Watermelon Benefits, Risks, and Nutritional Facts- All at One Place
A big green round fruit with red flesh inside- Watermelon is a summer season fruit, loved by all. The fruit has a large proportion of water to keep you hydrated all day long. This is famous for this cause only. Also, people prefer watermelon juice for its sweet taste & juicy coolness. But not many know the nutritional watermelon benefits of this. It is a rich source of antioxidants and has multiple vitamins to support our health.
This is one of the richest sources of Lycopene which is the reason behind its red color. Lycopene helps in fighting cancer symptoms and diabetes. Notably, watermelon contains more Lycopene than tomatoes. In this article, we will go through the very Watermelon Benefits uses and the risks associated with it.
Nutritional Chart of Watermelon:
Watermelon is a treasure of nutrition that has multiple essential vitamins in it. It has several minerals and is low in calories that make it a good choice for people who are on a weight loss journey. One cup or 152 GMs of raw watermelon contains the following nutrients. As stated earlier, Watermelons have a super high quantity of Lycopene that is beneficial for skin, cancer, and diabetes-like issues.
– 46 calories
– 11.5 grams of carbs
– 0.6 grams of Fiber
– 9.4 grams of Sugar
– 0.9 grams of Protein
– 0.2 grams of Fat
– Vitamin A
– Vitamin C
– Potassium
– Magnesium
Benefits of Consuming Watermelon:
1. Keeps Your Hydrated During Summer:
Dehydration is a major problem in summer. People summer through it and many pass out of lack of water in their bodies. Hydration is indeed important for the body to function properly. It controls body temperature, organ functioning, the right flow of nutrients, and alertness, making your body ready for the whole day. We should go for less solid but liquid food intake in summer. Watermelon on the other hand fulfills both conditions. It has 92% water which makes it a super water source. Being so rich in liquid, it is very low in calorie density which helps in your weight management journey. You feel full for long durations and energetic with enough water intake.
2. Supports Anti-cancer Effects:
Cancer occurs when our body’s cell division process goes uncontrollable. Watermelon has Lycopene & Cucurbitacin E that promotes the anti-cancer activities of our body. Researchers believe that Lycopene lowers the Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF). It is a kind of protein that promotes cell division in the body.
Lycopene benefits you in prostate & colorectal cancers whereas Cucurbitacin E helps in the removal of damaged cells and is helpful against tumour growth through ‘Autophagy’. However, more studies are required in this research.
3. Improves Heart Health:
Watermelon has heart-friendly minerals and vitamins such as Magnesium, Potassium, and Vitamins A, B6, and C. The high quantity of Lycopene present in Watermelon helps lower blood pressure & cholesterol levels. It also protects your body from oxidative damage from cholesterol. Watermelon also has Citrulline that increases Nitric Oxide resulting in the expansion of the blood vessels. Do you know that more than any medicine, your lifestyle affects your heart health?
4. Improve Eye-Sights:
Although more studies are important for results, researchers say that watermelon may benefit the natural aging process of the eyes. The Lycopene present in the watermelon benefits AMD. AMD is the natural aging process of macular degeneration that causes a reduction in sight or complete blindness in adults. Lycopene has anti-inflammatory & antioxidant properties that affect ageing and give relief from eye inflammation.
5. Relieves Muscle Soreness:
Watermelon has Citrulline Amino acid that improves the nitric oxide levels in the body. This improves our blood flow and boosts the exercise ability of our body. Being high in water, antioxidants, and potassium, it becomes a complete package for a pre-exercise meal. Potassium helps in reducing cramps in the gym. An experiment shows that watermelon juice raw or mixed with citrulline shows better results in reducing muscle soreness, and injury, and boosting heart rate recovery.
6. Improves Skin Health:
Our skin regularly needs Vitamin A, B6, and C to be healthy, nourished, and glow. Watermelon has all of them. Vitamin C produces collagen in our body that is essential for hair & skin cell growth. Collagen makes your skin & hair supple and nourished. Vitamin A promotes cell production & repair. Both vitamins help our body to reduce wrinkles, fight dryness, and help heal wounds.
You can either eat or apply watermelon to your body. For external application, take 1 tablespoon of watermelon juice & 1 tablespoon of curd. Mix them well and apply them as a face mask.
7. Protects Your Joints:
Collagen is the protein that helps our joints in moving. The natural aging process reduces that collagen. As a result, we feel pain as our joint bones rub each other. Watermelon promotes the production of collagen resulting in healthy joints. Also, the natural pigment found in watermelon beta-cryptoxanthin is beneficial in joint inflammation.
8. Keeps Cholesterol in Limit:
Trying to limit your cholesterol levels? Watermelon can limit your cholesterol levels if not decrease them directly. It has a Glycemic Index of 80 but has very little amount of carbs in it. It means the Glycemic load is as low as 5. Also, a cup full of watermelon contains only 45.6 grams of calories. It has zero fat, zero cholesterol, and no sodium in it. Now you can drink without worrying about your cholesterol health.
9. Helpful in Digestion:
Watermelon is high in water and several nutrients. Being hydrated is the best thing you can do for your digestive health, especially in the summer season. It is soft and sweet and keeps you full for long hours. It results in fewer food cravings that promote happy digestive health.
Risks of Watermelon:
Watermelon is indeed a health treasure but it has its own risks. Excess consumption of watermelon uses can cause bloating, gas, diarrhea, flatulence, weak kidneys, and other stomach issues. Also, watermelon is full of natural sugar so diabetic people better distance themselves from watermelon.
Conclusion:
The sweet big round fruit has many benefits for health. It’s one of nature’s gifts but we always maintain a limit on everything. Watermelon can enrich you with a variety of vitamins, and minerals but it also can give you trouble if consumed uncontrollably. This article comes from Ayurveda Sahi Hai in which we have discussed several health benefits of watermelon. Hope you have liked it. Also, don’t forget to read more such interesting articles on our website.
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