Does Physical Activity Help Us Avoid Weight Gain?

In a recent study of middle-aged women and weight gain published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found only those of normal weight successfully avoided gaining weight by exercising an average of 60 minutes daily. Overweight women (with a body mass index above 25) or obese (a body mass index above 30) still continued to gain weight when exercising 60 minutes most days. For weight gain prevention, the overweight and obese group, which represents 60% of women in the U.S., needs to combine regular physical activity with calorie control. The 2008 federal recommendation of accumulating 150 minutes of physical activity per week is clearly insufficient to avoid weight gain for most women. The U.S. 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommends 90 minutes of physical activity daily for weight loss. Other research studies have shown accumulating 250-300 minutes of physical activity per week is needed for weight loss or prevention of weight gain for most people.

What may be the best way to determine how to cut calories for prevention of weight gain? Most successful weight loss begins with an examination of your current eating patterns. To do this, document your daily food and drink intake for a week, including weekends. Record the times and amounts (actually measure your food before you eat it) of all food and look for patterns. Here are some common ways many people over consume:
• Too large portions To learn the amounts of food recommended for you, go to www.mypyramid.gov and select analyze my diet, which takes you to the MyPyramid Tracker. Enter your sex, weight, and activity level and see what is recommended for you. Subtract 250-500 calories per day for a manageable ½-1 pound per week weight loss. You can even enter in your daily food intake at MyPyramid Tracker and find out how many calories you are eating, and where you need to make adjustments in your diet.
• Drinking too many calories If you regularly consume alcohol, soda, sweet tea, juice (limit to ½ cup daily) or other caloric drinks, you are drinking your way to weight gain. Clear liquid drinks do not fill you up, and can easily add 200-500 calories/drink. Drink water (zero calories) or flavored water for thirst, and milk, if possible, with meals.
• Eating out Again portions are way too large when eating out. Unfortunately, study after study shows the bigger portions we are served, the more we eat. Some people seem to get confused at salad bars and buffets. You really did not pay for unlimited food. It is so easy to forget how much you have eaten when the servers have cleared away your plates each time. Anything deep fried, crispy, or in a heavy cream sauce will be loaded with extra calories. Restaurants also cook and add excessive amounts of salt to foods, which makes you drink excessively, usually caloric drinks… Take a doggie bag home, split the meal with a friend, and eat your salad first (limit dressing, cheese, etc.) to help you fill up on lower calories foods. Eat slowly and learn to follow your body’s signals of feeling full.
• Snacking Actually, the research shows eating regular meals and snacks helps us maintain a healthy weight and lose weight, if needed. Choose to eat meals every 4-5 hours and 1-2 planned snacks in between, especially if meals are spaced further. Choose snacks from the foods groups. Most people need to eat more vegetables, fruits, and dairy (low-fat) and whole grains. Plan for snacks with 2-3 food groups, and don’t skip meals, especially breakfast, or you will overeat the rest of the day.

If you are interested in attending a program to help you or your family increase your physical activity and improve your diet, contact your county Penn State Extension office. Our Strong Women, Strong Bones and new Strong Women, Healthy Hearts programs are helping hundreds of women in Pennsylvania improve their fitness and diets. For lower-income families with children, our Nutrition Links programs are free and offer hands on cooking and food budgeting, meal planning and more. For families with school-aged children, check out our Family Fitness and Up for the Challenge, and summer 4-H programs in your area. On-line, go to www.extension.psu and click on counties for more local information, or click on nutrition and health programs for more information on our programs.

Home Canning Resources

I have one comment on a resource for home canning. The criteria the Food Science Department at Penn State Univeristy uses to determine if a resource is safe include if the recipe was tested at a research lab for time, temperature and pressure needed to raise the food product to a safe temperature to kill microorganisms. The only recommended resources we have are from Univeristy Extension services, such as Penn State Extensions's free Let's Preserve series http://foodsafety.psu.edu/lets_preserve.html , The National Center for Home Food Preservation from the University of Georgia Extension, including their excellent publication So Easy to Preserve http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/ , USDA's Complete Guide to Home Canning (free) http://foodsafety.psu.edu/canningguide.html , and Ball's Blue Book (any earlier verions publiched before 2000 shoudl not be used). For more informations on recommended resources for home canning, see http://foodsafety.psu.edu/preserve.html

Cooking for Crowds Food Safety Courses

Fairs, church dinners, fire company chicken barbecues, booster club hoagie sales, organizational bake sales...nonprofit food fund-raisers are an excellent way to socialize with the community while earning money for organizational activities.

