Watermelon

The Perfect Summertime Fruit?

The health value of watermelon is underrated, but during the summer months, it’s one of the most consumed fruits. Learn how it is benefits your health here.

Watermelon is considered a summertime staple for many. If you love to indulge in this hot weather fruit, there’s good news. In addition to its sweet taste, it also has some considerable health benefits as well. Let’s take a closer look at some watermelon health facts…

Good Source of Vitamins
If you’re looking to increase your vitamin intake, watermelon may help you reach your goal. This red fruit is a good source of Vitamin A, which helps with eye health and immunity, and Vitamin C, which helps with immunity.  It also contains Vitamin B6, which helps your body produce antibodies.

Helps With Hydration
While drinking enough water is essential on hot days, it never hurts to have a little extra help. Since watermelon is made up of 92% water, adding this fruit to your diet during the hotter summertime months can help keep you hydrated. An added bonus with the extra water consumption is healthier skin!

Heart Healthy & Cancer Defense
Watermelon contains about 20mg of lycopene per 2 cup serving. This is good news, as lycopene appears to be one of the best defenses against prostate cancer and bladder cancer. When used in conjunction with vitamin E and green tea extract, studies indicate that it inhibits prostate cancer proliferation by some 90%. In addition, according to the American Dietetic Association, studies have shown a link between lycopene and cardiovascular health.

Good for Weight Management
When trying to lose weight or keep your weight under control, the amount of calories you intake is a major factor. A one-cup serving of watermelon is only 46 calories. It’s also low in fat, has zero cholesterol, and contains small amounts of protein and fiber. This makes this fruit an excellent low-calorie snack alternative.

When it comes to consuming this melon, your options are as endless as your creativity. From simple slices to juices, the health value of watermelon is an incredible. Just remember to wash the outside of the melon thoroughly before consumption.

Organ Cleansing
Finally, watermelon is a great cleansing food for the livers and kidneys. This, of course, is often dismissed by professional skeptics, but that’s because they don’t understand what is being cleansed by watermelon. We’re not talking about toxins. We’re talking about ammonia. Because it is high in citrulline,1 watermelon helps the liver process ammonia, which is produced as a waste product from protein digestion. It converts the ammonia into urea, which is far easier for the body to handle. This benefit extends to the kidneys since this increased effectiveness in production of urea takes some strain off of the kidneys. As for the amount you need, the more you eat, the more cleansing it does. If you’re diabetic, you need to be careful because of the sugar. And if you already have major kidney problems, you need to be careful as the act of cleansing can stress the kidneys. Otherwise, eat, enjoy, cleanse.

Sources:
1 – Mariella Pastoria, Hanspeter Pfandera, Daniel Boscoboinikb, Angelo Azzib. Lycopene in Association with a-Tocopherol Inhibits at Physiological Concentrations Proliferation of Prostate Carcinoma Cells.” Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1998 Sep 29;250(3):582-5. 

http://www.watermelon.org/HealthProfessionals/HealthProfessionals.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon

http://www.livestrong.com/article/518894-the-advantages-of-the-watermelon-fruit/