USDA researchers create genetically-modified low-carb watermelons

Leave it to modern-day technology in some remote research lab to come up with some creative ways to make the foods we eat even healthier. We saw an attempt at this concept when scientists figured out a way to produce natural low-fat milk straight from the cow (although that wasn’t very healthy, IMHO!). But now there’s something low-carbers and diabetics alike should cheer: a low-sugar watermelon (my low-carb blogging friend Robin from “Limenade And Watermelon” will be thrilled)! Yep, have you heard about this yet? This Science News story details what researchers have come up with as the perfect replacement for this higher-sugar member of the melon family. I addressed this in Episode 2 of my “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb on YouTube” video when my wife asked if watermelon was appropriate for someone on low-carb. While it’s not too terribly high in carbs, watermelon is a little higher than you would prefer for those in the early stages of the Atkins low-carb diet where you restrict your intake to around 20g daily. At about 11g net carbs for a cup of watermelon, that usually makes this fruit off limits for people trying to lose weight the low-carb way.

But now a research geneticist named Angela R. Davis from the USDA’s Lane, Oklahoma-based Agricultural Research Service gives hope that this plump, juicy summertime favorite can be back on the menu again for those of us leading a lower-sugar, low-carb lifestyle! They have been working on this for years and wanted it to be perfect before releasing the technology to seed companies to replicate the results for consumer production. Early experiments resulted in white and even yellow flesh for the watermelon–not exactly the most appetizing way to eat watermelon (kinda like the green ketchup from Heinz was for me a few years back–EWWWW!).

“The project took a lot longer than we expected,” Davis remarked. “Because there’s a correlation between color and sugar content.”

Finally they found a way to make the flesh turn pink while virtually cutting the sugar in half! So, instead of 11g net carbs for a cup of watermelon, how about 5g net carbs instead? WOO HOO! The lighter the red in the watermelon, the lower the sugar content. And thus is born a low-carb, reduced-sugar watermelon thanks to science. Details about these new genetically altered low-sugar watermelons was published in the scientific journal HortScience last year. But I bet you’re wondering how they taste (yeah, me too!). Well, Davis says that will be the primary issue for people who switch from regular watermelon to this one. But for those of us who already eschew sugar in our diet to manage our weight and/or diabetes, it’ll probably taste pretty good. I liken it to switching from regular soda to diet soda. The transition takes some getting used to, but it happens.

Just as the soda companies use artificial sweeteners to replace the sugar in their products, so too will those sweeteners come in handy for people choosing to eat this lower-sugar watermelon. I, of course, would recommend either Splenda or stevia if you feel like you need to use a sweetener at all. Davis said they ran taste tests among teenagers and adults with diabetes and the low-sugar, artificially-sweetened (with Splenda!) watermelons actually BEAT the regular watermelon among those surveyed. WOW! There may be hope for us yet with those kind of results!

“Overall, there was a significant preference for the artificially sweetened watermelons compared with the conventional watermelons,” the researchers concluded.

What’s so healthy about eating watermelon, you ask? In a word–LYCOPENE! Yes, you can find this awesome nutrient in tomatoes (which gives it that rich, red color!) and it is a powerful antioxidant responsible for destroying free radicals which can wreak havoc on your health. You’ll be pleased to know that these reduced-sugar watermelons retain their high lycopene content!

“A low-sugar watermelon is a palatable fruit choice to individuals who must restrict sugar or total carbohydrate intake–with the added benefits of lycopene,” the researchers added.

These new reduced-sugar watermelons will look like a typical 10-12 pound watermelon when they do become available in stores–no specific date as of yet. We’ll let you know when they’re available and will try to share about how they taste when we get our hands on them. Wouldn't an ice-cold low-sugar watermelon taste amazing during the dog days of summer next year? I can’t wait!

For more info: Read this press release from the United States Department of Agriculture's Agriculture Research Service (ARS) for more information about this upcoming reduced-sugar watermelon. Also, check out this press release about the important amino acid lycopene.

Low-Carb Myths and Truths

Low-Carb Myths and Truths

By: Reader's Digest

The premise of all low-carb foods and diet plans begins with nutrition-science basics.

