Tis the season to eat healthy. .Most people think watermelon watermelon, plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of the family Curcurbitaceae (gourd family) native to Africa and introduced to America by Africans transported as slaves. Watermelons are now extensively cultivated in the United States and are popular also in S Russia. when they think summer, but few among us probably think health food. Low-fat? Maybe. Delicious? Definitely. But it turns out watermelon has a lot more to offer than 92% water. A 2-cup serving of watermelon contains an incredible 18.16 mg of lycopene lycopene /ly·co·pene/ (li´ko-pen) the red carotenoid pigment of tomatoes and various berries and fruits. ly·co·pene n. , compared to the 4 mg found in one medium-sized tomato, the food most often associated with this promising carotenoid Carotenoid Any of a class of yellow, orange, red, and purple pigments that are widely distributed in nature. Carotenoids are generally fat-soluble unless they are complexed with proteins. . Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant antioxidant, substance that prevents or slows the breakdown of another substance by oxygen. Synthetic and natural antioxidants are used to slow the deterioration of gasoline and rubber, and such antioxidants as vitamin C (ascorbic acid), butylated hydroxytoluene and therefore there is evidence to suggest that consuming it lowers your risk of developing cancer. Because higher temperatures break down cell walls, cooked tomatoes are better sources of lycopene than raw ones, but cooking lowers the amounts of other nutrients also abundant in watermelon: vitamins A, B6 and C. With recommended fruit servings ever increasing, summer is the perfect time to enjoy this delicious, low-fat, nutritious nutritious /nu·tri·tious/ (noo-trish´us) affording nourishment. nu·tri·tious adj. Providing nourishment; nourishing. nutritious affording nourishment. snack. (National Watermelon Promotion Board; J. Agricult. Food Chem., Vol. 50, No. 8, pp. 1135) |
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