However, did you know that from 1990-2004, over 1,700 people became ill from food purchased at Pennsylvania nonprofit food-raisers? How will your organization protect it’s customers from food-borne illness? Does your organization know the food safety risks that result from cooking large volumes of food? Does your organization know how to prevent the food safety risks that result from cooking large volumes of food?

You and your organization have so much to gain from a successful food fund-raiser. Don’t risk your customer’s health or damaging your organization’s reputation. Find out to keep your next food fund-raiser safe from foodborne illness. Topics covered include: The causes of food-borne illness, planning a safe event, safe purchasing, storage, preparation, and service for a crowd, monitoring and record keeping, and cleaning and sanitizing.

Course Instructor: Lynn James, M.S., R.D., L.D.N. Penn State Extension Educator and Registered Dietitian

Dates & Locations:
Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Time: 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Location: Penn State Extension Northumberland County 443 Plum Creek Road Sunbury, PA

Date: Tuesday, June 29 , 2010
Time: 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Location: Penn State Extension Union County 343 Chestnut Street Mifflinburg PA

Workshop fee: $ 20.00
To register, call the Penn State Cooperative Extension, Northumberland County office at (570)-988-3950 to have a registration brochure mailed, or print one from our website: http://northumberland.extension.psu.edu

Food Preservation Courses Coming your Way

Planning to plant a garden this spring? Learn how to select the best plant varieties for preserving and to safely preserve vegetables, fruits, and more.

Does the vision of a metal canner with strange looking gauges scare you away from pressure canning? This is the workshop to overcome the fear of using a pressure canner. Or, perhaps you are an experienced canner, but are looking for updates and new recipes. We’ll learn how a pressure canner works as we walk through each step involved in safely canning. We’ll also review when you need to can under pressure, how to safely can without pressure using a boiling water bath, and how to freeze correctly. Safe, tested recipes and procedures will be shared for preserving, including green beans, tomatoes, and peaches. The last half hour we will cover how to prepare and judge canned goods for winning county fairs. Bring your canners for testing of the dial gauge and safety inspection.

Dates & Locations:

When: Tuesday June 8, 4:15-5:45 PM Location: Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU), 90 Lawton Lane, Milton

September 8; 6-8 PM Location: Now We're Cooking, Inc. 467 RIver Ave. Williamsport
Registration Fee: $10.00 per person per class

To register, call the Penn State Cooperative Extension, Northumberland County office at (570)-988-3950 to have a registration brochure mailed, or print one from our website: http://northumberland.extension.psu.edu

Join the StrongWomen-Healthy Hearts Program!

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Heart disease and stroke can also limit a woman’s ability to do the everyday things that she is used to doing.

To improve women’s health in the central Susquehanna valley and statewide, Penn State Extension will be offering Strong Women-Healthy Hearts classes, beginning in Sunbury this spring. An informational meeting will be held March 31 from 2:30-4 p.m. at the Penn State Cooperative Extension Office in Sunbury. An orientation and assessment meeting will be held April 5, and classes will begin April 12, meeting from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, running through June 30.

The team at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts who brought strength-training programs to midlife and older women throughout Pennsylvania has developed an exercise and nutrition program designed to help women improve their heart health. The StrongWomen – Healthy Hearts Program is a fun, hands-on way to make positive changes to help you eat better, move more, and improve your general health and well-being. Classes focus on nutrition and exercise and include topics such as menu planning and portion control.

If you participate in the Program, you will also be asked to participate in research to learn about the best ways to spread this program so that it can be brought to women all over the country in the communities where they live. This research, which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is being conducted through a partnership between Pennsylvania State University and Tufts University. Penn State University Cooperative Extension was awarded a subcontract to conduct this research in the state of Pennsylvania.

Women are eligible for this study if they are 40 years of age or older; have a body mass index (BMI) between 24 and 45; live independently (not in assisted living or nursing home); are not currently getting much exercise; are willing to consent to participate in this research study; and are able to provide evidence that starting an exercise program will be safe for them.

For further information on the StrongWomen – Healthy Hearts Program, and to register for the information session, please contact:
Lynn James, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., Penn State Cooperative Extension in Northumberland County 443 Plum Creek Road, Sunbury, PA 17801 ljames@psu.edu, 570-988-3950

Penn State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided or other questions, please contact course instructor and registered dietitian Lynn James, M.S, R.D., Penn State Extension Northumberland County at (570) 988-3950 or via email at Ljames@psu.edu in advance of your participation or visit. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.