Carbohydrates do raise blood sugar, because they provide so much of your body's preferred source of fuel: glucose. When glucose levels rise, your pancreas releases a flood of insulin that prompts cells to store sugar. Advocates say that eating a diet low in carb makes weight loss easier because low, steady blood sugar conquers food cravings. But the next step in the low-carb equation is open to debate: Proponents say these diets also change your metabolism so your body breaks down more fats, and--voilà--fewer of the calories you eat are stored as flab.

Low-carb weight-loss plans do work--for a while. Pounds drop quickly at first because burning stored carbs (called glycogen) releases water. Quite simply, you lose excess water weight. Nutritionists say, though, that low-carb weight loss isn't metabolic magic, just the working-out of nature's first rule of weight loss: Eat fewer calories, and you will shed pounds. Some low-carbers say this special way of eating eliminates cravings, but others feel headachy and nauseated. Burning far without carbohydrates produces substances called ketones, which can decrease appetite, but there's a danger because sustained high ketone levels may deplete mineral stores in bones, leaving them fragile. Here's the rest of the low-carb story.

Low-carb diets don't go the distance for weight loss.

Carb-conscious eating may speed up early weight loss, but not much more. In a year-long study of 63 dieters, University of Pennsylvania researchers found that low-carb dieters dropped 4 percent more weight than those following a conventional low-cal plan in the first six months--but both groups achieved nearly identical weight losses after one year.

When researchers at the National Weight Control Registry looked at the diets of 2,681 successful dieters who had maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for a year or more, they expected to see many low-carb diet adherents. They were shocked to find just 25, or 1 percent of the total group. Their conclusion: Low-carb plans didn't produce a lasting metabolic change that kept pounds off.

A high-fat, super-low-carb diet threatens your heart.

The Atkins Diet--the oldest and most famous of the low-carb regimens--allows a mere 20 grams of carbs per day in the earliest, strictest phase, putting most grains, beans, fruits, breads, rice, potatoes, pastas, and starchy vegetables off-limits. At the same time, it allows generous amounts of beef, pork, chicken, eggs, and butter.

Unlimited access to bacon cheeseburgers is tempting, but a low-carb diet that's essentially an all-you-can-eat saturated-fat buffet may increase your risk of heart attack and stroke, the American Heart Association cautions. All that sat fat can raise levels of heart-threatening LDL cholesterol--and at the same time shortchange you on the antioxidants from fruits, veggies, and grains that protect arteries from plaque formation. (Low-carb diets are also high in protein, which makes them risky for people with diabetes because they can speed the progression of diabetic kidney disease.)

Low-carb isn't low-calorie.

Many low-carb products undermine weight-loss efforts because they're packed with as many--or even more--calories than "regular carb" versions. Many are also higher in fat. This is especially true of reduced-carb comfort foods such as ice cream, bread, pasta, and snack bars. A 1-ounce low-carb chocolate bar with 120 calories or a 270-calorie scoop of low-carb Rocky Road ice cream won't do your hips any favors.

"It's the calories, not the carbohydrates," notes Robert O. Bonow, M.D., former president of the American Heart Association. "America is gaining weight because people are eating more calories than they can burn and getting less exercise."

Low-carb junk food is still . . . junk.

Indulging in a low-carb snack food with the belief that it's a better weight-loss choice than a piece of fruit, a serving of veggies, or a handful of whole grain crackers (trans fat-free, of course) puts you in double jeopardy: You've just robbed your body of a host of heart-healthy nutrients and fiber, and you may have eaten a ton of empty calories. Example: For 40 grams of carbs a day, you could eat 1/2 cup of lentils, a cup of carrots, an orange, and a slice of light seven-grain bread (total calories: 40; plus a hefty dose of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals). Getting those 40 grams from low-carb snack foods could supply up to 1,440 calories and very few nutrients.

From Reader's Digest 30 Minutes a Day to a Healthy Heart. Buy this and other books at the Reader's Digest Store.

