Terre Pruitt's Blog

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Posts Tagged ‘lycopene’

Watermelon

Posted by terrepruitt on September 17, 2018

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise ClassesIn this past organic produce delivery there was a little watermelon. They call them personal watermelons. They are so cute. I decided to slice it open, cut it up, and put it in the fridge. Wow. It is a very good melon. Since watermelons have so much water in them I don’t think of them as having much nutritional value, but a quick internet search shows that they aren’t just water.

Red and pink fruits and veggies contain lycopene which is an antioxidant. Studies suggest it can help reduce the risks of getting asthma and cancer. Antioxidants help fight the formation of free radicals known to cause cancer. Watermelon may help protect against heart disease, while a study showed a supplement of watermelon extract helped with high blood pressure. Lycopene is also thought to help act as a sunscreen. With watermelon being over 90% water, it can help keep things moving in the digestive system.

Vitamin A contained in watermelon can help your skin and eyes. While Choline, an essential nutrient that is naturally present in some foods, helps with metabolism, among other things, and may help with chronic inflammation. And beta-cryptoxanthin may help protect against inflammation.

According to the International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences watermelon is high in protein, magnesium, and vitamin B.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise ClassesNutrition facts

Serving size: 2 cups diced (10 oz / 280 g)
Calories: 80 (Calories from Fat 0)

Total Fat: 0g

Total Carbohydrate: 21g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 20g

Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 0mg
Potassium: 270mg
Protein: 1g

Vitamin A: 30%
Vitamin C: 25%
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 4%

Percent Daily Values (%DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

I have a post where I suggest adding watermelon to you salad greens, specifically, arugula

Information also says that while watermelon might seem high in carbohydrates, is has a glycemic index (GI) value of 80 and its glycemic load is a 5.  So it is not a bad sweet.

I know two people who don’t like watermelon and I find that very odd.  I pretty much think EVERYONE likes watermelon.  These benefits seem to make it a good snack.

What do you think?  Do you like watermelon?  Do you cook with it?  How do you eat it?

Posted in Food, Fruit | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Bell Peppers

Posted by terrepruitt on October 23, 2010

All, I love bell peppers. For a long time it was the only vegetable I would eat. GREEN bell peppers. I like all colors now. As you may have seen I like them grilled and filled with cheese. I also like them on sandwiches and salads. I prefer them raw. The only way I like them cooked is if they are still crunchy.

The red ones have lycopene in them, the same antioxidant compound that tomatoes have. The one that is thought to help reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Nutrition Facts from Livestrong website

  • Serving Size: 1 large bell pepper (164g)

Calories 33
Total Fat 0.3 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Sodium 4.9 mg
Potassium 287 mg
Total Carbohydrate 7.6 g
Dietary Fiber 2.8 g
Sugars 3.9 g
Protein 1.4 g
Vitamin A 12%
Vitamin C 220%
Calcium 2%
Iron 3%

Red showing up with a few more calories and carbs, and less fiber, but A LOT more Vitamin A and C.

  • Serving Size: 1 medium pepper (148 g)

Calories 30
Total Fat 0 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0m g
Sodium 0 mg
Potassium 210mg
Total Carbohydrate 8 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 1 g
Vitamin A 140%
Vitamin C 380%
Iron 4%

WH Foods, says:  Bell peppers are not ‘hot’. They contain a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin, the compound responsible for the ‘hotness’ found in other peppers.

I am glad they are so good for you because I love them. I can eat a whole one easy. Just slice it and eat it. That is what I was going to do when I took this picture. Do you like bell peppers? Do you like them raw or cooked?

Posted in Food, Vegetables | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

Cancer Is in ALL of Us

Posted by terrepruitt on September 11, 2010

Cancer is in all of us.  Could be why we all know someone affected by it.  We all have it in us.  Experts call it “cancer without disease”.  There are microscopic occurrences of cancer in all of us.  Our bodies fight it off, kill it, or just don’t allow it to grow, but it is there.  I watched Dr. Oz and learned some things I want to share.  There is a process in our bodies called angiogenesis, this is a awesome and necessary process, it is when new blood vessels are formed.  This is something that occurs when a wound is healing.  It also occurs as a catalyst for cancer.  When those cancer cells release chemicals causing new blood vessels to form that feed those cancerous cells or tumors that is when cancer becomes a problem.

There are ideas about fighting cancer before it becomes a problem.  Love that idea.  Let’s prevent and not have to deal with the result of the disease once the cells are out of control.  What the talk is about is “starving” the cancer – ANTI angiogenesis.  It is thought that there are foods that will assist with that.

The episode I watched talked about five foods that will help starve the cancer cells that may be/are present before they become an issue that has to be dealt with.  The guest Dr. said, “It’s not about Doctors and drugs, it is about you and what you eat”.  (Love that!)

The video on the site only has what I summed up for you (above), but I was taking notes so I could post it for you:

Five foods to assist with Anti-Angiogenesis:

1) Bok Choy
   A Chinese Cabbage.  (I don’t think I have ever had it.)
Dr. Li said it has brassinin which is believed to help fight cancer.  His advice was to eat 1/2 Cup three times a week.

2) Cooked Tomatoes
(I have heard this before, but I forgot.  I need to put it on my hubby’s plate.)
   Tomatoes have lycopene, but cooking them increases the availability by two times.  So COOKED tomatoes are what they recommend for preventing prostate cancer.  The recommendation is for a 1/2 cup serving 2 to 3 times a week.

3)  Flounder
    (I don’t like fish.)
    This is an omega three rich food and they say a 6 oz serving 3 times a week.

4) Strawberries
   (I don’t like strawberries either, do you know why?  The seeds.  And you know what?  That is where the good stuff is!)
   They indicated on the show that strawberries are believed to be an anti-angiogenesis food in addition to them being high in antioxidants and they said its the seeds.

5) Artichokes
   (I like artichokes, but with mayonnaise (which is not good in the amount needed to eat an artichoke) and I am not a fan of the hearts—and you guessed it that is where the good stuff is.)
   They compared it to milk thistle and said the artichoke is a flower, the show also recommended a “per day” intake of the artichoke, he said 1/2 cup per day.

Some of these suggestions I’ve heard of, some of them are new to me.  I’ve also heard before that cancer is in all of us, but I hadn’t heard about angiogenesis and therefore I hadn’t heard of ANTI-angiogenesis.  It found it interesting.  I wanted to share.  I think I’ll try some Bok Choy next week and make certain that I get tomatoes on our plates.  I’ll hold off on the fish.  What about you?  Do you eat these foods?  Might you start?  How do you cook Bok Choy?

Posted in Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments »