Did you know July is National Watermelon Month? Or that this favorite melon is actually a cousin to cucumbers?
In case you need more reasons to serve up this sweet and juicy summertime favorite at your next BBQ, here are 10 surprising facts about watermelon.
1. It’s Packed with Nutrition — Not Calories!
A serving of watermelon — 2 cups diced or 1/18th of a medium melon — has just 80 calories. Plus, it’s an excellent source of vitamins A and C and potassium and contains several other bioactive compounds, such as flavonoids and carotenoids.
2. It Helps Keep You Hydrated
Its name is a cue — 92 percent of the fruit is water, which means it helps keep you hydrated so your core temperature remains lower. Whether you slice it, cube it, juice it or blend it, watermelon is a perfect way to help meet your fluid needs — and so much more. For a refreshing summer salad, try this watermelon, arugula and feta salad.
3. It’s Loaded With Lycopene
Lycopene is a carotenoid with strong antioxidant properties that gives watermelon (as well as tomatoes, pink grapefruit and guava) its red color. Some studies suggest lycopene can help prevent cardiovascular disease, while others show that it may help protect against certain cancers as well as cataracts. For the most lycopene, make sure your watermelon has a deep pink color, rather than a white-pink hue.
[See: 11 Wonderful Ways to Use Watermelon.]
4. It May Have Seeds — or Not!
Watermelon growers produce five main types of fruit including seeded, seedless, mini, yellow and orange. Traditional plant-breeding — not genetic modification — has created the new varieties of watermelons sold at farmers markets and supermarkets.
5. It’s a Natural Performance Enhancer and Soothes Sore Muscles
While studies are still ongoing, several published reports suggest that watermelon fruit or juice (as well as supplements of citrulline) may enhance performance and speed up recovery post-exercise. How? By improving the body’s ability to transport oxygen to working muscles and reducing delayed-onset muscle soreness.
6. It Helps Your Skin Glow
Thanks to the fruit’s vitamin A and C, watermelon can help keep your hair and skin healthy. Vitamin A helps protect skin from UV-ray damage, while vitamin C is necessary to produce collagen, the foundation of your hair and skin. Vitamin C’s collagen-producing powers may help prevent against wrinkles and premature photo-aging of your skin.
[See: Unusual Uses for Greek Yogurt.]
7. It’s Smart for Your Heart
Among all of the produce picks, watermelon is the best source of citrulline. Citrulline is an amino acid converted to arginine, which is an essential amino acid that plays a key role in relaxing blood vessels and improves cardiovascular health. The potassium in this fruit also helps lower blood pressure and other bioactive compounds help to temper inflammation.
8. It’s Not Just for Summer
Watermelon may conjure up images of summer BBQs, but fresh watermelon is available year-round. It can be enjoyed on its own, or in recipes from breakfast smoothies to watermelon salsa, as well as grilled watermelon and watermelon pudding. One of my favorite ways to start the day? This watermelon kiwi smoothie!
9. It Can Become a Heavyweight
According to the Guinness World Records, the largest recorded watermelon was grown in Sevierville, Tennessee, in 2013, and weighed in at 351 pounds.
[See: Tasty, Healthy Ways to Use Raw Cacao.]
10. It’s Worldly
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a cousin to the cucumber and originated in Africa, where it was found growing in the wild. The first harvest was recorded some 5,000 years ago in Egypt. From there, the fruit spread throughout Asia and Europe, and then to the New World, where Spanish settlers grew watermelon in Florida in 1576. Now, some 44 states grow watermelon, with Georgia, Florida, Texas, California and Arizona ranking as the largest watermelon-producing states.
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10 Reasons to Savor Watermelon This Summer originally appeared on usnews.com