Low-Carb Diets Better Than Low-Fat

In the world of nutrition, not everyone shares the same opinion. Perhaps the most stark and common example of this concerns the relative amounts of carbohydrate and fat we should have in our diets.

The conventional view is that the diet should be low in fat and high in carbs. Fat, we are told, makes us fat, so eating less of it is the sure-fire way to keep lean and healthy. On the other hand, some argue that it’s not too much fat that makes us fat, but too much carbohydrate. Such individuals will advocate a low-carb diet, which may (but may not) end up being quite rich in fat.

In this column I have referred to studies that show that low-carb diets outshine low-fat ones in the weight-loss stakes. I’m not aware of one single study that found a low-fat diet to be superior in this respect.

Those that cling to the idea that low-fat is the way to go will very often resort to claiming that low-carb diets are unhealthy, often on the basis that their sometimes high-fat content will put people at risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke. I have to say I’m unmoved by this argument for two main reasons.

First, there really isn’t very much evidence linking supposedly unhealthy saturated fat (found mainly in meat, eggs, and dairy products) and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Neither is there much (if any) good evidence that eating less saturated fat has broad benefits for health.

But my other major issue with the argument that low-carb diets are bad for the heart and circulatory system is that studies have found that, compared to low-fat diets, such diets generally lead to improvements in biochemical markers of cardiovascular disease. Many studies have found that lower-carb diets have led to changes in blood-fat levels that would be expected to lead to a reduction in cardiovascular disease risk.

I was interested to read of a study published very recently that sought to review the evidence in this area [1]. Thirteen studies in which low-carb diet were pitted against low-fat ones were included in the review, and each of these lasted at least six months. One limitation of the study was that the design of the low-carb diets in the individual studies sometimes allowed reintroduction of significant amounts of carbohydrate.

Despite this, the results showed that compared to the low-fat diets, the low-carb ones had generally favorable outcomes, including significantly more weight loss at 6 and 12 months (about 8 lbs. and 2 lbs., respectively), significantly lower triglyceride levels, and significantly higher “healthy” HDL-cholesterol levels.

The low-carb diets had lower attrition rates too, suggesting that individuals have a harder time sticking to a low-fat diet compared to one that is carb-controlled. This is important, since compliance is important if the benefits of any diet are to be sustained.

This review does a good job of assessing the relative benefits of lower-carb and low-fat eating. And it shows, once again, that as a general rule, the former is preferable for the purposes of weight loss and brings superior benefits in terms of cardiovascular risk factors, too.

Reference:
[1] Hession M, et al. Systematic review of randomized controlled trials of low-carbohydrate vs. low-fat/low-calorie diets in the management of obesity and its comorbidities. Obesity Reviews 2008 Aug 11 [Epub ahead of print]

Dr. John Briffa is a London-based physician and author with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine.
Dr. Briffa's Web site

Low-Carb Snacks

Midday snacking at work, home or school can be a danger zone, especially if you are striving to keep your intake of carbs down. You can avoid those carb-heavy chips, cookies and crackers by keeping a ready supply of tasty low-carb snacks that are high in protein, healthy fats and fiber. Read on for some super simple snack ideas. Even better, print out the following list and recipes and keep it handy so you are never at a loss for healthy low-carb nibbles.

