Watermelon!
* Watermelon!
I don’t know about you guys, but when Labor Day hits, that means-end of Summer to Jeff Eats.
Taking that formula one-step further, Labor Day/End of Summer/next step- goodbye watermelon until next Summer.
Anyway,
As I’m sure you know, last Monday- Labor Day 2014 hit…and it got me to thinking about watermelon. Now no bs-ing here, on any given day Jeff Eats can eat 1/2 of a large watermelon-no problem at all. For the record, watermelon is one of my favorite fruits and I recall years ago hearing that it was a very “healthy” fruit.
With the above in mind, take a look at this Watermelon “story” I just read on howstuffworks.com…
For what it’s worth, I think this watermelon “info” is something to definitely have on file in the back of your head. As the late great- Sy Syms use to say, “An educated consumer is our best customer.”
Finally, maybe one of you scientists out there can explain this- How do you grow seedless watermelons from seedless watermelons?
*****
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.
Try Trader Joes Watermelon juice with cucumber … . Also, The Bellagio in Vegas has fresh Watermelon Juice. Both taste like what would be left when you cut a whole Melon.
Jeff
Have had 2 8oz glasses a day for he past 5 years. straight up no ice.
Ferro great.
Known for its nutritious value and refreshing properties, watermelon juice is the best way to beat the summer heat. The benefits of watermelon make it a preferred choice for a healthy diet. Try a watermelon diet — eat watermelon and slim down if you need to lose weight.
Watermelon Juice can be prepared fresh throughout the year. The sweetness, fleshy texture and juicy pulp of watermelons make them a hot favorite for dessert and salad dishes.
A watermelon diet is very delicious and refreshing. Watermelon comes in several appealing colors, including red, pink, orange and yellow. Watermelons contain more water and less sugar or sodium, besides being excellent sources of vitamins.
TIP: For more vitamin lessons, read also our article Facts about Vitamins
Benefits of Watermelon Juice
The red watermelon has lycopene in high quantities. Lycopene is an antioxidant and helps to prevent many diseases.
Beta carotene and lycopene are compounds which guard plants against damage from sunlight. These help to neutralize the “free radicals,” roaming molecules that cause tissue and organ damage, in our bodies.
Free radicals contribute to inflammation and cholesterol deposits in blood vessels, causing strokes and heart attacks. Tot avoid this, read our tips in
Foods to Avoid High Cholesterol
Lycopene helps to minimize risks of strokes and other ailments like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, colon cancer and asthma.
Watermelon is an important addition for a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.
Watermelon is rich in antioxidants that help to prevent kidney stones, cancers and cardiac ailments.
Another benefit is that watermelon is a great source of potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure levels keeping your heart healthy.
Watermelon juice is essential as a preventive against bone loss.
A watermelon diet is an excellent source of energy because it contains Vitamin B.
It can offer more nutrients per calorie as it mainly made of water and contains very few calories.
Watermelon seeds are rich sources of protein and micro and macro-nutrients like calcium, iron, potassium, zinc and phosphorus.
Check out also Foods with Protein
Watermelon juice helps to lower risks of age-related macular degeneration that may lead to loss of vision in elders.
The fruit is beneficial in checking erectile dysfunction and increases insulin sensitivity.
How to Juice Watermelons
First slice the watermelon and then place it in a bowl or plate with a fork to avoid mess. Next, you place it in the juicer. As the watermelon itself is sweet, adding sugar is not really necessary. If you mix the watermelon with lemon juice or orange juice, you can add some honey for a more sweety taste – that’s much healthier than sugar. Then, juice it till smooth.
The juice is served using lots of ice for that cool, refreshing taste.
The difference between seedless watermelons and watermelons with seeds lies not in their tastes but only in that seedless watermelons contain white edible seeds.
Among all summer treats, juicing watermelon ranks highest in terms of popularity, taste and nutrition content. This sweet, juicy and fleshy fruit is a wholesome snack and packs in nature’s goodness in every drop.
Watermelon juice can give you the chance to enjoy this fruit in many flavors and forms. Drink the tasty juice of the watermelon to slim down and enjoy life the healthy way.
Jeff
Watermelon is great for you.
So are blueberries.
I usually eat both and other fruits twice a day.