Nothing tastes like summer quite a crisp, juicy, refreshing slice of watermelon. It’s a staple of curtilage barbecues and well-stocked at your native farmers’ markets this point of year. Watermelon — which may truly be thought-about a fruit or a vegetable, per the National Watermelon Promotion Board — is unbelievably nutrient, too.
Nutritionists say watermelon is low in calories and sugar and chockful of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, creating it a good addition to a healthy diet. Plus, it’s fun to eat! “Eating watermelon makes ME feel carefree, sort of a child once more at a summer picnic enjoying the outside with the individuals I care most concerning”.
Watermelon Nutrition Facts
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one cup of watermelon (152 g) contains:
Calories: forty five.6
Fat: 0.2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 1.52mg
Carbohydrate: eleven.5g
Fiber: 0.6g
Vitamin C: twelve.3mg
Potassium: 170mg
Calcium: 10mg
Vitamin A: 865 IU
Lycopene: half-dozen,890 micrograms
1) It’s Loaded with essential nutrients
At simply forty six calories per cup, watermelon packs a punch once it involves nutrients. It contains concerning V-day of your daily ascorbic acid wants, along side a wealth of different vitamins and minerals together with metal and fat-soluble vitamin and B6, Sollid says.
Vitamin C strengthens your system and helps the body absorb iron, whereas fat-soluble vitamin is crucial for skin and eye health. Watermelon is additionally made in metal, that works to lower force per unit area and supports nerve performing, and vitamin B complex, that helps the body break down the proteins that you just eat and additionally boosts the system and nerve perform.
2) It offers a giant dose of carotenoid
Lycopene could be a natural compound found in watermelon and different fruits and vegetables that has inhibitor properties. The substance is additionally what provides watermelon its red color; however on the far side its hue, carotenoid is additionally sensible for you, too.
It’s been shown to decrease the danger of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and age-related eye disorders. carotenoid works to guard your cells from injury, Sollid says, and analysis suggests that it’s going to have force per unit area-lowering effects once consumed frequently through dietary suggests that.
3) Watermelon helps keeps you hydrous
Watermelon consists of quite ninetieth water. “As the name implies, watermelon will keep you hydrous “We get eightieth of association from what we have a tendency to drink and two hundredth from what we have a tendency to eat; watermelon will positively facilitate with this balanced intake.”
Most adults don’t drink enough water, and association is especially necessary within the time of year, once temperatures rise and you’ll lose fluids from sweating.
Recommends feeding watermelon besprent with a bit salt when a travail or once you’ve been sweating for a protracted amount of your time. “The combination of sugars and salt is good for replenishing lost electrolytes and carbohydrate stores.
4) It adds to healthy digestion
Watermelon contains a high water content and a little quantity of fiber. “Both square measure key to keeping digestion moving swimmingly,” Fiber adds bulk to your stool and keeps you regular, whereas water helps move waste through your gastrointestinal system.
5) It may facilitate with weight management
Choosing watermelon over another sweet snack will assist you feel full longer. Restricted analysis printed within the journal Nutrients in 2019 found that subjects United Nations agency were thought-about overweight or clinically weighty and Ate watermelon rather than low-fat cookies old larger satiation, as Associate in Nursing example. feeding watermelon daily was related to a decrease in subjects’ weight, body mass index, blood pressure, and waist circumference.
6) It’s going to improve heart health
Research shows that intense foods with carotenoid might scale back your risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke. A 2012 study printed within the yank Journal of high blood pressure steered a link between the fruit and cardiovascular disease, as analysis steered watermelon extract might scale back force per unit area over a sustained amount of your time. The authors steered that L-citrulline and L-arginine — 2 of the antioxidants in watermelon — might improve the perform of the arteries.
7) It may work to cut back cancer risk
Lycopene found in watermelon might scale back inflammation and aerophilic stress, Associate in Nursing imbalance between free radicals (the unstable molecules that the body produces naturally, which may cause illness) and also the body’s ability to fight their effects.
Chronic inflammation will raise your risk sure diseases, together with cancer, and analysis shows that carotenoid has the potential to cut back inflammation and keep cancer cells from growing, that reduces your risk for the diseases. Studies have highlighted that increasing your carotenoid intake will scale back your risk for cancers of the GI tract and glandular cancer.
8) Watermelon might facilitate scale back inflammation
A specific combination of antioxidants, carotenoid and ascorbic acid, found in watermelon will lower inflammation and aerophilic injury over time.
Inflammation will cause swelling, pain, or flushed skin for those experiencing it. And chronic inflammation will cause serious conditions, together with cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and sort a pair of polygenic disease.
9) It’s nice for your skin
“The water and vitamins A, B6, and C in watermelon facilitate your skin keep soft, smooth, and supple, ascorbic acid boosts albuminoid production, that improves skin physical property and blood flow to the skin. And fat-soluble vitamin helps repair skin cells, preventing dry, flaky skin, whereas vitamin B complex helps with skin breakouts.
Lycopene will play a task in protective your skin from the sun, creating it less seemingly you’ll get a sunburn. however it positively doesn’t mean you ought to skip the sunblock, she emphasizes; it’s crucial to use your selection of SPF frequently.
10) It’s going to relieve aching muscles
A small study printed within the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that athletes United Nations agency drank watermelon juice saw reduced muscle soreness for up to twenty four hours. The juice additionally helped lower their recovery rate.
Researchers connected watermelon juice’s ability to alleviate aching muscles to its L-citrulline content, that is Associate in Nursing aminoalkanoic acid that helps to cut back muscle injury. though scientists would like a lot of concrete proof to substantiate the extent of this profit, this link may push you to think about adding watermelon juice to your post-workout routine.
11) Watermelon seeds and have required nutrient
When feeding contemporary watermelon, most of the people persist with the red or pink flesh. however you’ll be able to eat the rind and seeds, too, as they provide their own holistic health edges.
Rinds square measure lower in sugar and better in fiber than the flesh of a watermelon, “When devoured with the remainder of the melon, it helps bog down sugar absorption within the gut and mellows the increase in blood glucose.” Watermelon rinds additionally contain L-citrulline, which can scale back force per unit area and boost athletic performance.
Watermelon seeds, which may be devoured raw or dried, square measure made in atomic number 12 — that Derocha explains plays a key role in energy production, nerve function, polymer and supermolecule synthesis, still as force per unit area regulation. They additionally contain B, which may facilitate your risk for cancer and depression.
The seeds square measure sensible sources of monounsaturated and unsaturated fatty acids, that guard against coronary failure and stroke and lower levels of unhealthy cholesterin within the blood.
