{"id":800,"date":"2010-06-02T09:06:42","date_gmt":"2010-06-02T09:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html"},"modified":"2010-06-02T09:06:42","modified_gmt":"2010-06-02T09:06:42","slug":"best-summer-weight-loss-food-r","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html","title":{"rendered":"Best Summer Weight Loss Food (recipe included)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Watermelon Angel.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/100\/import\/Watermelon%20Angel.jpg\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" class=\"mt-image-left\" style=\"float: left;margin: 0 20px 20px 0\" \/><\/span><strong>Dig it! Watermelon season is here<\/strong>.<br \/>\nFrom May through-out the summer, the best, sweetest and most delicious fruit ever is readily available. AND at 46 caloties per cup, you&#8217;re gettin&#8217; a whole lotta bang for your calorie buck!<br \/>\n<strong>What is watermelon?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe watermelon is neither a fruit nor a melon. (I&#8217;m shocked. Next thing you know, they&#8217;ll be telling us that the world isn&#8217;t round.)<br \/>\nWatermelon&#8217;s official name is Citrullus lanatu, and it is a member of the botanical family Curcurbitacae; and it is a vegetable. (Go know!!!!) It is related to the cucumbers, pumpkins and squash families. Watermelons are native to the Kalahari desert of southern Africa and were introduced to America by Africans transported as slaves.<br \/>\nFresh watermelons may be eaten just as they are, used to flavor summer drinks, or in a variety of recipes. (One of my favorite summer recipes is below.)<br \/>\n<strong>Is Watermelon a healthy choice? You bet!<\/strong><br \/>\nCongrats to the Watermelon for receiving the &#8220;heart healthy&#8221; seal of approval from the American Heart Association and for being the leader in lycopene among fruits and vegetables. Lycopene is known to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.<br \/>\nWatermelon is also loaded with Vitamins A, B6 and C, is low in sodium, fat-free, low in calories and is 92% water! A 2-cup serving of watermelon is only 80 calories. That&#8217;s twice as much bang for your buck as most fruit!<br \/>\nWhat are the benefits of Vitamins A, B6 and C?<br \/>\nThe vitamin A found in watermelon can help to prevent night blindness and it gives a boost to the infection-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes.<br \/>\nThe vitamin B6 that used by the body to produce neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, melatonin and dopamine, which we all know by know make us feel good, help to alleviate anxiety and panic.<br \/>\nAnd the Vitamin C can boost the immune system&#8217;s resistance against infections and viruses. Once again, those free radicals chances of aging us or creating cataracts are diminished.<br \/>\n<strong>Tasty Tidbit ~ How to Pick A Watermelon:<\/strong><br \/>\n* Your watermelon should be firm, symmetrical and free of bruises, cuts and dents.<br \/>\n* Pick it up and make sure it&#8217;s heavy. Yeah baby, since watermelon is 92% water, it should be heavy for its size.<br \/>\n* Take a look at its underside. A creamy yellow spot marks where it sat on the ground naturally ripened in the sun!<br \/>\n<strong>Watermelon Gazpacho<\/strong><br \/>\nServes: 4 to 6<br \/>\n<strong>Ingredients:<\/strong><br \/>\n8 cups cubed seeded watermelon (make sure it&#8217;s sweet &#8211; the sweeter the better tasting the gazpacho)<br \/>\n1 green apple, diced<br \/>\n1\/2 cup finely chopped onion, Vidalia (sweet onion)<br \/>\n1\/2 cup finely chopped green pepper<br \/>\n2 teaspoons fresh (if at all possible) basil<br \/>\n1 teaspoon salt<br \/>\n1\/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper<br \/>\n1\/2 teaspoon chili powder<br \/>\n1 tablespoon cider vinegar<br \/>\n<strong>Instructions:<\/strong><br \/>\nIn blender, puree watermelon with 1\/4 cup of onion, pepper and 1\/2 apple; pour into large mixing bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients (the other 1\/4 cup of onion, pepper and apple). Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour to blend flavors.<br \/>\n<strong>More summer tips!<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/13-summertime-tips-freeze-your.html\">13 Summer Time Tips<\/a> that will help you to freeze your tush off!<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/Love-Family\/Recipes\/10-Healthy-Summer-Recipes.aspx\">Best Summer Recipe Collection Ever<\/a>.<br \/>\nSpread the summertime word &#8230; NOT the icing!<br \/>\nJanice<br \/>\n&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;<br \/>\n<strong>Join with Janice Taylor, your Life &amp; Wellness Coach, at Omega<\/strong>:<br \/>\nOur Lady of Weight Loss EnLIGHTens; Health, Happiness &amp; Well-Being &#8211; Janice Taylor, Life &amp; Wellness Coach, Hypnotist, author &amp; 55 pound big-time-loser, is on a mission.  She wants to make health and weight loss fun and create balance and harmony in our life.  