Soup Recipes for a Fall Day

Who doesn't love a bowl of hot soup on a cold fall day? These recipes are easy to make and will leave you with leftovers for the upcoming week. You can even freeze your leftover soup to have a quick meal ready to go in a couple of weeks.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 pound of chicken (cut into bite size pieces)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 20 ounces cream of chicken soup (I use campbell's healthy request)
• 8 ounces water
• 2 cups salsa
• 16 ounces low-sodium chicken broth

Directions:
In a large pot, heat olive oil over low-medium heat. Add the chicken and cayenne pepper, and cook 5 minutes. Add garlic, stir and cook 2 more minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Serve with a pinch of cheddar cheese if desired.

Turbo Fire Chili
Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 8oz whole kernel corn, canned
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 8oz black beans, canned
• 8oz pinto, chili, or kidney beans, canned
• 1tbsp tomato paste
• 1 pkg Lawrey's Chili seasoning
• 4 oz low-fat shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
Brown turkey. Drain and discard any fat. Place all ingredients except cheese into a slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on low, or 2 hours on high. Top with 1 oz. cheese, if desired. *If you don't have a slow cooker, you can cook it on the stovetop at a simmer for 2 hours.*

  

Managing Your Hunger

Listen to Your Body
About 60 to 75% of your daily calories are expended just keeping up your bodily functions (refer to my post of calculating calories for more info). They're used to maintain your body's temperature, for regulating your nerves, for breathing, and to keep your heart beating. Calories are also important for nourishing and repairing your muscles and cells. A simple rule to keep in mind is to eat when you're hungry and stop when you're not.

Don't skip meals
Avoid slowing down your metabolism by eating 5-6 small meals a day. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and snack on healthy choices throughout the day. Skipping meals doesn't help you to cut calories. People who skip meals actually end up overindulging at the next meal. Smaller portion sizes and choosing healthy foods will help you to cut calories, not skipping meals.

Water helps the burn
A majority of people don't drink enough water. Without enough water in your system, your metabolism slows down and you end up burning fewer calories. Always drink at least 8 glasses or 64 ounces of water each day. Not sure if you're drinking enough water? When you're awake, you should be taking a bathroom break at least every 4 hours. If you're not, it's time to hydrate.

Catch more Zzzzzs
Getting too little sleep triggers hormonal changes that lead to an increased appetite. Also, sleep deprivation will cause your body to have more cravings for foods high in sugar and fat. If you're tired, you often won't have enough energy to workout to your full potential. Your body will thank you for getting enough sleep each night, 7 to 8 hours is best.

Don't Let Your Hunger Manage You
When you're hungry, it's easy to let your stomach to the talking. Make sure you take control over your hunger before it gets out of control. Here are a few tips to help you manage your appetite:

Drink water 30 minutes before every meal

• Sometimes the effects of thirst are disguised as hunger pangs. Water will not only ease the hunger temporarily, it will also help you to reduce the amount that you eat at your next meal. Drink water instead of soda, fruit juice, or  sugary drinks during your meals and you won't be adding empty calories.

End your membership to the clean plate club

• Avoid overeating just because it's there. Yes there are starving children in Africa, but that doesn't mean that you have to overeat. Pack leftovers and eat the next day. When eating out, ask the server to brink a take-home container with your meal and pack half of the meal before you even start eating. That way you can enjoy the same delicious meal twice and get more bang for your buck.

Hold the dessert

• Don't eat dessert right after finishing your main course. Wait at least 20 minutes and then if you're still hunger choose a healthy dessert like fresh fruit or sorbet.

Eat slowly

• Your taste buds can savor the flavors longer and you'll avoid filling up quickly. Thoroughly chewing your food will also help your body to digest it properly. Try to chew eat bite 20 times before you swallow.

