Watermelon Goodness




I associate Watermelon with July. I guess it the hot dry days and flourished gardens.
Watermelon is not one of my foods. I prefer a Cantaloupe or Honey Dew, but I will eat Watermelon if its around. However, the other day, I was craving a bite of this pink, juicy, thirst quenching melon for some reason, so I stopped by the local grocery store and bought a small seedless watermelon that was just perfect for my family of three.

I heard that watermelon was full of sodium so we never really looked twice at one on a usual trip to the supermarket. I did some research, not to prove anyone wrong, but to find something good in this melon I was fixing to indulge on.


So, I did, and guess what? It actually has NO SODIUM, no fat, and barely any calories. Two cups of Watermelon contains only 96 calories and 2mg of sodium, the same amount of sodium found in a bottle of water. Sodium free means it contains less than 5mg. Of course I'm bad and like to add salt to my slice.
So you say, "well its full of sugar" Nope! It has sugar, but its natural sugar and unless you sit down and eat a whole watermelon all by yourself, the amount of sugar in a serving is very minimal. In fact, Watermelon contributes to weight loss by lowering your blood sugar.

Here are some more interesting facts I found while researching about watermelon benefits.
  • 12% fiber / 88 Percent Water
  • Full of lycopene- Lycopene fights against heart disease and prostrate cancer.
  • Fights infections- because it contains beta carotene
  • Soothes stress and alleviates blood pressure
  • fights hunger- If you eat 2 cups before a meal, it will give you a full feeling and only contains 96 calories.
  • Its a natural diuretic- Helps you get rid of unneeded water and salt in your system.
  • Full of vitamin B6, A, C, Potassium and Thiamine- 2 cups have 1/2 the vitamin C you need per day.
  • Full of Citrulline- Citrulline is an amino acid and has 250 milligrams per cup. This improves blood flow, prevents excess accumulation of fat and soothes sore muscles. It also relaxes blood vessels and improves circulation. (Good news for men [wink wink]). Did I read "natural Viagra?
Ok, for the pessimist out there, I searched what could be bad about this melon. I didn't find that much other than some people can be allergic to it and that any vitamins can be unsafe if you take in too much. And if you eat to much watermelon, you will get diarrhea. Oh, which reminds me that I read also that it protects against colon cancer as well.


Now, everyone needs to grab a nice sweet watermelon and share the wealth health. I'm going to try and make this my go to fruit during the summer and while I'm on a diet to see if it contributes to me loosing any weight, feeling healthier and not being so sore! There are a lot of watermelon recipes on Pinterest. Im just not sure I like watermelon enough to make desserts or smoothies with it.
Well see, I may acquire more of a taste for it soon. I'm actually dreaming of sitting on the beach with some right now!


Sources

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