Watermelon is more than just a refreshing summer treat—it’s a powerhouse of nutrition with numerous benefits of watermelon for your overall health. With its sweet and juicy taste, watermelon is an effective way to combat dehydration, especially on those hot, sunny days. Containing about 92% water, this hydrating fruit is highly recommended by nutritionists for inclusion in your diet during its peak season, contributing to up to 30% of your daily hydration needs.
The health benefits of eating watermelon go far beyond hydration. Packed with essential nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C, watermelon supports heart health, boosts immunity, and helps maintain a healthy electrolyte balance. But what is the best time to eat watermelon to maximize its benefits? Consuming it in the morning or as a mid-day snack is ideal, as it keeps you energized and refreshed throughout the day.
Additionally, there are significant watermelon benefits for the skin. The fruit’s high water content and antioxidants, including lycopene, can improve skin hydration, reduce inflammation, and protect against sun damage, giving you a radiant glow during the summer months.
This blog dives deeper into the health benefits of eating watermelon, the best time to enjoy it, and how it can contribute to your skin health and overall well-being.
Different Parts of Watermelon and Their Health Benefits
Majorly all the parts of watermelon are used by people in different parts of the world. 3 main components of watermelon are used; they are flesh, seed, and rind.
- The flesh of watermelon is rich in vitamins C and A; it is used fresh for salads and drinks. Its sweet flavor gives a refreshing feel and is seen as benefiting in acidity and stomach heat.
- The seeds of watermelon are a good source of vitamin B. In some countries, they are used as dried spices and can be taken as snacks with seasonings.
- The rind or the outer green cover of this fruit is used as a vegetable in some states and is eaten as grilled, stewed, or stir-fried.
Health Benefits Of Including Watermelon in Diet
Decrease the Risk of Cancer
Watermelons are rich in lycopene, which is an antioxidant found in red-colored fruits and vegetables. It helps in preventing cancer cells and even benefits diabetes. This lycopene compound is found in all red food items, but its nutritional value is high in watermelons.
The watermelons, which are more ripe and red in the flesh, are more beneficial to eat. There are multiple seedless varieties of watermelon which are the highest sources of lycopene. Females who possess a history of prostate cancer are advised to include watermelon in their daily diet.
Maintain Blood Sugar Level
This fruit is full of fibers and it is termed a GI fruit. All kinds of GI foods include nutritional fibers and proteins. Watermelons generally contain very little glycemic load, which means that after consuming this, it shows very few effects on a person’s blood sugar levels and does not fluctuate them after meals.
Fibers which are present in watermelon are soluble in nature. These soluble fibers reduce cholesterol levels and also blood sugar levels. People with diabetes who can not intake sugar can substitute watermelon as a healthy sweet snack.
Minimize the Asthma Severity
With multiple nutrients, watermelons are also enriched with vitamin C, which is considered an advantage for people suffering from lung diseases. Apart from that, it contains antioxidants that are beneficial in cold and flu conditions. A diet in which watermelon is included has shown results in people by decreasing the effects of asthma attacks.
Immunity also plays an important factor for asthma patients and the beta-carotene in this summer fruit helps build it up. Other vitamins like A and dietary fibers work as resistance to many bacteria and reduce the chances of getting infected quite often.
Reduce Inflammatory diseases
Watermelons are high in multiple carotenoids, as per various studies they reduce the inflammatory markers on joints and muscles. They are seen to possess a high amount of beta-cryptoxanthin. It has been seen that one cup of watermelon can fulfill our daily needs for vitamins A and C.
They are also enriched with citrulline, which is an anti-inflammatory component. In most cases, it has been seen that free radicals in the body are the main reasons for inflammations. Thus, the compounds in watermelon help in managing these free radicals and decrease the effect of inflammation on the body.
Helps the Kidney to Function Well
Alcohol and caffeine also clear the kidney, but they drain it out. Watermelons are naturally diuretic in nature and hence regulate the flow of urine without squeezing out the kidney cells. The functions of the kidney are relatively connected to the liver. Thus, watermelon helps the liver process protein digestion.
Through this process, the weight over the kidneys is less and it helps in getting out the excess fluid that builds up in the kidney. When there is no extra fluid, the kidney cells can freely work as usual and filter out the toxins from the bloodstream of the human body.
Contains Dietary Benefits
There are 2 major components of watermelons and that are water and fiber which both are effective in digestion. Water keeps the hydration all the time and makes it easy to absorb nutrients from the waste in the dietary tracts while fiber helps in better functioning of digestion and makes it easy for us to excrete unwanted substances.
Nutrients in the watermelon promote a healthy gut and prevent situations like constipation. Due to its hydrating properties, it can be beneficial for dehydration and bloating. It is easy to digest and thus does not require a lot of dietary fluid to get absorbed.
Reduce the Soreness in Muscles
Athletes are more prone to get muscle pulls and soreness in the muscles due to heavy exercises and constant practice. Watermelon juice is a functional drink in this case as it is high in amino acids. Most of the amino acids help in soothing the muscles, but watermelon specifically contains I-Citrulline which is termed an excellent source of reducing pain and pulling in the muscles.
As per various studies, it has been seen that athletes who intake raw, cold-pressed, or treated juice tend to have more recovered muscles after 24 hrs of intake. The natural sweetener of watermelon also regulates the increased heart rate and cools down the blood temperature and maintains its flow. Approximately 500ml of natural watermelon juice contains enough amino acids for the fast recovery of an active athlete.
Summary
Watermelon a tropical to temperate fruit, possesses various nutrients which can be useful for humans. It is a huge edible fruit of which almost all the parts are edible in one form or the other. It can be used as an ingredient in many dishes or can be ingested rawly. All the components of watermelon are enriched with multiple vitamins.
In this blog, one can find multiple benefits of watermelon and its advantages to human health. These native northeast African fruits are sweet to the taste buds and beneficial to health. The calorie count is relatively low as per the qualities of watermelon. Overall there are 1200 approx—varieties of watermelon, which are all nutrient-rich.