Roughen up your diet with Fiber

Dietary fiber is a group of complex carbohydrates that add no calories (energy) to your diet and cannot be converted to glucose like other carbohydrates. Dietary fiber is mainly found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, and includes all parts of the plant that your body can't digest or absorb. The human digestive system cannot break the bonds of a fiber's sugar unit; therefore, dietary fiber passes relatively intact throughout your digestive system. Just because your can't digest dietary fiber doesn't mean it isn't a valuable part of your diet. Actually, the opposite is true. Dietary fiber is a valuable component of your diet because you can't digest it!

Types of Dietary Fiber
Insoluble Fiber

• Does not dissolve in water
• Keeps the digestive system running smoothly, reducing constipation, hemorrhoids, and other digestive problems
• Promotes the movement of material through you digestive system and increases stool bulk
• Beneficial dietary component for those who struggle with constipation or irregular stools
• Helps you to feel full after eating
• Stimulates your intestinal walls to contract and relax, moving solid materials through you digestive tract
• Sources: whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts, skins of fruits and vegetables, and leafy greens

Soluble Fiber

• Mixes with water to form a gummy substance that lines the intestinal walls
• Can help to lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels
• Protects against heart disease
• Sources: oats, seeds, beans, barley, peas, lentils, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, plums, and squash

Benefits of a High Fiber Diet
A diet that is high in fiber has many benefits, which include:

• Normalizes bowel movements
• Helps maintain bowel integrity and health
• Lower blood cholesterol levels
• Helps control blood sugar levels
• Aids in weight loss
• Possible decreases risk of colorectal cancer
• Reduces the risk of heart disease
• Lowers High Blood Pressure
• Reduces constipation, hemorrhoids, and Divirticulitis

Adding Fiber into your Diet
The recommended Dietary Fiber intake (insoluble and soluble) is as follows:

• Adult males, under age 50     38 grams/day
• Adult males, over age 50       30 grams/day
• Adult females, under age 50  25 grams/day
• Adult females, over age 50    21 grams/day
• Adult pregnant females          25-35 grams/day

Tips for increasing Fiber intake

• Eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.
• Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole grain products.
• Choose whole grain cereals for breakfast.
• Snack on raw vegetables instead of chips, crackers, or chocolate bars.
• Substitute legumes for meat two to three times per week in chili and soups.
• Experiment with international dishes (such as Indian or Middle Eastern) that use whole grains and legumes as part of the main meal (as in Indian dahls) or in salads (for example, tabbouleh).

A word of caution when increasing Fiber intake

• Adding too much fiber into your diet too quickly may cause constipation and/or stomach discomfort. Increase your fiber intake by a few grams per week to slowly get to your recommended intake value.
• Increase your intake slowly and be sure to drink lots of water (at least 8-8 oz. glasses each day)

Information adapted from Nutrition for Dummies, 4th edition, Sparkpeople, and Mayo Clinic

Get more out of your workout with HIIT

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and may be your solution to squeezing a workout into your busy life! HIIT has the potential to allow you to burn more calories, lose more fat, and improve your cardiovascular fitness all while spending less time in the gym. High Intensity Interval Training however is not for everyone.
This type of training is very physically demanding and should only be practiced by intermediate or advanced exercisers. HIIT workouts will improve both the aerobic and anaerobic energy release in your body by exercising at your maximum in short intervals. As a result, your body cranks up your metabolism and shifts it into calorie-burner mode. When you do a HIIT workout you not only burn more calories during the session, but you will continue to burn more calories even after you have left the gym. HIIT workouts are structured with period of steep peaks and deep valleys. this interval pattern drastically improves both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, which increases the body's ability to burn fat.

HIIT is different from other forms of interval training in that the high intensity intervals are done at your maximum effort. Other forms of interval training often have you push just to 85% of your maximum heart rate. During HIIT workouts you are going all out, putting every ounce of effort into your workout for a very short amount of time (usually 1-2 minutes).

Is HIIT for you?
Answer these questions with "yes" or "no":

• Can you currently exercise for at least 20 minutes at 70-85% of your estimated maximum heart rate (220-your age)?
• Can you do a full month of 30 minutes of intense cardio workouts 3 times a week?
• Do you have a healthy heart?
• Do you have strong knees and joints?