Lowering Blood Pressure- Costs, Savings and Tips for All

Lowering Blood Pressure- Costs, Savings and Tips for All
By Lynn James, M.S., R.D. L.D.N.
Penn State Extension Educator, Northumberland County
Two new studies, the first by National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the other by a non-profit research organization RAND, prove that many potential health and financial benefits can be reaped if Americans cut their average sodium intake. The research clearly document how following a healthier diet and current medical guidelines reduce high blood pressure in dramatic ways.
The researchers estimate if the average sodium intake fell to the recommended level of 2,300 mg per day, there would be 11 million fewer cases of high blood pressure each year. This could save $26 billion in health care costs alone. At present, nearly 73 million American adults have high blood pressure (above 140/90 mm Hg), and 59 million have pre-hypertension, (above the normal 120/80 mm Hg). The costs of treating high blood pressure and related heart disease and strokes are currently $73 billion. Hypertension (high blood pressure) triggers more than one-third of heart attacks, is a leading cause of strokes and kidney failure, is common in diabetics, and plays a role in blindness and even dementia. Anyone can get high blood pressure, but leading risk factors are getting older, being overweight and inactive, and having an unhealthy diet.
The NIH committee's findings include:
—Too many with hypertension and medical professionals don’t treat the disease if only the top number in a blood pressure reading — the systolic pressure — is high. That's contrary to treatment guidelines. Both the top and bottom, diastolic, are important to control.
—Too little dietary potassium and too much sodium fuel high blood pressure. Only 2% of adults eat enough potassium, mostly due to a diet low in fruits and vegetables. An adequate intake of potassium is 4700 mg, but most Americans average half that amount. The largest sources of sodium in our diets are: 10% from foods naturally consumed, 10-25% from use of a saltshaker, and 75% from processed foods (boxed, canned) and eating out.
—Centers for Disease Control (CDC) should work with food manufacturers to lower the sodium hidden inside processed foods, our main source of sodium. The average adult is thought to eat about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day; the recommended daily limit is 2,300 mg, which could reduce systolic blood pressure by 8 mm/Hg.
—If everyone who is overweight lost 10 pounds, reducing an average systolic blood pressure 10mm Hg, the nation's hypertension cases could drop 8 percent. In addition, engaging in 30 minutes of daily physical activity cuts another 4-9 mm Hg.

Here are some practical ways families and individuals can reduce their risk for high blood pressure, or reduce it if it is already above 120/80:
Limit salt (sodium) in your diet to less than 1 teaspoon (2300 mg) by:
• Use little to no salt at the table or cooking.
• Try herb mixture to season soups, vegetables, main dishes and dips.
• Check Nutrition Facts labels- a low sodium food is less than 140 mg sodium or below 5 percent Daily Value for 1 serving. Choose or prepare meals with 500-600 mg sodium.
Tips: Ask waitress or cook to not add salt to your foods. Read Nutrition Facts food labels and restaurant publications for sodium content before purchasing.
Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy
Ten years of research tell us the DASH Diet- Dietary Approaches to Reduce Hypertension, lowers high blood pressure an average of 10 mmHg or more by daily adding foods naturally rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium and lower in sodium:
• 3-4 cups of low-fat or skim milk, low fat yogurt (for calcium)
• 2-21/2 cups each of fruits & vegetables (for potassium)
• ½-1 ounce of beans, or nuts most days (for magnesium)
Tip: Add beans or nuts (1-2 tablespoons) to salads, serve milk with meals, cut back on chips, fried foods, and fast food to lower fat & salt.
Try experimenting with fresh and dried herbs to season your foods without added salt
Use fresh when available at Farmer’s Markets or check produce sections of grocery stores. In general, use 3 times as much fresh herb as dry herb. Try these new herb blends below to season your foods without any added salt. Directions: Combine the ingredients in a jar. Cover tightly, and shake. Keep in a cool, dark, dry place. Yield: ½ cup
Mixed Herb Blend: Blend ¼ cup dried parsley flakes, 2 tablespoons dried tarragon, 1 tablespoon each of dried oregano, dill weed, and celery flakes. Try with fish, eggs, salads, meats, soups.
Mexican Chili Blend: Blend ¼ cup chili powder, 1 tablespoon each of ground cumin and onion powder, 1 teaspoon each of dried oregano, garlic powder, and ground red pepper, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Try with salads, ground meats, and poultry.
Greek Blend: Blend 3 tablespoons each of garlic powder and dried lemon peel, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, and a teaspoon of black pepper. Try with tomatoes, other cooked vegetables, and salsa.
Easy Dip Blend: For use when mixing with cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, or low-fat sour cream. Blend ¼ cup dried dill weed and 1 tablespoon each of dried chives, garlic powder, dried lemon peel, and dried chervil.
Sources:http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI//DRI_Water/186-268.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/hypertension/express.pdf

Holiday Materials - eXtension

Holiday Materials - eXtension



Looking for healthier holiday ways to eat, cook, avoid weight gain, and more? Check this link for extensive resources from Extension health and nutrition colleagues nationwide.