Quick and easy low-carb snacks

• Celery with tuna salad
• Hard boiled eggs
• Deviled eggs
• Dill pickles and cheddar cheese (it’s seriously a tasty combo)
• 1/4 cup berries with 1/3 cup cottage cheese
• Nuts (be sure not to overeat these!)
• Sunflower seeds (if you buy them in the shell it will take longer to eat them and you will eat less)
• Other seeds like toasted pumpkin or squash seeds
• Low-carb Trail Mix (see recipe below)
• Jerky (low-sugar beef, turkey, venison and fish varieties)
• Low-carb shakes (see recipe below)
• Cheese sticks, such as string cheese
• Sugar-free Jello topped with cottage cheese and a sprinkling of nuts
• Cheese with a few apple slices
• 4-ounce plain or sugar-free yogurt with berries and flax seed meal
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese on cucumber slices
• Lettuce roll-ups: Roll low-sodium lunch meat, egg salad, tuna or other filling and veggies in lettuce leaves.
• Lunch meat roll-ups: Roll cheese or veggies in low-sodium lunch meat.
• Spread bean dip, spinach dip, or other low-carb dip or spread on the lunch meat or lettuce and then roll it up.
• Raw veggies and spinach dip or other low-carb dip
• Pork rinds, with or without dip
• Ricotta cheese with fruit and/or nuts and/or flax seed meal
• Mushrooms stuffed with cheese spread
• Low-carb snack bars (watch out for sugar)
• Pepperoni chips: Microwave pepperoni slices until crisp and top with cheese or eat alone
• Parmesan Crisps (see recipe below)
• Peanut Butter Protein Balls (see recipe below)

Low-carb Snack Recipes

Low Carb Trail Mix

Makes 16 (1/4 cup servings)

Ingredients:
1 cup roasted peanuts
1 cup raw or roasted almonds
1 cup pumpkin or squash seeds
2 heaping tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup raisins

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a large bowl or plastic bag. For portion control, divide trail mix among 16 snack-size bags.

Low Carb Shake

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 scoop low-carb protein powder, vanilla or plain
1/3 cup frozen berries
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
1/2 to 1 cup water
Sweetener to taste

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Parmesan Crisps

Makes 12 to 16 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup grated hard cheese, such as Parmesan or Romano
Seasoning of your choice (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine cheese with a seasoning such as garlic powder, Italian seasoning, or hot pepper if desired, or leave plain.

2. Spoon 1 to 4 tablespoons of cheese on a silicone-baking mat set on a baking sheet. Flatten piles with the back of a spoon.

3. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes or until golden on the edges. Remove from oven and either mold them into cups when still warm by draping them over a cup like surface or leave them flat. Let cool until hard.

Note: If shaped into cups, these crisps can be filled with fruit, chopped veggies or dip. If flat, either spread them with low-carb jam or dip or eat them plain.

Peanut Butter Protein Balls

Makes 16 balls

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar-free peanut butter
4 scoops (or 1-1/3 cups) whey protein powder, any flavor
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Artificial sweetener to taste, about 1 to 1-1/2 cups

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing until well combined. Form mixture into 16 balls. If desired, roll in crushed nuts. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Fox News and Low-Carb Diet Talk

I was featured on Fox News 11 Los Angeles this morning as a health expert discussing the benefits of a low carb lifestyle. I’ve gotta say it was pretty fun. Any chance I can get to spread the word about living a healthy life is (almost) always a blast. After the interview I stuck around to answer viewer questions for an exclusive web cast. Links to the videos, and a preview of the questions I answered, are below. I’d love to hear what you think, so pop back on over with some comments after you’ve viewed the videos. Thanks, everyone!

Video 1: Fox News LA Live Interview - Low Carb Lifestyle

Video 2: Click on the video in the “Related Items” box (to the right of the video screen at the link above) for the Fox News Web Cast

Here’s a preview of some of the viewer questions:

• When is the best time in the day to work out?
• I was wondering if there is any way to go vegetarian. I want to go veggie but I don’t know how to go. Any ideas?
• How long should we wait after eating a meal before working out?
• I have a question regarding the low carb diet that I am on. I am craving sweets. I searched the shelves in local markets and there is nothing safe for me to have as a snack. Is there something that you can recommend?
• I’m a broke college student. I lost 20 lbs by not eating fast food and drinking lots of water. However, even though I lost that weight I want to know a fast and effective way to lose my belly fat… What do you recommend?

Artichoke For a Healthy Heart

An extract of artichoke leaf — typically used to soothe indigestion or irritable bowel syndrome — may help keep your cholesterol in check, recent research from the University of Reading indicates. For the study, 75 otherwise healthy adults with slightly high cholesterol levels took either a placebo or 1,280 mg of artichoke leaf extract (ALE) each day. After 12 weeks, those taking ALE had significantly lower total cholesterol.