If you answered "yes" to all of the questions that's great! You are ready to add HIIT into your workouts. If you answered "no" to 1 or more of the questions, then HIIT may not be for you - at least not for now.

You're Ready to Try HIIT -Now What??

HIIT can be used with many different types of cardio workout including running, swimming, biking, etc. As I said earlier, HIIT workouts will allow you to cut your workout time and provide you with 9x the calorie and fat burning potential of a traditional cardio workout. For more HIIT guidelines to keep yourself safe, read through the General HIIT Guidelines from Sparkpeople.
Here's some sample workouts to get you started!

Train Smart with HIIT
HIIT is both tough and tiring. Make sure you fuel your body with proper nutrition, lots of water, and plenty of rest. Make HIIT part of a structured plan. To get the most out of HIIT, you can't just push your body indefinitely. When training with HIIT, results and physical improvements only occur for short periods of time, so make sure to change up your workouts every 3-4 weeks. Also, to avoid doing damage to muscle tissue never do HIIT workouts two days in a row. You'll burn plenty of calories by including HIIT workouts just 2-3 times a week.

The Skinny on Fats

In order for you to stay healthy, your body needs fat. Fat is used in your body to make tissues and hormones. Fat cells are also carriers for Vitamins A, D, E, K (fat-soluble vitamins). Visible body fat provides a source of stored energy, gives shape to your body, acts as a cushion, and helps to reduce heat loss by acting like an insulation blanket. Fat also plays multiple roles in the body that you can't see. Fat is a part of every cell membrane, a component in the protective covering of nerve cells, and it acts as a shock absorber to protect your organs if you should fall or get injured.

All fats, regardless of type, contain 9 calories per gram. This is more than twice as many calories as protein and carbohydrates pack per gram, but fat doesn't provide twice as much energy. Your body has a hard time digesting fatty foods and pulling out the energy. To get the energy that your body needs it is recommended that you consume only 25-35% of your daily calories from fat.
Types of Fat
Saturated Fats

• typically comes from animal sources, such as meats, butter, and other dairy products
• many baked goods are high in saturated fat
• solid at room temperature
• main culprit in raising "bad" cholesterol
• increase your risk of heart disease
• limit your intake to less than 7% of daily calories

Monounsaturated Fats

• typically come from oils (olive, canola, peanut)
• liquid at rom temperature
• work to decrease "bad " cholesterol
• the most heart healthy fat
• consumption may reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke

Polyunsaturated Fats

• also come from oils (safflower, sunflower, soybean) and fish
• either liquid or soft at room temperature
• work to decrease total cholesterol
• include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids

How to Include Healthy Fats in Your Diet
Limit your fat intake to 25-355 of your daily caloric intake, with less than 7% coming from saturated fat. Trans fats should account for no more than 1% of your calories. Most of your intake of fats should come from good plant and fish oils with less fat coming from animal sources and processed foods. Many processed foods are made with hydrogenated vegetable oils, coconut oil, and palm oil which are all high in saturated fats. Foods with healthy fats are usually high in calories (remember fats have 9 calories per gram) so be sure to consume these foods in moderation!

Foods Containing Healthy Fats

• Almonds
• Avocados
• Cashews
• Cold-water fish
• Flaxseed
• Hazelnut oil
• Nut butters
• Olive oil
• Pecans
• Pumpkinseed oil
• Safflower oil
• Sunflower seeds
• Walnuts

Info to Share!

I wanted to share the info with you that Jill Kindy, RD gave us at the Lunch & Learn yesterday. If you're looking for healthy foods to eat on or off campus this is a great place to get some ideas!