For more information about her life-changing workshop at The Omega Institute, our nation&#8217;s most trusted source for wellness and personal growth &#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eomega.org\/omega\/workshops\/0fdc3a8dcc71f2f84a729e85696a16c6\/\">READ ON<\/a>!<br \/>\nCurious about coaching and how Janice Taylor can help you live your best life? <a href=\"mailto:janice@ourladyofweightloss.com\">Write Janice<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p>Follow Janice on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/OurLady\">Twitter<\/a> and\/or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/home.php#\/profile.php?sid=d82081eb96fa8033ec096ad6ccfd2b0a&amp;id=557881698&amp;hiq=janice%2Ctaylor\">Facebook<\/a>! <\/p>\n<p>Join the <a href=\"http:\/\/community.beliefnet.com\/kick_in_the_tush_club\"><strong>Our Lady of Weight Loss&#8217;s Kick in the Tush Club<\/strong><\/a>: <a class=\"zem_slink\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Beliefnet\" title=\"Beliefnet\" rel=\"wikipedia\">Beliefnet<\/a> Chapter.<\/p>\n<p>Visit:  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ourladyofweightloss.com\">www.OurLadyofWeightLoss.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From May through-out the summer, the best, sweetest and most delicious fruit ever is readily available. AND at 46 caloties per cup, you&#8217;re gettin&#8217; a whole lotta bang for your calorie buck! What is it??? Read on!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[249,177,70,3,60,1207,176],"tags":[1975,3836,3833,1449,3825,3828,1974,3837,248],"class_list":["post-800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-tips","category-healthy-living","category-janice-taylor","category-motivation","category-our-lady-of-weight-loss","category-spiritual-weight-loss-2","category-weight-loss-coach-2","tag-cooking-healthy","tag-diet-tips","tag-healthy-living","tag-janice-taylor-weight-loss-coach","tag-our-lady-of-weight-loss","tag-recipes","tag-summer-weight-loss-foods","tag-weight-loss-motivation","tag-weight-loss-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Best Summer Weight Loss Food (recipe included) - Our Lady of Weight Loss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Best Summer Weight Loss Food (recipe included) - Our Lady of Weight Loss\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From May through-out the summer, the best, sweetest and most delicious fruit ever is readily available. AND at 46 caloties per cup, you&#039;re gettin&#039; a whole lotta bang for your calorie buck! What is it??? Read on!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Our Lady of Weight Loss\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-06-02T09:06:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ourladyofweightloss\/files\/import\/Watermelon%20Angel.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Janice Taylor, Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Best Summer Weight Loss Food (recipe included) - Our Lady of Weight Loss","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Best Summer Weight Loss Food (recipe included) - Our Lady of Weight Loss","og_description":"From May through-out the summer, the best, sweetest and most delicious fruit ever is readily available. AND at 46 caloties per cup, you're gettin' a whole lotta bang for your calorie buck! What is it??? Read on!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html","og_site_name":"Our Lady of Weight Loss","article_published_time":"2010-06-02T09:06:42+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ourladyofweightloss\/files\/import\/Watermelon%20Angel.jpg"}],"author":"Janice Taylor, Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html","name":"Best Summer Weight Loss Food (recipe included) - Our Lady of Weight Loss","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ourladyofweightloss\/files\/import\/Watermelon%20Angel.jpg","datePublished":"2010-06-02T09:06:42+00:00","dateModified":"2010-06-02T09:06:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/#\/schema\/person\/dc42b945b8badcadcbe5a3fc4cc5aac5"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ourladyofweightloss\/files\/import\/Watermelon%20Angel.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ourladyofweightloss\/files\/import\/Watermelon%20Angel.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2010\/06\/best-summer-weight-loss-food-r.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Best Summer Weight Loss Food (recipe included)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/","name":"Our Lady of Weight Loss","description":"Weight Loss, Diet, Exercise, Health and Wellness Advice","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/#\/schema\/person\/dc42b945b8badcadcbe5a3fc4cc5aac5","name":"Janice Taylor, Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/484\/4844b9725e31d98e40565d31193668e2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/484\/4844b9725e31d98e40565d31193668e2x96.jpg","caption":"Janice Taylor, Editor"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.ourladyofweightloss.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/author\/jtaylor"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}