Watermelon Health Benefits

Bavaria · 2014-06-07T17:53:39+00:00

Watermelon Health Benefits Diana Herrington | July 14, 2012 | 6 Comments Everyone loves a big piece of thirst quenching watermelon on a hot day; it is so refreshing. I love watermelon and can easily eat a quarter of one in one sitting! When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what angels eat. Mark Twain Did you know that is it also nutrition packed too? Yes, watermelon is 92 percent water but that other 8 percent is filled with good nutrition and amazing health benefits; so many benefits that we consider it a powerfood. Read how to pick, and use watermelons properly. Health Benefits of Watermelon: 1. Watermelon is extremely alkaline forming in the body. There are a host of benefits to this. Read them here: Balance Your Body 2. Watermelon is the lycopene leader among fresh fruits and vegetables. Deep red varieties of watermelon have replaced the tomato as the lycopene king. They are rich in lycopene, the red pigment also found in tomatoes, watermelon, apricots, pink grapefruit, and papaya is an important antioxidant. It has been found to be helpful in reducing the risk of prostate, breast, and endometrial cancers, as well as lung and colon cancer according to research. Lycopenes ability to neutralize singlet oxygen radicals was better then the antioxidant abilities of beta-carotene and vitamin E. - From Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics in 1989. 3. Watermelon may have Viagra-like effect: they contain citrulline which can trigger production of a compound in the body that helps relax the bodys blood vessels, in a way similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra according to scientists in Texas. 4. Watermelon is a diuretic and was a homeopathic treatment for kidney patients before dialysis became widespread. 5. Being a very good source of potassium; it helps muscle and nerve function. Can ease inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis. 6. Watermelon is a certified heart healthy food by the American heart Association. I am so happy to know all the benefits to this favorite summer fruit of mine. Watermelon is often all I have for breakfast and it always amazes me that I feel full for hours afterwards. It is also true that watermelon is high in sugar with 10 grams per 1 cup of watermelon but think about it. What is a better choice a candy bar or a piece of watermelon with all its nutrition? I think watermelon is so useful and cleansing and alkalizing the body that I have created on online course: Check it out! Weekend Watermelon Summer Detox Watermelon Nutrition: Excellent source of Vitamin C. Very good source of Vitamin A. Good source of potassium and magnesium. Small amounts of most of the B Vitamins. Trace amounts of Vitamin K and pantothenic acid. Lots of trace amount minerals (copper, iron, manganse, selenium and zinc) Lycopene with over 6888 mcg read about all the benefits of this below. Supplies 5% of the daily fibre. Only 45 calories per cup so it is an ideal diet food with its high in energy. Fat free, well almost: 1 cup of diced watermelon has .23 grams of fat. Only .02 grams of saturated fat in 1 cup of diced watermelon. No cholesterol, caffeine or alcohol the list says which I find funny. Low sodium 3 mg in 1 cup of diced watermelon. There is even 1 gram of protein in 1 cup of diced watermelon. Is it a fruit or a vegetable? Watermelon is considered a vegetable by some. It is related to the squash and pumpkin family and is grown as a vegetable crop, using vegetable production systems. Watermelon is the fruit of a plant originally from a vine of southern Africa. Like the pepper, tomato and pumpkin, it is the ripened ovary of a seed plant and its contents, which, botanically speaking, make it fruit. Calgary Herald In China, watermelon is stir-fried, stewed and often pickled and used as a vegetable. Well whatever! It is a fruit as far as I am concerned. So lets have a little watermelon fun. Watermelon Facts and Trivia US National Watermelon Queen Katelyn Kelly of 2012 says: Canadians love watermelon. This is where we export most of our watermelon. It was 5,000 years ago that the first recorded watermelon harvest occurred in Egypt and they shared them with the rest of civilization in the 10th century. Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown worldwide. About 200-300 varieties are grown in the U.S. and Mexico. This fruit was held in such regard that it was placed in the tombs of many Egyptian kings. The word watermelon first appeared in the English dictionary in 1615. In China and Japan watermelon is a popular gift to bring a host Watermelons come in many shapes and sizes; the newest shape is a square watermelon. The Japanese created them to save space; the watermelon fit easily fit in the fridge as they are of exact dimensions of the Japanese refrigerators allowing a full grown watermelon to fit precisely in fridge shelve. Early explorers used watermelons as canteens. After a watermelon was thrown at Roman Governor Demosthenes he placed the watermelon on his head and thanked the thrower for