Fun Nutritional, Health Benefits and Tips
- Rich in vitamin C, panthothenic acid, biotin, copper, potassium and is roughly 91% water.
- Unique properties - citrulline, lycopene.
- Remedy for constipation and dehydration .
- Assist in maintaining healthy-looking skin & hair, weight management, enhancing erectile dysfunction, reducing severity of asthma, blood pressure, inflammation & muscle soreness, supplying the electrolyte (energy) and enhancing the impact of insulin on blood sugar (diabetes).
- Reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, kidney damage, heat stroke, prehypertension to full-blown hypertension, cardiovascular disease, heart attack and cancer.
- Drinking a large cup of fresh watermelon juice prior to next workout help to reduce muscle soreness 24 hours later.
- Citrulline are mostly found in the white rind. It is a huge waste to discard the white rind so eat them or throw them in the blender.
- Red watermelon contain higher amount of lycopene but less sugar than the yellow watermelon.
Brief history
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is native to the Kalahari Desert (Southern Africa) and has been cultivated as early as 2000 B.C.E as evidenced in the ancient hieroglyphics on the tomb walls. It reaches maximum genetic diversity there, with sweet, bland and bitter forms. The first watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5000 years ago in Egypt. The watermelon seeds are documented to have been found in the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen and in several sites of the 12th Egyptian Dynasty. The watermelons spread to several countries along the Mediterranean Sea from Egypt. By the 7th century and 10th century, water melons were cultivated in India and China respectively. Finally the watermelon crossed the Atlantic Ocean and made its way into North America with the African slaves. Currently China is the world’s single largest watermelon producer based on 2013 production.
Introduction
Watermelon is emerging in the front-line research studies as high lycopene food and more notably, citrulline-sourced food. Watermelon is roughly 91% water and the rest are made of concentrated nutrients such as anti-inflammatory anti-oxidant lycopene, cucurbitacin E, tripterpenoid, potassium, magnesium and vitamin A, B6, C. The seed contain iron and zinc, which are 85-90% bioavailable. Approximately every 24 seeds provide 1 gram of protein. The regular inclusion of watermelon as part of the dietary meal (excluding refined & sugar food) several times weekly help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. The study provided by Florida State University indicated that the evidence from a pilot study led by food scientist suggests that watermelon can be effective natural weapon against prehypertension, a precursor to cardiovascular disease.
Main - Citrulline, Lycopene
Citrulline is an organic compound or amino acid found mostly in the watermelon’s rind. In the presence of certain enzymes, citrulline is converted into arginine (amino acid), that provides heart and immune system protection and improve blood circulation to keep harmful toxin from residing in the body. L-arginine helps to relax blood vessel by suppling blood to penis. The 2008 study by Texas A&M University indicated that the arginine (converted from citrulline) boost nitric oxide production to relax the blood vessel and aid erectile dysfunction in the same basic effect as Viagra. Citrulline aid in reduced muscle fatigue and allow people to increase the length of their workout, which lead to the better weight management. According to the study from Purdue University and University of Kentucky published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry suggested that citrulline play a role in cardiovascular health and watermelon has many potentially bioactive compounds that may influence atherosclerosis.
The 2000 study by Journal of the American College of Nutrition state that several recent studies indicated that lycopene reduce the risk of cardiovascular and has potential anti-cancer activities. Lycopene is responsible for the red pigmentation in the watermelon. According to ISHS Acta Horticulturae, lycopene is efficient oxygen radical scavenger and provide protection against cardiovascular disease and some cancers, particularly of the prostate.
Tips on choosing and storing
When buying the watermelon, it should be dark green colour, firm, symmetrical and free from major bruises. The watermelon should feel relatively heavy for its size. Look for the pale, buttery-yellow spot (ground spot). This spot is where the watermelon are placed on the ground while soaked up the sun at the farm. If the spot is white or green colour, indicate that the watermelon is not ripe or picked up too soon. The 2004 study by Postharvest Biology and Technology indicated that after the watermelon was cut and stored in fridge for 7 days, the lycopene content decreased 6-11%. This means that lycopene is stable with small deterioration after you store the cut watermelon in the fridge for a week. Avoid placing the watermelon together with high ethylene-producing fruits such as apple, pear, peach, passion fruit, papaya etc because water melon is ethylene-sensitive fruit and will over-ripen quickly.
Fun and easy smoothie recipe -Watermelon-Banana-Lime (Hydrating Recipe)
2 cups of chilled red watermelon (include the white rinds)
1-2 frozen banana
1/2 lime (Always choose dark green leaves)
Few cubes of ice
Fun and easy juicing recipe- Watermelon rind-apple
Not sure what to do with the excess rinds after consuming the flesh of watermelon?
Watermelon rind (Remove the outer green rind)
2 chilled red apple
Few bunches of parsley (include the stalks and roots. Always choose dark green leaves)
Should I buy citrulline supplementation and what is so interesting about the watermelon rinds?
