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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Everyone enjoys eating watermelon. As kids we had contests to see how far we could spit the pits and got sticky from the juice running down our arms. April to October is peak watermelon season, but in today’s global market the fruit is available year round. With Memorial Day picnics coming up, many of us will have a watermelon in the frig. You may love the taste, but did you know you have a low calorie, nutrition powerhouse sitting in your house?
Watermelons originated in the Kalahari Desert in Africa. From there they spread throughout the countries along the Mediterranean Sea arriving in China by the 10th century. Today, China is the world’s number one watermelon producer; the US ranks fourth. Forty-four states grow watermelons with Florida, Texas, California, Georgia and Arizona as the crop leaders.
A watermelon is just that – a melon made up of 92% water. That’s a clue to picking a good melon – it should be heavy. The traditional watermelon is football-shaped, seeded, and averages 20 pounds. But, today there many varieties on the market – small round, personal-sized minis, seedless, and yellow and orange-fleshed.
Two cups of cubed watermelon contains only 80 calories. This is a great diet food, short on calories but long on chewing and rich in nutrients. We often suggest that people trying to lose weight eat foods that take a long time to eat which leads to feeling full and provides satisfaction. A 2-cup serving also has no fat, cholesterol or sodium. There are 21 grams of carb, 20 grams of natural sugar, and 1 gram of fiber.
But that’s not all. A 2-cup serving of watermelon provides 30% (1,500 milligrams) of your daily need for vitamin A, and 25% (15 milligrams) of vitamin C. As with all plant foods, watermelons are a good source of minerals especially potassium, phosphorus and magnesium.
Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, is the pigment that gives watermelon its red color. Watermelons have more lycopene than any other fresh fruits or vegetables, including tomatoes. A 2-cup serving of watermelon has over 18 milligrams of lycopene, an average tomato has 4 milligrams.
Antioxidants protect your body cells from damage. We breathe in oxygen as O2, two oxygen molecules bound together. As the body uses oxygen, singlet, very reactive and damaging oxygen molecules are produced, which can cause damage to cells. The body uses antioxidants to look for singlet oxygen and neutralize it, preventing cell damage. Lycopene, found in watermelon, is one of the most effective oxygen scavengers because one molecule of lycopene can neutralize several damaging singlet oxygen molecules.
While you enjoy a serving of watermelon, behind the scenes you are protecting yourself from cancer, heart disease and premature aging by providing your body with a helping of powerful antioxidants. A recent pilot study out of Florida State University, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, suggests that watermelon can help prevent high blood pressure. The fruit is a natural source of L-citrulline which helps keep blood vessels supple. Although the number of subjects in this study was small, the results were very promising. Watermelon can indeed be classified as a functional food – one that has been scientifically shown to be health-promoting or disease-preventing, above and beyond the healthy nutrients the food is known to contain.
A good watermelon is heavy, symmetrical and bruise free. It should have a creamy, yellow spot on the underside of the rind to show it sat on the ground in the sun to ripen and was not picked too early. Whole melons can be kept at room temperature for 7 to 10 days after which they will begin to lose flavor and become mushy. After cutting, cover the cut edge and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Wash and dry the rind before cutting to remove any surface dirt that could be transferred to the fruit when cut. Watermelons are 70% edible which means the typical 20-pounder offers 14 pounds of fruit.
If your kids are not keen on vegetables, surprise them tonight by serving a bowl of cut up watermelon with dinner. I’ll bet you’ll have takers for this treat and you can secretly enjoy the fact that they are making a very healthy choice.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales of more than 8.5 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller.
Current titles include:
The Diabetes Counter, 4th Ed., 2011
The Protein Counter, 3rd Ed., 2011
The Calorie Counter, 5th Ed., 2010
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009
The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to < a href="Http://www.TheNutritionExperts.com/">TheNutritionExperts
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