Health Benefits of Watermelon & Recipes!
So this past Wednesday, I posted about healthy popsicles. There were also some watermelon recipes in there too. It is summer & people love to have watermelon. It tastes great & has few calories. Per CalorieKing, watermelon has 37 calories for 4.3 ounces, 9.3g of carbs, 7.6g of sugar and 136.6mg of potassium. You can see the stats here. It is so refreshing on a warm day!
So, since watermelon season is here AND you might want to make a popsicle or smoothie with it.. OR just eat it in it's wonderful natural state.... check out these great healthy facts about it in the article below! There is also a recipe for Watermelon Agua Fresca (Fresh Water) & links to other recipes at the end.
Some foods are fun to eat, and watermelon is definitely one of them. That triangular wedge of bright red/white/green, sweet juiciness forbids us to take life too seriously and shouts, “SUMMER!!!” As if that weren’t enough, watermelon is packed full of nutrition, hydrates and is low-fat. While many of us think of watermelon as a great snack option, when you tally up its nutritive value, you might consider making this all-star a feature player in your cuisine.
Watermelons are an excellent source of several vitamins: vitamin A, which helps maintain eye health and is an antioxidant; vitamin C, which helps strengthen immunity, heal wounds, prevent cell damage, promote healthy teeth and gums; and vitamin B6, which helps brain function and helps convert protein to energy.
Tomatoes have been highly touted as a great source for lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps fight heart disease and several types of cancer — prostate cancer in particular. Watermelon, however, has the highest concentrations of lycopene of any fresh fruit or vegetable.
If your little ones don’t dig into their swiss chard, lima beans or spinach — all great sources of potassium — consider offering them a serving of watermelon instead. It is a great source of potassium, which helps muscle and nerve function, helps maintain the body’s proper electrolyte and acid-base balance, and helps lower the risk of high blood pressure.
Watermelon also contains the amino acids citrulline and arginine, which can help maintain arteries, blood flow and overall cardiovascular function.
Alone or in a fruit salad are the most common ways many of us eat watermelon. While eating the meat of the fruit is the best way to take advantage of all of its nutrients, this is one of my favorite bits of summer refreshment. I get a version of this from my local burrito truck. The key to making this great: don’t oversweeten it. With just a touch of sweetness, it’s heavenly.
Watermelon Agua Fresca (Fresh Water)
- 3 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
- 1 1/2 cups water
- juice from 2-3 limes
- natural sweetner, to taste
In a blender, puree the watermelon, then strain it through a fine sieve. In a pitcher, mix the strained juice with water. Add lime juice and natural sweetener to taste. Serve cold over ice.
Watermelon Mint Smoothie
Watermelon Rose-Punch
Secrets of Cutting a Watermelon
Have a great day!
In memory of my mother-in-law who we lost on this day a few years ago.
Categories: Recipes
Tags: food watermelon Recipes summer
Mmmm...and I just had watermelon yesterday!! So YUMMY!!
And...who knew just how good it was for you (well, not me anyway).
Now, can I beat my kids to the watermelon that we have left!!
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You know, watermelon is the only fruit I don't like I think. Something about the texture and all the water. I like watermelon flavored things.
I want to be you when I grow up. Fit with a healthy attitude about it and happily married
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Too sweet April!
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I wish I knew what to listen for when I thump on a watermelon to see if it is ripe. I make my husband choose that one fruit in our house.
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Watermelon! One of my favorite treats lately....YES! it has become better than chocolate for me when I am craving....I will try the water...sounds delish!
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I had no idea watermelon was so healthy. I don't eat much of it because of the high sugar content, but my family devours it.
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Does anyone else have an addiction to watermelon? I sure do. I can eat 1/2 a melon in one sitting if I allow myself to. If I make a fruit salad, it should really be called watermelon salad with some other fruit tossed in for color.
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I have always loved watermelon! When I was a kid, I was told that I was allergic to watermelon and several other foods. I may have avoided cow's milk, etc, but NEVER stopped eating watermelon. "They" were wrong!
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Dr. J, you showed them!
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OMG I LOVE WATERMELON! It's the greatest summer fruit ever.
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Watermelon reminds me of when I was young and would go to my grandmothers house.. they always had tons for us to eat!
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You'll understand if I say that I'm a little "over" hearing about watermelon (or one specific watermelon, anyway, thanks to Memaw) right now.
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