Watermelon

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“To taste a watermelon is to know what the angels eat.” Mark Twain

 

Watermelon screams summer, especially with July quickly approaching. Hot summer days, fireworks, grilled ‘dogs, and taking a heaping chunk out of a slice of watermelon. It’s sweet, has a light texture, and never makes you feel like you’ve overeaten. The reason for that is because watermelon is 92 percent water! Our bodies are usually craving that refreshment of water, which is often why it tastes so good, especially on those long, hot days.  With watermelon standing as one of the lowest fruits in terms of calories on the market, it’s no surprise it is almost always in demand.

Watermelon brings a lot more to the table than good taste and high water content – the fiber that comes along with the fruit is essential for healthy digestion. Along with the fiber, throw in the vitamins, potassium, magnesium, carotenoids, lycopene, and cucurbitacin E, and you end up with a very well rounded fruit. The carotenoids are essentially plant compounds that convert into vitamin A. Lycopene is a type of carotenoid that works as an antioxidant often found in red fruits and vegetables that is found to be prevalent in watermelon. It is this same antioxidant that cucumbers also have as cancer-fighting properties in the digestive system.

 

Specifically, it has been found that lycopene can aid in reducing the risk of cancer at its forefront. This is achieved because lycopene can help lower insulin growth factors, which help prevent cell division and spreading. Never heard of cucurbitacin E? We get it; it’s not a word that’s thrown around on the daily, so we’ll explain. It is also a plant compound that acts as an antioxidant that specifically helps reduce inflammation. Watermelon is also said to improve heart health, relieve muscle soreness, and is great for the skin and hair. Overall, we suggest watermelon because of its powerful effect on digestion from the water content and fiber. It’s a great everyday fruit that has a surprisingly high amount of health benefits.

Western Veg-Produce, Inc.
PO Box 82217
Bakersfield, CA 93380

Office: 1-800-WVegPro (983-4776)
Fax: 1-661-637-2365
Sales: sales@wvegpro.com
Accounting: accounting@wvegpro.com