It’s possible that regular intake of antioxidant-packed ALE could help reduce risk of developing heart disease without the need for cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins, according to the study’s authors.

Sweat and Sleep

Searching for sounder sleep? Try adding some moderate aerobic exercise — such as walking or leisurely cycling — to your daily routine. In a study recently presented at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies’ annual meeting, a group of insomnia-wracked adults increased their total sleep time by more than a third after engaging in a modest workout. Moderate exercise also helped ease anxiety in study members, but more vigorous aerobic activity failed to have a calming — or sleep-promoting — effect on the insomniacs.

For truly restful slumber, try not to exercise before hitting the sack. Since working out raises body temperature — and thus discourages sleep — the National Sleep Foundation recommends wrapping up your fitness sessions at least three hours before bedtime.

Breakfast of Champions

Feasting at breakfast but eating a light lunch and dinner could go a long way in helping you slim down, finds a new study presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting. Among a group of 94 obese women, those on a “big-breakfast diet” lost 21 percent of their body weight after eight months. Women on a low-carb diet, meanwhile, shed just 4.5 percent of their pounds after eight months of eating a 290-calorie breakfast (and 1,085 total calories) each day.

The big-breakfast dieters took in 1,240 calories daily, with 610 coming from their carb-rich breakfast. Although the low-carb dieters had a greater weight loss at the study’s four-month mark (lightening up by an average of 28 pounds, compared to 23 pounds in the big-breakfast group), they ended up gaining back 18 pounds on average by the study’s end.

It’s likely that a low-carb diet “exacerbates the craving for carbohydrates and slows metabolism,” explains lead study author Daniela Jakubowicz, M.D. “As a result, after a short period of weight loss, there is a quick return to obesity.” The big-breakfast diet, on the other hand, may help control appetite and prevent those cravings for sweets and starches, Jakubowicz adds.

Cut Calories to Slow Aging

Cutting back on calories by about 300 to 500 calories per day might help slow the aging process, reports a new study from Rejuvenation Research. Results suggest that calorie restriction may decrease levels of a thyroid hormone called triiodothyronine, which could in turn thwart age-related tissue deterioration.

— Elizabeth Barker

Splendid Low-Carbing: A Complete Guide to Low-Carb Living

Jennifer Eloff, national best-selling author, puts together her low-carb knowledge and expertise in a jam-packed 191 pages of recipes, helpful tips and her own story with low-carbing, which helped her to whittle her waist.

From the back cover:

All 353 tasty recipes are under 10 g of carbs/servings, 75% are under 5 g and 40% are under 3 g. Finally, the increasingly popular Low-Carb diets can also be tasty, sustainable diets. these recipes, suitable for most Low-Carb diets, offer a variety of options for those oppsoed to wheat, soy and other flours, while at the same time fat is kept moderate. Jennifer has 10 years of experience creating recipes for people, such as those with diabetes, working with the Diabetes Association and others, to make their diets more livable. Surveying the wide variety of old favorites in this book, many of which were assumed to be off limits forever, one is tempted to ask, "where is the diet?"

The cook book is organized according to types of recipes, with helpful informational nutrition boxes for each recipe. The easy to use conversions for each ingredient is a benefit to those who use metric measurements as opposed to the standard U.S. ounces.

The index is organized alphabetically by recipe as well as by type, making it easy to find favorites.

Splenda is the main sweetener used for the recipes, but stevia could be substituted.

From ethnic delights such as Bobotie (a South African curried loaf, 5.7 g carbs) to standards like high-protein home-made tortillas (4.7 g carbs), there is something for everyone; even the cheesecakes section will tantalize with 15 from which to choose.

While there are no pictures to peruse inside of the book itself, the front and back covers promise a tasty selection of attractive dishes: (from the front cover) Hawaiian Pizza (41.5 grams carbs per serving) and Chocolate After Dinner Mint Log (2 grams carbs per serving). Readers can view more pictures here.

This cook book will provide something for everyone looking for variety in low-carb regimes, and its easy-to-read format and portability makes it a tome tyour friends will want to borrow.

Just make sure they return it by supper.