Healthy Eating on Campus
At Campus Dining Facilities

• Deli sandwich (limit the sauce/dressing)
• Grilled chicken sandwich
• Baked or grilled chicken breast
• Baked or grilled fish
• Roast Pork
• London Broil
• International Station options
• Pasts with marinara (with or without meat)
• Salad Bar (limit dressing or use low fat variety)
• Fruits and vegetables
• Broth based soup
• Veggie Burgers

Near Campus Options

• 6" sub/pita sandwiches - turkey, grilled chicken, ham, veggie (limit the mayo/dressing), with baked chips or fruit
• Chicken or steak burrito (no cheese or sour cream)
• Pasta with Marinara or meat sauce
• Regular hamburger/cheeseburger, with apples (no fries)
• Regular roast beef sandwich
• Grilled chicken sandwich/salad (limit sauce/dressing)

What to Have in your room/apartment

• Whole grain bread, English muffins, bagels, tortillas
• Peanut butter & jelly
• Lunch meats -turkey, ham or roast beef
• Tuna fish (packed in water)
• Cheese
• Low fat yogurt
• Low fat milk
• Scrambled eggs (cook for 90 seconds in the microwave)
• Broth-based soups
• Canned fruits (packed in lite syrup/own juice)
• Microwavable potatoes or sweet potatoes
• Whole grain cereal
• Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers
• Nuts
• Whole grain crackers
• Low fat popcorn

Healthy Eats Available at Campus Convenience Stores
Breakfast

• Cereal - Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Special K, Total, Wheaties, Frosted Mini-Wheat, Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, Bear Naked Fit Granola
• Milk, orange juice, apple juice, V8 vegetable juice, soy milk
• Bars - Nature Valley Oats & Honey, Kashi, Fiber One
• Yogurt
• Fruit - apples, oranges, strawberries, grapes, canned peaches
• Peanut butter on 100% whole wheat bread

Lunch/Dinner (entrees and sides)

• Sandwiches - 100% whole wheat bread, deli meats and sliced cheese, peanut butter & jelly
• Tuna Fish
• Frozen Meals - Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine
• Soups - tomato, chicken noodle, chicken and rice, vegetable, vegetable beef
• Pre-made salad with grilled chicken
• Baked beans
• Vegetable - canned, frozen, or raw

Snacks

• Almonds, cashews
• Fruits
• Light popcorn
• Yogurt
• Pretzels
• Bars - Kashi, Nature Valley, Fiber One, Nutrigrain
• Wheat Thins, Triscuits
• String cheese
• Raisins
• Graham crackers
• Beef Jerky
• Trail mix
• Peanut butter crackers
• Pudding

Healthy Snacks for Eating on the Run

• Pretzels
• String Cheese
• Soft Pretzels
• Fruit Smoothies
• Cheese & Crackers
• Carrot Sticks
• Protein Bars
• Peanut Butter & Jelly
• Graham Crackers
• Raisin Toast
• Dry Whole Grain Cereal
• Half Sandwich
• Rice Cakes
• Low-fat Milk
• Applesauce
• Small Milk Shakes
• Slice of Pizza
• Fruit
• Yogurt
• Fruit Juice
• Muffins
• Bagel with Cream Cheese
• Vegetable Juice
• Peanut Butter & Crackers
• Granola Bars
• Snack Bars
• Popcorn
• Three Bean Salad
• Pudding
• Fig Bars
• Celery Sticks with Peanut Butter
• Vanilla Wafers
• Gingersnaps
• English Muffin Pizza
• Snack Sized Canned Tuna
• Cereal and Milk
• Vegetable Soup
• Sunflower Seeds
• Nuts
• Instant Breakfast Drinks
• Yogurt Smoothies

