Category Archives: Nutrition

The Pomegranate Gift

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A Story For the Heart

Last week a friend of mine who is recovering from a heart valve repair received a bottle of pomegranate juice as a get well gift. The pomegranate gift was perfect. Pomegranates contain polyphenols with powerful antioxidant properties. The touted health benefits of pomegranate juice are sometimes loosely and broadly stated, so I wanted to bring sound information and studies that are particularly interesting for divers.

Here is a link to nearly 300 studies found at the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Biotechnology Information.

The American Heart Association shares a potential warning about drug interactions with pomegranate juice similar to grapefruit juice, and recipes for women’s heart health mentioning the benefits of folic acid and vitamin C found in pomegranate juice.  Studies and discussions center around the heart, blood, cancers and diabetes.  One major conclusion is that there doesn’t seem to be any adverse effects of pomegranate juice consumption regardless of whether studies prove the benefits.

There does seem to be a clear indication that more research will add to the existing data showing benefits of consuming pomegranate juice as part of a healthy diet may include helping to reduce blood pressure, improve cholesterol, slow prostate cancer and limit atherosclerosis.  Remember, antioxidants help counteract free radicals (damaged cells that can lead to disease).

There’s more to the story . . .

Heart Health benefits of Pomegranate Juice My friend’s surgery was two-weeks ago and he is already walking three miles a day and has returned to half days at work. The surgery was performed by Dr. James Hemp, Chief Surgeon at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego with the assistance of da Vinci robotics. A few years ago, one of my fitness clients also received the same surgery by Dr. Hemp. Having personally observed the results and recovery from this less invasive method of heart surgery, I encourage anyone anticipating surgery to research the da Vinci method to see if it is an appropriate option.  I have also had an opportunity to meet Dr. Hemp.  He is a highly respected, trusted surgeon, and a remarkable individual. Dr. Hemp and his team at Scripps have made an amazing contribution to the quality of life for both my friend and my client. Watch this video to learn more: Community Lecture for Robot-Assisted Cardiothoracic Surgery (Part 1 of 3) – James Hemp, MD

Red Kuri Squash and Pumpkin Soup

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Red Kuri Squash and Pumpkin Soup

In the most recent issue of the FITDIVER® newsletter I shared a winter squash recipe for Spaghetti Squash.  Here is another winter squash recipe for you.

This beautiful Red Kuri Squash makes a nice soup turreen for my pumpkin and red kuri squash soup.

  • 1 small white pumpkin
  • 1 small orange pumpkin
  • 1 medium to large Red Kuri Squash
  • 8 ounces of vegetable juice (like V8) and 1 cup of water OR 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice

Cut each squash in half and remove seeds. Lay squash halves flat side down in 1/2 inch of water on an oven sheet or microwave safe cooking tray. Bake at 425 degrees in the oven for about 30 minutes. Only takes 15 minutes on high in the microwave. Clean squash from the skin with a spoon and discard the skin. Place the squash in a blender, add 8 to 12 ounces of vegetable juice and 1 cup of water OR 2 cups of vegetable broth. Season with 1/2 teaspoon each of black pepper, salt, nutmeg and allspice. Blend until soup consistency. This is a savory soup and is very good cold or hot, but not in between.