Surprising Health Benefits of Watermelon

Surprising Health Benefits of Watermelon

Benefits of watermelon. Watermelon may be best known as summer’s ultimate snack food, but this sweet treat has some surprising health benefits that go beyond hydrating your body and satisfying your sweet tooth. Read on to learn more about the surprising benefits of watermelon and the nutrients that keep you strong and healthy year-round.

1: Hydration

Your body depends on water to survive. Every cell, tissue, and organ in your body needs water to work properly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste, and lubricate your joints. Water is needed for overall good health.

If you don’t drink enough water, you may become dehydrated. This means your body doesn’t have enough fluid to operate properly.

Your urine can be an indicator if you’re dehydrated. If it’s colorless or light yellow, you’re well hydrated. If your urine is a dark yellow or amber color, you may be dehydrated.

There are other signs that can signal you may be dehydrated. They include:

• Little or no urine.
• Urine that is darker than usual.
• Dry mouth.
• Sleepiness or fatigue.
• Extreme thirst.
• Headache.
• Confusion.
• Dizziness or lightheadedness.
• No tears when crying

Juicy, sweet and perfectly refreshing, watermelons can have numerous health benefits for your body. The delicious fruit is high in water content 91 percent, which makes it a hydrating snack.

Whether you eat it as is or turn it into a tasty juice or smoothie, having a big glass of watermelon juice or fruit will not only help hydrate your body but can also flush out toxins from your system.

Drinking plenty of water is crucial to avoid dehydration, headaches and constipation. People who consume more fruits and vegetables are healthier than those who don’t they weigh less, have better cholesterol levels and tend to live longer lives.

2: Detoxify

Detoxification means cleansing the blood. This is done by removing impurities from the blood in the liver, where toxins are processed for elimination.

The body also eliminates toxins through the kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymphatic system, and skin during a body detox.

However, when these systems are compromised, impurities aren’t properly filtered and the body is adversely affected. You can equally undertake the following body detoxification programs;

1. Resting the organs through fasting;
2. Stimulating the liver to drive toxins from the body;
3. Promoting elimination through the intestines, kidneys, and skin;
4. Improving circulation of the blood; and
5. Refueling the body with healthy nutrients.

“Detoxification works because it addresses the needs of individual cells, the smallest units of human life,” says Peter Bennett, N.D., co-author of 7-Day Detox Miracle with Stephen Barrie, N.D., and Sara Faye.

Eating a watermelon can boost your metabolism and flush toxins from your body.

Watermelons contain lycopene, an antioxidant that has been shown to prevent various types of cancer. Lycopene also helps reduce damage caused by free radicals, agents that are responsible for accelerated aging and cell damage.

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As if all that weren’t enough, watermelons contain citrulline, which helps your body produce more nitric oxide (NO), a chemical compound that helps you exercise longer and harder with less fatigue and improves blood flow to your muscles during workouts. Eating more watermelon will help you get ripped faster! So grab yourself a slice today.

3: Improve Heart Health

Researchers at Texas A&M University’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center found that watermelons, along with strawberries, apricots, mangoes and papayas, are rich in anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are flavonoids that give fruits their vibrant colors and are associated with a range of health benefits like improved blood flow and heart health. So next time you head out to your local farmers market or grocery store, pick up some fresh watermelon! Enjoy it sliced on its own or add a wedge to your favorite summer drink for an extra boost of antioxidants and nutrients.

In addition to being delicious (especially when made into a refreshing slushy) and good for you, watermelons have no fat or cholesterol making them perfect for everyone.

4: Reduce Inflammation

Inflammation is a process by which your body’s white blood cells and the things they make protect you from infection from outside invaders, such as bacteria and viruses.
Whether you’re an athlete trying to recover from an injury or just tired of feeling sore and achy, watermelon can help.

It contains a compound called citrulline, which helps boost circulation, as well as arginine and potassium to reduce inflammation in your body. The antioxidants also promote overall heart health by lowering cholesterol levels while reducing damage caused by free radicals (it is crucial that we get our antioxidants from natural sources, not man-made chemicals).

And if it’s summertime and you’re looking for ways to stay cool, watermelon has even been known to lower your body temperature so break out those seeds.

5: Prevent Cancer

Although it’s still not clear exactly how watermelons may help prevent cancer, we do know that they contain high levels of lycopene, an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. Lycopene has been shown to protect against heart disease and cancer in a number of studies.

Lycopene is a natural compound found in many foods, from pizza sauce and ketchup to watermelons and grapefruits. It’s a chemical called a carotenoid, which are natural pigments that give color to plants, fruits, and vegetables. 

As a red carotenoid, lycopene is widely found in red and pink fruits and vegetables. It’s known as one of the most powerful natural antioxidants, and because it’s still effective when heated, it’s easy to add to your diet through both fresh and processed foods. 

Most research also shows that tomato-based products are more potent than watermelon when it comes to fighting disease. But if you don’t care for tomatoes or cooking with them, opting for melon may be a good alternative.

6: Potassium Rich

Potassium is a mineral that your body needs to work properly. It is a type of electrolyte.

It helps your nerves to function and muscles to contract. It helps your heartbeat stay regular. It also helps move nutrients into cells and waste products out of cells.

A diet rich in potassium helps to offset some of sodium’s harmful effects on blood pressure.

A one-cup serving of watermelon has a whopping 27% daily value for potassium. Good for your heart and your muscles, a deficiency in potassium can lead to muscle cramps and an irregular heartbeat, according to WebMD.

What else does watermelon have? It has vitamins C, B1, B6 and thiamin as well as riboflavin and niacin.

It also has several minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and copper.

If you’re looking for a refreshing treat on a hot summer day to slake your thirst or refresh you after physical activity then nothing beats fresh melon.

7: Increase Metabolism

metabolism, the sum of the chemical reactions that take place within each cell of a living organism and that provide energy for vital processes and for synthesizing new organic material.

Living organisms are unique in that they can extract energy from their environment and use it to carry out activities such as movement, growth and development, and reproduction. But how do living organisms or, their cells, extract energy from their environments, and how do cells use this energy to synthesize and assemble the components from which the cells are made.

If you’re trying to lose weight, increased water intake is key. The more you drink, the better hydrated your body becomes.

According to a study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, drinking around five cups of water a day boosts your metabolism by 30 percent.

This increase in metabolism will cause your body to burn extra calories, even when you’re sitting on your butt! For most people, eating right and exercising are enough to lose weight, but boosting metabolism can help boost results even further.

Drink some water to help flush out those nasty toxins too.