Healthy Mini-Meals

• Fruit Smoothie: 1/2 cup frozen fruit, 1 cup non-fat yogurt, 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 apple, fruit juice, 4 fig bars
• 1/2 cantaloupe stuffed with cottage cheese
• Peanut butter & jelly sandwich, skim milk, banana
• Bagel, English muffin with melted cheese & tomato
• 1/2 tuna fish sandwich, carrots, skim milk
• Pita bread topped with beans and melted cheese
• Vegetable soup with whole grain roll or crackers
• 2 turkey slices, lettuce & tomato on a tortilla
• Hummus and pita bread wedges
• Cereal and low-fat milk
• Chili stuffed baked potato topped with low-fat cheese
• Bagel with cream cheese and a slice of fruit
• Pita bread stuffed with vegetables, beans or cheese, and low-fat salad dressing

Weight Loss Tips

• Eat breakfast - this helps boost your metabolism
• Exercise at least 30 minutes per day, 4-5 days per week
• Eat healthfully - balance, variety, moderation
• Limit high calorie drinks (sodas, lemonade, alcoholic beverages, sports drinks, energy drinks)
• Eat when you are hungry (not when you are bored, stressed, procrastinating, etc...)
• Stop when you are satisfied.full (not when the plate is clean or the bag is empty, etc...)
• Limit late night eating. If you are hungry, a healthy snack is okay - just don't have a 2nd dinner
• Get adequate sleep

Powerful Protein

Protein is found is many cells throughout the body - muscle, skin, hair, bone, etc.- and is essential for human function. Protein is used in your body to build, maintain, and repair cells and tissues. All proteins are made up of amino acid building blocks. Your body requires a wide array of these amino acids for different functions but not every protein sources contains every amino acid. To build all of the protein that your body needs, you require 22 different amino acids. Ten of these amino acids are essential, meaning that your body cannot produce them so you must get them from food sources. The other twelve amino acids are considered to be nonessential because they can be produced in your body. Three more amino acids also exist, but they are only needed by the body in times of illness or injury.

High-quality and Low-quality Proteins
Proteins from animal sources - meat, fish, poultry eggs, and dairy products - contain similar combinations of amino acids as needed by humans therefore making these high-quality proteins. These high-quality proteins are processed more efficiently by your body and have a limited amount of waste. Low-quality proteins - grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and seeds - have fewer amino acids making their nutritional value lower than that of animal proteins.

Complete and Incomplete Proteins

Proteins can also be described at complete or incomplete. Complete proteins are those that contain sufficient amounts of all amino acids; incomplete proteins do not have the necessary amounts of all amino acids. The quality of incomplete proteins can be improved by pairing them with another incomplete protein that has the missing amino acids. Complete proteins come from animal sources. The following foods have incomplete proteins: grain foods, legumes, and nuts & seeds.

How to combine incomplete proteins

• Pair whole grains with legumes (ex. rice and beans)
• Pair dairy products with whole grains (ex. whole grain pasta with cheese, grilled cheese sandwich)
• Pair legumes with nuts and/or seeds (ex. vegetarian chili with caraway seeds)
• Pair dairy products with legumes (ex. chili beans with cheese)
• Pair dairy products with nuts and seeds (ex. yogurt with mixed nuts)

Incorporating Protein in your Diet
It is recommended that healthy adults get 10-35% of their daily caloric intake from protein. A good number to aim for is 45 grams per day for women and 52 grams per day for men. Also, a quick calculation that you can do to calculate your personal protein needs is to multiply your weight in pounds times 0.36. These amounts of protein can be easily incorporated into your diet as two to three 3-ounce servings of lean meat, fish, or poultry. Vegetarians can get their protein from 2 eggs, 2 slices of fat-free cheese, 4 slices of whole grain bread, and one low-fat cup of yogurt.