It is not necessary to buy citrulline supplementation because citrulline is non-essential amino acid, which means that our body is able to manufacture citrulline. Nutritional intake of zinc and B6 helps in conversion of citrulline into arginine and those nutrition happen to be found in watermelon. If you have deficiency in citrulline, the simple solution is eat more watermelon rinds, which contain most of the citrulline!
For more information and references.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2072/2
http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(07)00012-3/abstract
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is native to the Kalahari Desert (Southern Africa) and has been cultivated as early as 2000 B.C.E as evidenced in the ancient hieroglyphics on the tomb walls. It reaches maximum genetic diversity there, with sweet, bland and bitter forms. The first watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5000 years ago in Egypt. The watermelon seeds are documented to have been found in the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen and in several sites of the 12th Egyptian Dynasty. The watermelons spread to several countries along the Mediterranean Sea from Egypt. By the 7th century and 10th century, water melons were cultivated in India and China respectively. Finally the watermelon crossed the Atlantic Ocean and made its way into North America with the African slaves. Currently China is the world’s single largest watermelon producer based on 2013 production.
Introduction
Watermelon is emerging in the front-line research studies as high lycopene food and more notably, citrulline-sourced food. Watermelon is roughly 91% water and the rest are made of concentrated nutrients such as anti-inflammatory anti-oxidant lycopene, cucurbitacin E, tripterpenoid, potassium, magnesium and vitamin A, B6, C. The seed contain iron and zinc, which are 85-90% bioavailable. Approximately every 24 seeds provide 1 gram of protein. The regular inclusion of watermelon as part of the dietary meal (excluding refined & sugar food) several times weekly help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. The study provided by Florida State University indicated that the evidence from a pilot study led by food scientist suggests that watermelon can be effective natural weapon against prehypertension, a precursor to cardiovascular disease.
Main - Citrulline, Lycopene
Citrulline is an organic compound or amino acid found mostly in the watermelon’s rind. In the presence of certain enzymes, citrulline is converted into arginine (amino acid), that provides heart and immune system protection and improve blood circulation to keep harmful toxin from residing in the body. L-arginine helps to relax blood vessel by suppling blood to penis. The 2008 study by Texas A&M University indicated that the arginine (converted from citrulline) boost nitric oxide production to relax the blood vessel and aid erectile dysfunction in the same basic effect as Viagra. Citrulline aid in reduced muscle fatigue and allow people to increase the length of their workout, which lead to the better weight management. According to the study from Purdue University and University of Kentucky published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry suggested that citrulline play a role in cardiovascular health and watermelon has many potentially bioactive compounds that may influence atherosclerosis.
The 2000 study by Journal of the American College of Nutrition state that several recent studies indicated that lycopene reduce the risk of cardiovascular and has potential anti-cancer activities. Lycopene is responsible for the red pigmentation in the watermelon. According to ISHS Acta Horticulturae, lycopene is efficient oxygen radical scavenger and provide protection against cardiovascular disease and some cancers, particularly of the prostate.
Tips on choosing and storing
When buying the watermelon, it should be dark green colour, firm, symmetrical and free from major bruises. The watermelon should feel relatively heavy for its size. Look for the pale, buttery-yellow spot (ground spot). This spot is where the watermelon are placed on the ground while soaked up the sun at the farm. If the spot is white or green colour, indicate that the watermelon is not ripe or picked up too soon. The 2004 study by Postharvest Biology and Technology indicated that after the watermelon was cut and stored in fridge for 7 days, the lycopene content decreased 6-11%. This means that lycopene is stable with small deterioration after you store the cut watermelon in the fridge for a week. Avoid placing the watermelon together with high ethylene-producing fruits such as apple, pear, peach, passion fruit, papaya etc because water melon is ethylene-sensitive fruit and will over-ripen quickly.
Fun and easy smoothie recipe -Watermelon-Banana-Lime (Hydrating Recipe)
2 cups of chilled red watermelon (include the white rinds)
1-2 frozen banana
1/2 lime (Always choose dark green leaves)
Few cubes of ice
Fun and easy juicing recipe- Watermelon rind-apple
Not sure what to do with the excess rinds after consuming the flesh of watermelon?
Watermelon rind (Remove the outer green rind)
2 chilled red apple
Few bunches of parsley (include the stalks and roots. Always choose dark green leaves)
Should I buy citrulline supplementation and what is so interesting about the watermelon rinds?
It is not necessary to buy citrulline supplementation because citrulline is non-essential amino acid, which means that our body is able to manufacture citrulline. Nutritional intake of zinc and B6 helps in conversion of citrulline into arginine and those nutrition happen to be found in watermelon. If you have deficiency in citrulline, the simple solution is eat more watermelon rinds, which contain most of the citrulline!
For more information and references.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2072/2
http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(07)00012-3/abstract
