There are many go-to foods and drinks during the summertime, but watermelon can be enjoyed just as it is or in an icy summer drink. This delicious fruit is a favorite come summertime, and it never fails to cool you down on a perfect summer day. Sure, watermelons can be a little sticky and messy, but it's easy to devour a whole fruit all by yourself, because they can be highly addictive. However, are watermelons really that harmless, considering they do carry a heavy sugar punch? You're probably ready to grab a juicy watermelon right now, but make sure to watch this before you take another bite.
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00:00Because it's so delicious, we have to wonder if watermelon could possibly be good for you.
00:05After all, it does seem like most things we love are terrible for us, so is watermelon
00:09one of those things?
00:11We're going to find out.
00:13One of the best things about watermelon is its high water content of 92 percent, which
00:18makes it a great alternative to plain water.
00:21And unlike many citrusy sports drinks, watermelon is not very acidic, so drinking the juice
00:26isn't likely to cause acid reflux or other stomach-irritating reactions.
00:30It also contains B vitamins to boost your energy levels and electrolytes to replenish
00:34nutrients lost as you sweat.
00:37Talk about a tasty way to prevent heat stroke this summer.
00:40Watermelon also contains a type of amino acid known as citrulline, which works wonders on
00:45sore muscles and has been linked to improving blood flow and keeping your heart healthy.
00:50If that's what you're interested in, you should know, the white flesh near the rind actually
00:54contains more citrulline than the pink bits.
00:57Studies have shown that athletes who drink watermelon juice before intense workouts have
01:01quicker recovery heart rates and fewer sore muscles the next day.
01:06Drinking watermelon juice may also increase overall athletic performance.
01:10When your body processes citrulline, it turns into another amino acid called arginine.
01:16While arginine has many functions, it primarily rids the body of excess ammonia.
01:21Since exercising releases ammonia into the bloodstream, having higher levels of this
01:25amino acid can significantly reduce muscle fatigue and exhaustion.
01:29In general, watermelon is pretty good for our bodies, but it is possible to have too
01:34much of a good thing.
01:36This watermelon is delicious, by the way.
01:44This fruit is one of the best sources of a phytonutrient known as lycopene, the antioxidant
01:50responsible for giving the flesh its characteristic red color.
01:53Consuming antioxidants may prevent certain types of cancer and promote heart health,
01:58but load up on too much lycopene and you may find yourself with gastrointestinal distress.
02:03Too much can cause nausea, diarrhea, bloating, and indigestion, but luckily, you can eat
02:08quite a bit before this happens.
02:10Just be aware.
02:11Anyone who needs to watch their potassium intake might also want to limit their daily
02:15watermelon consumption, as each cup of watermelon contains 173 grams of potassium.
02:21For most of us, that's only 5 percent of the daily recommended intake, but it's enough
02:25to cause a potassium buildup in your blood if you don't process this mineral correctly.
02:30That can lead to chest pains, irregular heartbeat, and difficulty breathing.
02:35Ripe watermelons not only taste sweeter, but they're actually more nutrient-dense, too.
02:40The Journal of Food Composition and Analysis tested watermelons of four different ripe
02:44stages — white, white-pink, pink, and red-ripe.
02:50They found the unripe fruit had almost no beta-carotene and fewer nutrients overall,
02:55while the riper fruits had higher levels of antioxidants and vitamin C.
02:59So, how do you make sure to take home a ripe watermelon?
03:02It can be difficult to tell, but there are a few tricks to selecting a good one.
03:06When you pick it up, it should feel heavier than you'd expect.
03:10You should also give it a light knocking to make sure it returns a hollow sound.
03:14A dull thud means it's over- or under-ripe.
03:17Finally, if you turn it around in your hands, you'll find the spot where the melon rests
03:22on the ground.
03:23If it's a pale yellow color, you're good to go.
03:26Any other color, and you may want to choose another melon.
03:30The Watermelon Detox Plan is designed to flush toxins out of your body by eating nothing
03:34but watermelon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
03:38Want a snack?
03:39Watermelon.
03:40Dessert?
03:41Yup, you guessed it — watermelon.
03:42Continue for five days and watch the pounds drop off.
03:45Considering that each wedge of watermelon has only 86 calories, you'd need to eat a
03:50whole watermelon or more each day to reach your day's safe, minimum caloric intake.
03:55If you think this particular fad sounds questionable, you're right.
03:59It is.
04:00If you make it through the week without going watermelon crazy, chances are good you'll
04:04gain back the weight once you go back to regular food.
04:07According to MedlinePlus, fad diets rarely result in lasting weight loss.
04:12And while watermelon has many vitamins and a small amount of protein and dietary fiber,
04:17you'd certainly be missing out on balanced nutrition during your detox week.
04:21Long term, it's best to add watermelon to part of your already healthy diet instead
04:26of relying on it as a magical weight loss solution.
04:29We would probably all agree that watermelon is a fruit, except for those who consider
04:34it a vegetable.
04:35Believe it or not, there's a lively debate about how to classify a watermelon.
04:39How do things get so complicated?
04:41Well, botanically speaking, watermelon is a fruit in the same way that a tomato is technically
04:45a fruit.
04:46The seeds develop in the flowering plant instead of the roots or leaves.
04:50Looking at watermelon from a different perspective, though, it's a member of the same family as
04:54gourd vegetables like cucumbers and pumpkins.
04:58Like other vegetables, watermelons are planted from seed each year, harvested in one fell
05:03swoop, and the remaining vegetation is removed from the field so the process can be repeated
05:07next year.
05:08You see how things are getting tricky?
05:10Join the debate if you like, or just go ahead and consider it whichever category you need
05:14for your food diary.
05:16Unless you live in Oklahoma, of course, where you'll have to concede it's a vegetable.
05:20Why's that?
05:22Watermelon was declared the official state vegetable in 2007.
05:26Most of us eat the red flesh and throw out the rest, but it turns out the whole watermelon
05:30is good for you.
05:32But just because you can eat it, that doesn't mean you should chow down right away.
05:36Consuming the rind requires a bit of prep work.
05:39Because it's tougher than the rest of the melon, most recipes call for removing the
05:43green peel first.
05:44Once peeled, use the rinds instead of cucumber in refreshing watermelon gazpacho recipes,
05:49or grate them and toss the shredded pieces into your favorite coleslaw recipes.
05:54They can also be softened up to make watermelon rind pickles or turned into candy.