Examples of Lean Protein

• Beans of all kinds
• Beef tenderloin
• Bison
• Canned salmon, packed in water
• Canned tuna, packed in water
• Chicken breasts
• Chickpeas
• Eggs
• Fat-free plain yogurt
• Fresh fish (cod, salmon, tilapia, etc.)
• Lean ground turkey
• Lentils
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Natural nut butters (almond, cashew, peanut, etc.)
• Non-dairy beverages (fat-free almond, rice, or soy milk)
• Pork tenderloin
• Tempeh
• Tofu
• Unsalted raw nuts and seeds

Protein values of common foods

• Egg white 3.5 gm/1 large egg
• Egg 6 gm/1 large egg
• Cheddar cheese 7 gm/1 oz.
• 1% Milk 8 8gm/8 oz.
• Yogurt 11 gm/cup
• Cottage cheese 15 gm/0.5 cup
• Haddock 27 gm/ 4 oz.
• Hamburger 30 gm/4 oz.
• Pork Loin 30 gm/4 oz.
• Chicken Breast 35 gm/4 oz.
• Tuna 40 gm/6 oz.
• Almonds 3 gm/12 nuts
• Peanut butter 4.5 gm/1 tbsp
• Kidney beans 6 gm/0.5 cup
• Hummus 6 gm/0.5 cup
• Gardengurger 6 gm/2.5 oz. patty
• Refried beans 7 gm/0.5 cup
• Lentil soup 11 gm/10.5 oz.
• Tofu 11 gm/3.5 oz.
• Baked beans 14 gm/ 1 cup
• Boca burger 13 gm/2.5 oz. patty

*Actual values may vary depending on brand*

Information adapted from: Nutrition for Dummies, 4th ed., The Eat Clean Diet Recharged! by Tosca Reno, and Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 4th ed.

Curious about Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are our body's main source of energy for intense physical activity. Carbohydrates can basically be broken down into 2 groups: simple carbs and complex carbs. The classification of simple or complex depends on the chemical structure of the food and how quickly the sugar is digested and absorbed by the body. Simple carbs provide the body with a quick burst of energy, they break down easily, and tend to send blood-sugar levels out of control. Simple carbs have either one or two sugars and include:

• Fructose (found in fruit)
• Galactose (found in milk products)
• Lactose (found in dairy)
• Maltose (found in certain vegetables and in beer)
• Sucrose (table sugar)

Simple carbohydrates are found in a variety of foods, some good and some bad. Simple carbs that are good for us provide the body with vitamins and minerals and include fruits, milk & milk products, and certain vegetables. Simple carbohydrates can also be found in candy, carbonated beverages and sodas, syrups, and table sugar as refined or processed sugars. These processed and refined sugars contain calories but do not provide the body with vitamins, minerals, or fiber.  Foods like this that we consume that have little or no nutritional value and a high number of calories are considered to be calorie dense. We can also say that these foods have empty calories.

Complex carbohydrates are high in fiber and improve digestion. They provide you with energy, keep you satisfied after meals, and stabilize blood-sugar levels. Complex carbs are more complicated molecules and need to be taken apart by the body before being fully digested, making you fuller for a longer period of time. Complex carbohydrates contain 3 or more sugar molecules linked together in a chain. Complex carbs are found in a variety of foods including legumes (beans/lentils), starchy vegetables, and whole grains.

How to Include Carbohydrates in your Diet
40-60% of your total caloric intake each day should be provided from carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates and natural sugars should make up the majority of these calories. Complex carbohydrates will provide your body with the energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber that it needs to be healthy. To increase your intake of complex carbs include more fruits and vegetables in your diet, eat more whole-grain breads, cereals and pastas, and include more legumes.

Here's Some Examples of Complex Carbohydrates

• Apples
• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Bananas
• Beans (kidney, navy, pinto, soy)
• Berries
• Broccoli
• Brown Rice
• Brussels Sprouts
• Buckwheat
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chickpeas
• Citrus Fruits
• Cucumbers
• Cream of Wheat
• Eggplant
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Kiwi
• Lentils
• Lettuce
• Mango
• Melons
• Oatmeal
• Okra
• Onions
• Oranges
• Papaya
• Passion Fruit
• Pears
• Plums
• Pomegranate
• Potatoes
• Quinoa
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Split Peas
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Watercress
• Wheat germ
• Whole-grain pasta
• Zucchini

Information adapted from MedlinePlus and The Eat Clean Diet Recharged! by Tosca Reno