I was in the mood for soup last weekend, but didn't really have an idea of what kind I wanted. At Trader Joe's, I picked up my usual along with a few extra vegetables. My plan was to pair the vegetables with some colorful lentils I got from the store a month or so ago just because they looked pretty (they were orange/pink!).
I came up with this crock pot-friendly recipe: You will need: 3 large (bugs bunny style) carrots 2-3 stalks of celery 1 onion (I used white in this case, but shouldn't matter too much) 1 zucchini squash 2/3 cup frozen peas 2/3 cup frozen corn 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes 1/2 pound ground turkey 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed 1/3 cup uncooked lentils, sorted and rinsed 2 cups low sodium chicken broth (I used the remainder of some I had in the fridge, so this wasn't an exact measurement, but around 2-3 cups of broth or water-- or enough to cover the ingredients) 1/2 tsp kosher flake salt 1/2-3/4 tsp seasoned salt black and red pepper 2 bay leaves 1/2 tsp olive or canola oil Slice vegetables to desired thickness. Brown ground turkey in a skillet with the olive or canola oil. Cook until just slightly pink, as it will continue to cook in the crock pot. Add all ingredients to crock pot and cover. Turn crock pot on to high and allow to cook for 3.5-4 hours. Serve with salad and bread OR whole grain crackers. Serves about 6. The hardest part is slicing the veggies and even that didn't take very long. This soup was a pleasant surprise for me. The consistency was perfect. Enjoy! As temperatures drop throughout much of the country, you may be tempted to abandon your workout, especially if you love to exercise outdoors. However, with the holidays (and all the yummy, calorie dense food that tends to accompany them) just around the corner, you may want to reconsider. Perhaps this post will motivate you to keep moving. Researchers have discovered that working out in cold temperatures may increase your calorie burn! The key is brown adipose tissue (BAT), a type of fat that uses energy to generate heat in a process called thermogenesis. Studies have found that exposure to cold temperatures activates BAT, resulting in increased caloric expenditure, as the body works to maintain its optimal core temperature. Generally, women have more BAT than men and younger people have more BAT than older. BAT (as well as its metabolic activity) is decreased in overweight or obese indivuduals. However, if someone is overweight or obese, a decrease in body mass results in an increase in BAT. How cold is cold enough? Well, according to some of the research, you want to induce thermogenesis, but not to the point of shivering. Once you are shivering, BAT activity is no longer optimal (you do burn some calories through shivering, however). The temperature range that has been documented to stimulate BAT activity is between 57 and 61 degrees F. As your body adapts to cooler temperatures, eventually, you will become more tolerant. This means that even lower temperatures will activate BAT. This is good news for those of us whose outdoor temperatures dip down to 30 degrees and lower during the peak of winter season. How much of a difference will the BAT make in terms of calorie burn? While activating BAT alone will not replace some form of regular physical activity, it can result in up to a 10-15% increase in calorie burn, upon 5 minutes of exposure to cold. One resource notes that the metabolic rate in a group of men rose 1.8 times the resting rate after BAT was activated. Walking raises the metabolic rate around 2-3 times that of the resting rate and running raises it around 10 times the resting metabolic rate. So, if you are already doing an activity, such as walking or running, BAT activation will take the burn to another level! The take-home message? DON'T LET THE COLD KEEP YOU FROM STAYING ACTIVE!!! Whether it's for class lectures, at your work desk, or on your couch, sitting for long stretches of time can have short- and long-term health consequences: Click the "Read More" for some ways to incorporate more movement into your daily activities...
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AuthorHello there, my name is Alena and I am a Registered Dietitian! This blog is a platform through which I can share my knowledge and perspectives on a variety of nutrition-related topics. Feel free to contribute by commenting. Archives
November 2021
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