In week four of the Mount Sinai South Beach diet, a lot of dieters are seeing the pounds melt off. More importantly, what participants can't see is, they have hearts that are getting healthier too.

Whether it's cilantro-crusted shrimp, a tuna steak seared with a jerk seasoning, or a quick and easy Chicken Picata with capers, the thing that makes the South Beach diet work is variation.

It's not monotonous like some diets. This year, nutritionist Marie Almon has come up with recipes to excite the taste buds and make you forget the word diet: like ground turkey meatloaf where shredded zucchini takes the place of bread crumbs.

Fish in a packet is another fast and tasty meal. Flavor and aroma are important ingredients on the South Beach diet -- and they come from ginger, garlic, herbs and spices -- all things that "heighten and highlight the flavors of the food so that it doesn't have to be dull or boring at all," according to Almon.

If you've been missing your mashed potatoes there's a creative alternative. Almon says steam cauliflower, add "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter," and put it in a blender. It comes out looking and tasting like mashed potatoes.