Nutrition: 8 Facts About Watermelon
While the Pharaohs ate quite a bit of watermelon, its origin is actually in Africa. The sweet fruit contains primarily water and sugar but also vitamins and antioxidants beneficial for health. Everything you wanted to know about the unofficial fruit of summer.
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1. The watermelon is a plant from the gourd family. It is an annual plant with large, light yellow flowers.
2. Watermelon is primarily composed of water (about 92 percent) and sugars. It also contains small amounts of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and sodium.
3. In fact, watermelon contains not just water and sugar, but also the strong antioxidant lycopene (also found in tomatoes). It belongs to the carotenoid family and, according to medical research, helps to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
4. Another benefit attributed to watermelon is protection against heart and vascular diseases. Recent studies have also suggested that watermelon can protect the body from air pollution, maintain brain function, and contribute to eye health.
5. An additional property, this time related to the watermelon pulp, is its use in treating mouth ulcers (canker sores). For this purpose, the pulp should be dried in the oven for two minutes after peeling the rind and removing the red part. After drying, crush the pulp and apply the powder to the sore area.
6. As early as the time of the Pharaohs, watermelons were grown in Egypt, but according to various theories, the fruit originated in the African plains, where it grew as a wild plant.
7. Watermelon is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B1, potassium, and magnesium.
8. A serving of one cup of watermelon provides about 24.3% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C and about 11.1% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin A through its beta-carotene content (beta-carotene is used by the body to produce vitamin A).
