5 Watermelon Facts That Might Surprise You
1. Watermelon Juice May Relieve Muscle Soreness.
If you have a juicer, try juicing about one-third of a fresh watermelon and drink its juice prior to your next workout. This contains a little over one gram of l-citrulline, an amino acid that seems to protect against muscle pain.
One study found that men who drank natural unpasteurized watermelon juice prior to their workouts had reduced muscle soreness 24 hours later compared to those who drank a placebo.
You do need to be careful with drinking watermelon juice, though, as it contains a significant amount of fructose. It may be better to eat the entire fruit, or opt for these other tips to prevent muscle soreness.
2. Watermelon Is a Fruit and a Vegetable.
Remember how watermelon is related to cucumbers, pumpkin, and squash? That′s because it′s part vegetable and part fruit (it′s a sweet, seed-producing plant, after all).The other clue that watermelon is both fruit and vegetable? The rind is entirely edible.
3. You Can Eat Watermelon Rind and Seeds.
Most people throw away the watermelon rind, but try putting it in a blender with some lime for a healthy, refreshing treat. Not only does the rind contain plenty of health-promoting and blood-building chlorophyll, but the rind actually contains more of the amino acid citrulline than the pink flesh.
While many people prefer seedless watermelon varieties, black watermelon seeds are edible and actually quite healthy. They contain iron, zinc, protein, and fiber. (In case you are wondering, seedless watermelons aren′t genetically modified, as they′re the result of hybridization.)
4. It′s Mostly Water.
This might not be surprising, but it′s still a fun fact; watermelon is more than 91 percent water.This means that eating watermelon on a hot summer day is a tasty way to help you stay hydrated and avoid dehydration (However, it′s not a substitute for drinking plenty of fresh water.).
5. Some Watermelon Are Yellow.
The Yellow Crimson watermelon has yellow flesh with a sweeter, honey flavor than the more popular pink-fleshed Crimson Sweet. It′s likely that yellow watermelon offers its own unique set of nutritional benefits, but most research to date has focused on the pink-fleshed varieties.
If you have a juicer, try juicing about one-third of a fresh watermelon and drink its juice prior to your next workout. This contains a little over one gram of l-citrulline, an amino acid that seems to protect against muscle pain.
One study found that men who drank natural unpasteurized watermelon juice prior to their workouts had reduced muscle soreness 24 hours later compared to those who drank a placebo.
You do need to be careful with drinking watermelon juice, though, as it contains a significant amount of fructose. It may be better to eat the entire fruit, or opt for these other tips to prevent muscle soreness.
2. Watermelon Is a Fruit and a Vegetable.
Remember how watermelon is related to cucumbers, pumpkin, and squash? That′s because it′s part vegetable and part fruit (it′s a sweet, seed-producing plant, after all).The other clue that watermelon is both fruit and vegetable? The rind is entirely edible.
3. You Can Eat Watermelon Rind and Seeds.
Most people throw away the watermelon rind, but try putting it in a blender with some lime for a healthy, refreshing treat. Not only does the rind contain plenty of health-promoting and blood-building chlorophyll, but the rind actually contains more of the amino acid citrulline than the pink flesh.
While many people prefer seedless watermelon varieties, black watermelon seeds are edible and actually quite healthy. They contain iron, zinc, protein, and fiber. (In case you are wondering, seedless watermelons aren′t genetically modified, as they′re the result of hybridization.)
4. It′s Mostly Water.
This might not be surprising, but it′s still a fun fact; watermelon is more than 91 percent water.This means that eating watermelon on a hot summer day is a tasty way to help you stay hydrated and avoid dehydration (However, it′s not a substitute for drinking plenty of fresh water.).
5. Some Watermelon Are Yellow.
The Yellow Crimson watermelon has yellow flesh with a sweeter, honey flavor than the more popular pink-fleshed Crimson Sweet. It′s likely that yellow watermelon offers its own unique set of nutritional benefits, but most research to date has focused on the pink-fleshed varieties.