giving him with a helmet to wear as he fought Philip of Macedonia. U.S. ranks fourth in the world, growing watermelons with 44 states growing it, mostly in Florida, Texas, California, Georgia, and Arizona. In 1999 over 4 billion pounds of watermelon were produced in the US. Watermelon is grown in over 96 countries worldwide. A giant watermelon weighing a watery 268.8 pounds was grown on September 03, 2005 Lloyd Bright. How to Pick a Good Watermelon: They are not one of the dirty dozen (the most heavily sprayed produce). They are one of the fifteen most clean non-organic fruits and vegetables. Decide what size of watermelon you want as there are many different sizes. Watermelons can weigh anywhere from a few pounds to ninety pounds. Do you want a seedless watermelon? Most seedless watermelons are often not organic so that may be something for you to consider. Choose a melon that is medium to light green but not yellowing, with several spots of light green on it. Make sure it feels heavy for its size. It is should not bruised, shriveled, cracked or moldy. The purpose of the thick rind is to protect the contents inside. Ripe watermelons should also be dark green in color (minor scratches are okay), Check out the bottom of the watermelon; this should have a creamy yellow spot which is where the watermelon sat on the ground while ripening. If this spot is white or green, it may not be ripe as it was picked too soon. The melon should have a faint aroma and the end should be soft. Tap the watermelon with the palm of your hand lightly several times. What you hear should be a somewhat hollow echo. This indicates the fruit is likely fresh and its flesh is very hard, which when they taste best. If the sound is a thunk as though it solid, thats no good and too hollow a sound is also not good. You just have to do the trail and error thing till you learn which watermelons are the best. Good luck finding the sweetest juiciest watermelon. The best watermelons will of course be the ones you grow yourself. Learn how at How to Grow Watermelons. In this video below, Diana gives a quick demonstration of how to pick and cut a watermelon. Ok we now have our watermelon, so now what? Tips for Preparing and Storing Watermelon: Always wash the exterior of the melon before slicing to remove any bacteria on the surface. After they have been cut store in the fridge. Watermelons retain more nutritional value after cut and stored in the fridge as most other produce. Before eating a piece that has been in the fridge, pull it out long enough for it to go to room temperature. This maximizes its phytonutrient capacity. Store uncut whole watermelons stored at 70 degrees Fahrenheit: Watermelon stored at 70 F gained up to 40 percent more lycopene and 50 percent to 139 percent extra beta-carotene when compared to freshly picked watermelon were the findings in a study by USDAs South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Lane, Oklahoma. Watermelons continue to produce nutrients after they are picked; the chilling slows this process. Refrigerated watermelon starts to decay after a week. Watermelons last from 14 to 21 days at 13 degrees Celsius (55 F) after harvest. Eating Watermelons: Eat watermelon on its own. Melons only takes 15 30 minutes to digest; they do not combine with any other food, always eat alone and wait 30 minutes before eating something else. Eat room temperature watermelon as it is much easier on the stomach. Every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rinds. My favourite way is to slice it and cut it into cubes and eat it from a big bowl. Watermelon juice is so easy and a wonderful cooling alkalizing beverage and of course as we know filled with nutrients. Find just how easy it is to make here; watermelon juice. Yes you can eat Watermelon Rinds: We usually throw out the hard green rind of the juicy watermelon, but did you know that the watermelon rind has nutritional and remedy benefits? This wasted food can do good things for your body. Also, using it will cut down on your garbage helping the environment. Read more about the rind. Watermelon popsicles are great for children and us adults too. Learn how to do it here: watermelon popsicles. Cautions: Some people may experience watermelon allergy symptoms from mild to severe hives, facial swelling, diarrhea or anaphylaxis. Diabetics: The American Diabetes Association says you may eat watermelon as a fruit selection provided you are following the guidance of your health care provider. Eating large amounts of lycopene-rich foods (tomatoes and watermelon) may cause gastrointestinal disturbances such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion and bloating. Large quantities of foods containing potassium, such as watermelon, may adversely affect people diagnosed with hyperkalemia, or too much potassium in their blood. Eating lots of watermelon will most likely in frequent need to urinate.

Thread starter Bavaria
Start date Jun 7, 2014

Bavaria

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Watermelon Health Benefits

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