Happy 4th of July to you as you celebrate this weekend! A great time for BBQ's, fun with friends and family, and time off to enjoy the summer. I bet the 4th weekend is the biggest grilling weekend of the year in the U.S. (no stat to support, purely a guess). Steaks, ribs, hot dogs and throw in the potato salad, chips and dessert; pretty much all-American.
One part of the BBQ that I love, but too bad it always comes at the dead end, is when we cut up the watermelon. Someone with either some strong arms or a conveniently parked car will come and haul the big fruit to the BBQ site. The pink refreshing, crunchy, sweet fruit when served cold is the perfect quench to a hot summer day.
Watermelon quenches thirst because it is 92 percent water! If you are looking to lose some weight this BBQ season, load up on watermelon early. It is extra filling, a high-volume food, meaning that it takes up a lot of space in your stomach for few calories. Just what the dieter needs. So you feel less hungry, and the water bound to the food slows down absorption.
Even better, watermelon is super high in lycopene which is associated with lower rates of prostate cancer. It also has Vitamin A and carotenoids, which create a support system for the lycopene to work best. Many benefits from the enjoyment of eating watermelon.
Only moderate downside is the natural sugar content (or high glycemic index), but its glycemic load, which may be more important, is low (for those who track this). I think summertime is a time when we sweat more anyway, so the extra sugar from watermelon is a good thing. Would be much more concerned about the sugar from the pies and ice cream than that from crunchy watermelon.
Source: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden
Picture Source: http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/greenscene/2009/09/watermelon-powered-cars.html
No comments:
Post a Comment