Food Facts: Watermelon

Watermelon is one of my favorites fruits. In fact, when I was pregnant with my first child, I ate a whole watermelon in just one sitting.

Watermelon makes you full without making you fat! In fact, watermelon has no fat, cholesterol, and almost no sodium, yet it is high in potassium!

Nutritional Values of Watermelon

Serving Size: 1 cup

• Calories: 46
• Protein: 1 g
• Carbohydrate: 11 g
• Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Sodium: 2 mg

It's still summer and when it gets hot, watermelon comes to mind! Not only does watermelon help quench thirst, it helps alleviate inflammation that come from conditions like arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, colon cancer, and diabetes

Watermelons are abundant source of antioxidants, vitamin C, and vitamin A. They are rich in potassium, which is a nutrient that helps control blood pressure, regulate heart beat, and possibly prevent strokes. Watermelon is also a valuable source of lycopene, one of the carotenoids that may help reduce the risk of prostate, breast, endometrial, as well as lung and colon cancer!

For more information about watermelon and other healthy foods, check out my favorite book - the World's Healthiest Foods -- www.whfoods.org

Weight-Loss Recipe: Diva Quinoa Quench

Diva Quinoa Quench
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 oz. almonds, chopped
1 oz. raisins
1/2 cup low-fat organic milk

Preparation: Cook quinoa as directed on package in a saucepan or rice cooker. Combine cooked quinoa, almonds, and raisins in a bowl and top with milk.

Makes 1 Serving
Nutritional Value: 374 calories; 14 g protein; 52 g carbs; 12.5 g fat; 6.5 g fiber; 60 mg sodium
Notes:

To make this recipe vegetarian, use soy or rice milk.

To cut the fat, skip the almonds and use fresh fruit like 1/2 banana or some berries.

Benefits of quinoa:

Quinoa is a light, fluffy, and slightly crunchy whole grain that is gluten free. It is naturally extra-low in fat and is sodium, and sugar free. Quinoa provides more amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients than most other grains!

Quinoa is a great when you need an alternative to your every day oatmeal. Also, consider other cereals you may be consuming that are full of sugar and other fattening ingredients that are unhealthy. See my blog "Food Facts: Cereal".

Yes, carbs are an important part of your diet even when you are trying to lose weight--learn more in my blog "The Carb Defense".

Diva Reduction Recipes
“Fit Meals in Minutes”
“Combining quick and convenient with sound nutrition!”You will find over 35 weight-loss recipes in MY DIVA DIET: A Woman's Last Diet Book!

Also, I hope you ordered your "Shopping Pocket"!

Food Facts: Frozen Entrees

Many diet programs, nowadays, include frozen "entrees" that are labeled, SMART, LEAN and HEALTHY, however there is nothing smart, lean or healthy about them, even if they are low in calories, fat and carbs!  This includes frozen entrees offered by NutriSystem, WeightWatchers, or Jenny Craig--Thanks Nora)!  

The following chart contains only a few of some common frozen-food entrees that are considered healthy (and labeled that way). We won’t address canned foods and other packaged foods, they would take up our entire book. MY DIVA DIET wants you to read and compare the labels on these and other products before you choose any packaged, processed, or man-made food products.

Listing include calories, protein, carbs, fat, sugar, sodium, fiber and number of ingredients: 

1. South Beach Diet:  Caprese Chicken w/Broccoli -- 260;  33;  12;  7;  4;  710;  4;  About 50
2. Smart Ones:  Chicken Fettuccini -- 340;  23;  47;  6;  3;  680;  4;  About 50+
3. Lean Cuisine: Lemongrass Chicken --  240;  17;  30;  6;  4;  600;  4;  About 55
4. Kashi:  Sweet and Sour Chicken -- 320;  18;  55;  3.5;  25;  380;  6;  About 60
5. Lean Cuisine:  Panini -- 280;  21;  32;  8;  3;  690;  5;   MANY
6. Lean Pockets (1) -- 290;  11;  45;  7;  5;  500;  5;  MANY  
7. Healthy Choice: Roasted Chicken --  290;  16;  39;  7;  7;  600;  10;  MANY
8. Smart Ones: 3-Cheese Macaroni --  300;  14;  48;  6;  3;  570;  3;  MANY
9. Stouffer’s Rigatoni w/Roasted Chicken -- 390;  19;  44;  15;  2;  820;  3;   MANY
   

