

Quarter the tomatoes, remove seeds so the salsa is less watery. Quarter the tomatillas and the onion. Roughly chop the jalapeno and remove all or some seeds. Roughly chop the cilantro.

Throw tomatoes, tomatillas, onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cilantro into a food processor and blend until you get the texture/consistency you want. --This is when I threw in the canned tomatoes.

Squirt in some lime juice, add a little salt and black pepper. Serve!


Helpful hint: You don't have to serve salsa with tortilla chips. Try fresh veggies or add it to your scrambled eggs!

Have you ever made your own salsa?

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

An RD & CSA: Week 5

I'm still eating leftovers (and trying to pawn food off on my friends) from this past week. The squash, zucchini, and cucumbers have taken over both my fridge and weekly menu.

I love leftovers but I can't eat the same thing too many times before I'm burnt out. So I freeze what I can't eat.. and then try a new recipe. I tried 6 new recipes in the last 7 days. Needless to say, I was in the kitchen a lot. Probably my favorite place to be though so no complaints...

I did go out to dinner last night. One of the specials involved squash.. I passed. I get enough of it at home!

Straight neck squash, garlic, white and green cucumbers, lettuce, spring onions, arugula, cabbage, zucchini, radishes, potatoes

{ Week 5 Share and Recipes}

Squash: cheesy pasta bake

Lettuce + radishes: salad
Cucumbers: salad, Quinoa with Cucumber, Black Beans, and Sesame Seeds (recipe below), California Bowl
Spring onions: Easy Pad Thai with Shrimp
Cabbage: Roasted Cabbage
Zucchini: Rustic Lentil Spaghetti

Potatoes: roasted

Garlic + arugula: both survived the week, to be cooked this weekend!



Have you ever cooked a cucumber? I've only ever had them raw. Cumbers on a salad.. in sushi.. with vinegar and salt.. etc.

In this recipe, cooked cucumber! I don't know why I never thought of this before.. guess I was just mindlessly following the masses and enjoying my raw cucumbers.

Never had quinoa? Try it in this recipe! Quinoa + beans = full so you can easily make this a main dish (I'm actually having it for lunch today).

{ Recipe }

 Quinoa with Cucumber, Black Beans, and Sesame Seeds (modified)

Makes ~ 3 (1 cup main dish) or 6 (1/2 cup side dish) servings

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 tsp olive oil
2 spring onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cucumber, medium, diced (remove the seeds if you want)
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 tsp soy suace
2 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 cup black beans, cooked
sesame seeds, toasted
Cook the quinoa according to package directions.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add onions and garlic, saute for 1 minute. Add cucumbers, saute for 3-4 minutes (cooked but still crisp).

Add red pepper flakes, black pepper, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Add black beans, quinoa, and sesame seeds.


Helpful hint: Put your fork/spoon down in between bites.. this helps you slow down instead of inhaling your food (always guilty). It takes 20 minutes for your belly to tell your brain you're full! Take. Your. Time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN

An RD & CSA: Week 4

How do you clean your produce?

Like I briefly mentioned in yesterday's post about the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen, make sure you're cleaning all the wonderful produce in your CSA share. Your farmer may not be spraying for bugs.

My farmer's wife suggested this method for cleaning broccoli:

• Fill sink/large bowl with enough water to cover the broccoli
• Pour at least 2 Tbsp of salt into the water
• Swish to dissolve
• Soak broccoli for at least 15 minutes

Apparently, this will kill any cabbage worms that may be in your broccoli. You don't want to eat any of those, do you? Probably not much nutritional benefit..

Red leaf lettuce, pattypan squash, eight ball zucchini, cauliflower, cucumbers, new potatoes, radishes, straight neck squash, kale, zucchini, arugula

{ Week 4 Share }

Lettuce + radishes + squash + zucchini + cucumbers: lots and lots of salad
Pattypan squash + eight ball zucchini: sauteed

Cauliflower: Balsamic and Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
Potatoes: Light Scalloped Potatoes
Zucchini: Veggie Enchiladas
 Kale: Sicilian Kale with Tuna, Capers, and Beans (recipe below)

Arugula: Green Lentils with Arugula Pesto

Can you tell I enjoyed a lovely weekend of cooking? I read too. And cleaned. Pretty productive I'd say.

All the recipes were delicious and will remain in my menu rotation... except the lentils and pesto. Sigh. I didn't love the flavor. I've struggled with homemade pestos before but I won't give up! Eventually I'll get the right mix of ingredients and flavor.

I'm overrun with zucchini and squash. You can't tell in the picture above but the zucchini was longer than my forearm.

Evidence.

And the delicious kale recipe.. from a blog written by two RDs: Teaspoon of Spice. I find many of my recipes when searching Healthy Aperture - the only food photo sharing site founded and hosted by RDs. Check them out if you ever need a new recipe to try.

{ Recipe }

 Sicilian Kale with Tuna, Capers, and Beans (modified)

Makes 4 servings

1 pound of kale, chopped, stems removed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup capers, drained
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
1 (5 ounce) can tuna in water, drained
1 1/2 cup kidney beans

Fill a large pot 3/4ths full of water and bring to a boil. Add kale and lower to medium-high heat, boil for 3 minutes then drain.

Place empty pot back on stove on medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions and saute 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute.

Add capers and pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes and then add kale and sugar. Stir until incorporated and cover with lid.

Stir occasionally and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Mix in tuna and beans, cooked until heated through.

Helpful hint: Skip the salt - the capers make this dish salty enough!

I served the kale with the cauliflower. Yum!

Do you have a favorite go-to website for recipes?

Jen, MS-MPH, RD, LDN