By Sandy Fisternal
Special to CSMS Magazine
The juicy mouthwatering watermelon is actually packed with antioxidants from nature. The vitamins that are stored in watermelons are vitamin C and vitamin A that are good sources of antioxidants. Pink watermelons are also a good source of the potent carotenoid lycopene. Lycopene has proven to have cancer fighting properties because of antioxidants it has stored. According to a study from the American Journal Clinical Nutrition, pink watermelons could help prevent lung cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer because of lycopene stored in pink watermelon.
In addition, watermelons are also rich in vitamin B for energy production. The international food ranking system qualified watermelons as very good source of vitamins B1 and B6. According to the food ranking system, watermelons are also good of potassium and magnesium because of the higher water content and lower calories stored in watermelons.
Furthermore, eating watermelons can also improve eyesight just like carrots because eating watermelons three times daily can lower your risk of macular degeneration, the primary cause of vision loss in older adults by thirty six percent compared to people who only consume only one serving of fruit a day.
Watermelons are also high in cituline, an amino acid our bodies use to make arginine, an amino acid used in the urea cycle to remove ammonia from the body, and to make nitric oxide by the cells lining our blood vessels. Nitric oxide relaxes blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and is the compound stored in Vigara to prevent erectile dysfunction. Eating watermelons also improves insulin sensitivity in obese type 2 patients with insulin resistance.
So, next time you’re at the supermarket, don’t forget to include watermelon in your shopping list.
Note: Sandy Fisternal is a nutritionist who lives in San Diego, California. She wrote this piece exclusively for CSMS Magazine.
Comment this article or e-mail it to a friend.
Also see Avocados: nature’s health conscience fruit
Eating right is all that matters, not how much
Have you tried grilled turkey burgers with avocado mayonnaise?
