6 Health Benefits of Watermelon

Did you know watermelon not only boosts your “health esteem,” but it is has excellent levels of vitamins A and C and a good level of vitamin B6?

Nothing says summer like a delicious, sweet, & juicy watermelon!

Watermelon is full of antioxidants shown to reduce the inflammation that contributes to diabetes, asthma, atherosclerosis, colon cancer, and arthritis. Nutritionists have long appreciated the health benefits watermelon provides. Watermelon not only boosts your “health esteem,” but it is has excellent levels of vitamins A and C and a good level of vitamin B6.

Here are 6 amazing benefits of watermelon:

1. Rich in Vitamins A, B6, & C: Watermelon is packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature. These powerful antioxidants travel through the body neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are substances in the body that can cause a great deal of damage. They are able to oxidize cholesterol, making it stick to blood vessel walls, where it can lead to heart attack or stroke. They can add to the severity of asthma attacks by causing airways to clamp down and close. They can increase the inflammation that occurs in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and cause most of the joint damage that occurs in these conditions, and they can damage cells lining the colon, turning them into cancer cells.
   

2. Vitamin A found in watermelon is important for optimal eye health and boosts immunity by enhancing the infection-fighting actions of white blood cells called lymphocytes. Vitamin B6 found in watermelon helps the immune system produce antibodies. Antibodies are needed to fight many diseases.
   

3. Vitamin B6 helps maintain normal nerve function and form red blood cells. The body uses it to help break down proteins. The more protein you eat, the more vitamin B6 you need.
   

4. Vitamin C in watermelon can help to bolster the immune system’s defenses against infections and viruses and can protect a body from harmful free radicals that can accelerate aging and conditions such as cataracts.
   

5. Protection against Cancer: People whose diets are rich in fruits and have a lower risk of getting cancers of the lung, mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum. They are also less likely to get cancers of the breast, pancreas, ovaries, larynx, and bladder. There is no specific fruit or vegetable responsible for reducing cancer risk; instead, research shows that it is the regular consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables that reduces risk.
   

6. Full of Antioxidant Lycopene: Watermelon is also a very concentrated source of the carotenoid, lycopene. Well known for being abundant in tomatoes and particularly well absorbed from cooked tomato products containing a little fat such as olive oil, lycopene is also present in high amounts in watermelon and mangoes. Lycopene has been extensively studied for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties. Of the carotenoids, lycopene is the most effective oxygen scavenger because it can neutralize several singlet oxygen with one lycopene molecule. Other antioxidants are Vitamin C and Vitamin E.

How to Pick a Good Watermelon:

• Look the watermelon over. You are looking for a firm, symmetrical watermelon that is free from bruises, cuts or dents.
  

• Lift it up. The watermelon should be heavy for it’s size. Watermelon is 92% water, most of the weight is water.
  

• Turn it over. The underside of the watermelon should have a creamy yellow spot from where it sat on the ground and ripened in the sun. When choosing a whole watermelon, look for one that is heavy for its size with a rind that is relatively smooth and that is neither overly shiny nor overly dull. In addition, one side of the melon should have an area that is distinct in color from the rest of the rind, displaying a yellowish or creamy tone. This is the underbelly, the place that was resting on the ground during ripening, and if the fruit does not have this marking, it may have been harvested prematurely, which will negatively affect its taste, texture and juiciness.