Watermelon – so good for your health

Who doesn’t enjoy some fresh watermelon?  So juicy and naturally sweet.  We have some sliced watermelon in our fridge as my husband went to the farmer’s market this week. Many people enjoy watermelon and don’t realize how healthy it is.  A dietitian, Julie Upton, provides some great news about watermelon in her article, One Major Side Effect of Eating Watermelon, Says Dietitian .  We do hear a lot about superfoods like blueberries but we don’t hear much about other fruits like watermelon. 

Watermelon packs a big nutritious punch.

One reason why watermelon is so good for your health is that it is loaded with many vitamins and minerals as well as fiber. 

Vitamins: watermelon is a good source of vitamins A, C and many B vitamins.  One cup of watermelon balls provides 12.5 mg of vitamin C, almost 25% of daily needs.  One cup also provides 876 IU of vitamin A, almost 20% of daily needs. 

Minerals:  think potassium.  Almost all fruit provides this important mineral which helps counteract the bad effects of sodium.  Loading up on potassium rich foods helps fight high blood pressure.  Watermelon also provides some magnesium, copper and other minerals. 

Low-calorie – eat up as a cup of watermelon provides only 46 calories. 

Hydration – many people think only plain water is hydrating.  Not true.  Fruits, like watermelon, contain a lot of “water” and are good for hydration.  Kids playing sports can enjoy watermelon to help them stay hydrated.  You may be surprised to learn watermelon is about “92 percent water”, so a great choice for hydrating. 

Fiber – I recently blogged about how important fiber is to your health (See:  A power nutrient your diet may be lacking ).  One way to get more fiber is to eat fresh fruit like watermelon. 

Phytonutrients: “Phyto” means plant.  And plants have many phytonutrients that are not just good for plants but are good for our health.  I have noted many times how important phytonutrients are to good health.  (See:  Why are berries and other fruit and veggies so good for your health?).  Fruits that are reddish in color provide the phytonutrient or antioxidant, lycopene.  Researchers have extensively studied the health benefits of lycopene.  Lycopene is not a vitamin or mineral but is good for eye health, helps prevent cancer by slowing “the growth of cancer cells”, reduces heart disease risk by lowering the bad cholesterol, LDL, , is anti-aging, helps protect your skin, (See:  Health Benefits of Lycopene from WebMD.)  And the fruit that is a great source of this healthy lycopene?  Watermelon.  

Watermelon is a good source of lycopene.

So, enjoy that slice of watermelon.  On a diet?  Choose some watermelon as it is low in calories and the fiber in it will help fill you up.  And while enjoying this healthy food, you also are doing good things for your eyes, skin and heart.  

 Sources:  One Major Side Effect of Eating Watermelon, Says Dietitian  , A power nutrient your diet may be lacking , Why are berries and other fruit and veggies so good for your health? , Health Benefits of Lycopene   Image Sources:  Watermelon  , Watermelon and nutrients , Lycopene