Stay healthier Watermelon has lots of lycopene, a key plant antioxidant that is famous for fighting heart disease and prostate cancer. Tomatoes are usually considered the lycopene all-stars, but you have to cook them in a little oil to release it. Watermelon not only needs no cooking to unleash its lycopene but, cup for cup, it has 40 percent more than tomatoes.
Get your C A big slice of watermelon (about two cups) fills almost half your vitamin C quota.
Fight infection Two cups of the juicy red melon also supply nearly a quarter of your daily beta carotene, which your body uses to make vitamin A. Running low on beta c can leave you vulnerable to viral infections and vision trouble.
Heal faster Watermelon (especially yellow-orange varieties) is one of the rare food sources of citrulline, an amino acid used in wound healing and cell division. Slurp up the juice but bite down too: There's extra citrulline in the white and green part that most people toss. Pickled rinds anyone?
Sooth stress Watermelon is a good source of potassium, which helps control blood pressure -- making it the perfect snack for stressful family reunions.
Quench cravings There are only 96 calories in two fill-you-up cups of sweet watermelon, and its high liquid content makes you feel full. So start your dessert course with a wedge and you're less likely to go overboard on Aunt Edith's brownies.
(Found on Lifestyle Yahoo.ca)
No comments:
Post a Comment