Health benefits of watermelons

Watermelon is the ultimate summer fruit. It’s perfect to quench your thirst during those hot summer days. Not only is it juicy and sweet, but this refreshing fruit is also packed with water and essential nutrients such as Vitamins A and C and various antioxidants.

It has very few calories and offers great health benefits by improving insulin sensitivity in the body as well as reducing muscle pain and soreness.

While you can eat this absolutely refreshing fruit as it is, you can also freeze it and make delicious smoothies and juices out of it. A staple fruit at any summertime gathering or party, it is good for everything from salads and juices to meat substitutes.

Nutritional Facts:

Watermelon consists 91% of water and 7.5% of carbs. It has very few calories and almost no fat or protein. 100 grams (2/3 cup) of this fruit consist of:

Water- 91%

Calories - 30

Carbs - 7.6 grams

Protein - 0.6 grams

Sugar - 6.2 grams

Fat- 0.2 grams

Fiber- 0.4 grams

The red color of the fruit comes from an antioxidant called lycopene, which is scientifically proven to prevent the risk of diabetes and cancer. Compared to any other veggie or fruit, it has more lycopene.

Other than this, it also has very low-fat content and sodium, which is why it is one of the best fruits for a healthy heart. It neither increases your blood pressure nor raises your cholesterol levels.

Health benefits of watermelons:

Consisting of 91% water, watermelons are a nutritious punch. Here are a few amazing health advantages that it offers.

1.) Keeps you hydrated:

If you don’t drink enough water throughout the day, having this fruit might help you stay hydrated and fulfill your hydration goals. Plus, it will also keep you full for a longer time and you won’t crave unhealthy snacks.

2.) Good for your hair and skin:

If you are using all sorts of chemically made shampoos on your hair and any random cosmetic product on your face and still facing skin and hair problems, you may want to skip those and improve your food intake. Watermelons are packed with vitamins A and C and are both great for healthy skin and hair.

While vitamin A helps to repair your skin cells, vitamin C, on the other hand, helps you improve your collagen, further strengthening your hair and improving the dermis on your skin layer.

Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes on Unsplash

3.) Improves heart health:

Watermelons are a heart-friendly fruit. The lycopene antioxidant present in the fruit helps lower blood pressure as well as cholesterol, resulting in healthy functioning of the heart. It also has citrulline, which is an amino acid that helps improve nitric oxide levels in the body.

4.) Improves brain and nervous system:

Watermelon also has choline, which is also an antioxidant that helps improve the functioning of the brain and nervous system. Additionally, it also contributes to different activities including memory and learning, brain development, muscle movement, maintaining the right structure of cell membranes and so on.

It has also been suggested that this fruit may also help in slow improvement in Alzheimer's and dementia patients. However, there is no appropriate evidence to trust this.

5.) Helps in weight loss:

If you want to reduce weight naturally without depending on any supplements, then you should never miss out on adding this juicy fruit to your everyday meals. Since it consists of mostly water, this fills you for a longer duration and curbs you from snacking on packaged food items.

So, if you want something on the lighter side yet you want to feel full, don’t forget to include this refreshing fruit in your weight loss diet.

6.) Aids sore muscles:

To improve your athletic performance and reduce the muscle soreness you experience after working out, you surely need to have watermelons as your workout recovery snack.

Since this fruit is loaded with citrulline, it helps your body to increase nitric oxide production, which improves blood circulation and further helps soothe muscle soreness.

Choosing the right one?

Though it seems easy to buy any watermelon, many people don’t know how to choose the right one. It’s difficult to check how ripe it is just by looking outside. However, there are a few tips to help you pick the perfect one.

- Always buy ones that are heavy and asymmetrical, free from any soft spots, bruises or dents.

- Go for a heavy one as it shows that it has lots of water and is ripe.

- Choose the one that has a creamy yellow underside color, as this means the watermelon has perfectly ripened in the sun.

Needless to say, this amazing summer fruit has lots of health benefits. From taking care of your skin and hair to curing your muscle soreness, watermelons are just perfect for an evening summer salad. Just buy the right one and enjoy your summer with a delicious watermelon smoothie.