Clean calories (reading labels/things to look for)

• Preservatives and additives
  
• Flavoring agents, coloring agents, sweeteners (artificial and natural), emulsifiers, texturizers, stabilizers, etc.
• Chemicals and other fake foods
  
• Hidden fats (hydrogenated vegetable oils and other unneeded and unhealthy fats)
• Hidden sugars (maltodextrin, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc.)
  
• Hidden sodium (salt, MSG, sodium benzoate, sodium nitrate, ferrous sulfate, etc.)
• Hidden flour (white flour, baking powder, starch, dextrin, etc.)

* Notes

• Clean and pure calories are very important in MY DIVA DIET (in both Phase One and Two) because health should be the number one goal in any weight-loss program. In fact, if you are healthy you will find it much easier to lose weight.
• Cleaning up your calories is more important than decreasing your intake, and the best way to do it is to select natural and fresh foods over packaged, processed, man-made foods.
• Some diets are based on eating a great many unclean calories that help you lose a few pounds but place you at risk for health predicaments like fibromyalgia, headaches, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and others.

* Clean Calories Rule

• There are two main rules in this category:
  
• Become informed about food additives and preservatives.
  
• Read labels, read labels, read labels! 

Paw Ingredients Label Guide 

Number of Ingredients     Signals 

 1        Ideal 

 3    Excellent 

 5   Probably OK 

6-9      May need further analysis 

10-19           Could be a problem 

20-29      Caution 

30 +      Stay away! 

* FYI's on food labels:  

• Ingredients for a given product are listed by weight, in descending order.
  
• Some preservatives are okay, but not when there are more preservatives than the natural food it is supposed to be made of.
• Some preservatives are actively harmful—you should do your own research to learn more about food additives.
• Avoid products containing too many additives like colorings, fillers, flavor enhancers, etc.
• Watch for hidden calories, fats, sugar, sodium, and flour.
  
• Avoid products with unfamiliar ingredients—find out what they are!
  

To learn more about reading labels, check out the MY DIVA DIET blog "Read Food Labels: Your Health & Fitness Levels Depend on It!"  

Food Facts: Energy Bars

Food, Sports, Energy, and Protein bars

The problem with food, sports, energy, and protein bars is that they are are man-made products with many ingredients. MOST are just "glorified candy bars". MY DIVA DIET is sure these products were designed with good intentions, but they fail the “real and natural” food test.

* Notes

• There are too many food, sports, energy, and protein bars (alias “food bars”) to list here or analyze, and not all of them are created equal. Some are healthier than others, using real ingredients, while others are just glorified candy bars. 
  
• Food bars (including granola bars) are only marginally better for you than candy bars or fast food burgers. 
• Most food bars are high in calories, contain sugar (or high fructose corn syrup), wheat and other flour, fat and fat sources (like hydrogenated oil), salt, milk products, nuts, cocoa and cocoa powder, caffeine and other stimulants, ginseng, and additives and preservatives. 
• Some food bars add vitamins and minerals to increase their value. 
  
• Some food bars contain fiber and some are gluten-free. 
  

* Food, Sports, Energy, and Protein Bars Rules

• MY DIVA DIET does not recommend food, sports, energy, or protein bars as part of your daily diet—we remind you that you need to get your calories from natural, fresh, and wholesome foods. 
• It’s okay in an emergency situation to have one of these food bars. Try to choose those with fewer ingredients, higher protein and fiber, and no sugars and low to no flavor enhancers, additives, and preservatives. Again—read the labels! 

To learn more about reading labels, check out my blog post "Read Food Labels–Your Health & Fitness Levels Depend on It!"

Remember the MY DIVA DIET Golden Food Rule: 

"If God (nature) made it, it is safe. If it is man-made, it must be examined thoroughly.”

And if you are ready to get fit for life-check out MY DIVA DIET:  A Woman's Last Diet Book