What Watermelons Have To Offer
What Watermelons Have To Offer
What Watermelons Have To Offer
Regular consumption of the potassium-packed fruit helps guard against high blood pressure, atherosclerosis and stroke.
Apples
Apples are a healthy fruit and a source of dietary fiber and vitamin C. According to MayoClinic.com, dietary fiber found in fruits has many health benefits, such as lowering your risk of heart disease and diabetes as well as preventing and relieving constipation. Values are based on one medium apple, 3 inches in diameter, with skin. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/247277-nutritional-facts-for-an-apple/#ixzz2a9WZRzFm
What Watermelons Have to Offer Besides tasting great and being low in calories because watermelon is mostly water, it is an excellent source of Vitamin C, which a major antioxidant. It has a high beta carotene concentration, thus offering a fair amount of vitamin A as well. Both beta carotene with vitamin A help support good eyesight and prevent glaucoma. High intakes of combined beta-carotene and vitamin C have demonstrated, through clinical and scientific studies, a propensity for warding off various cancers and heart disease, reducing arthritis symptoms, and minimizing asthmatic breathing problems. A surprise nutrient is vitamin B, especially B1 (thiamine) and B6 (pyridoxine). Thiamine is important for maintaining electrolytes and nervous system signal transmissions throughout the body. Pyridoxine is essential for enzymatic functions that convert food into cellular energy. The meat or pulp of watermelons is usually pink or red. Those colors indicate the highest content of lycopene, an antioxidant lauded for its ability to greatly minimize cancer risks. From the Worlds' Healthiest Foods website (source below), "... lycopene has been repeatedly studied in humans and found to be protective against a growing list of cancers. These cancers now include prostate cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancers." Then there are the minerals of potassium and magnesium, which watermelons also offer abundantly. Potassium is important for cardiovascular health and brain health and helps the kidneys eliminate kidney stone forming calcium as well as assists with the body's fluid retention.
Magnesium is considered the master mineral. It is involved with over 300 cellular metabolic functions. It happens to be lacking in our diets because of our depleted topsoils. Magnesium deficiencies are directly or indirectly related to most of our population's poor health issues. Obvious symptoms are irritability, tension, sleep disorders, and muscular cramping. After that, it's heart attacks and other serious illnesses.
Corn
Corn is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, as well as sodium. It's also a good source of dietary fiber, thiamin and folate. However, 82 percent of the calories in this food are from carbohydrates. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/18783-nutritional-value-corn/#ixzz2a9XrYFV5 Mango
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/mango-fruit.html raisins
Raisins are dried grapes/currants. However, unlike fresh grapes, they indeed are rich and concentrated natural sources of energy, vitamins, electrolytes, and minerals. In addition, they are packed with several health benefiting poly phenolics anti-oxidants, dietary fiber, and other phyto-nutrients.
Cheddar
One 1-ounce serving of cheddar cheese is high in saturated fat, with 6 grams (or 30 percent of your recommended amount). It is high in calcium, however, with 20 percent of your daily value.
Young coconut
Coconuts are known for fighting off bacteria, viruses and fungus, while boosting the immune system, thanks to their high content of lauric acid. Their juice provides more electrolytes than any other natural food, and is gradually starting to be used in place of sports drinks. The websites YoungCoconuts.com and CookyCoconuts.com, dedicated to the distribution of information about young coconuts, claim that coconuts aid in a host of other ways, including weight loss, reduced heart disease and cholesterol, improved diabetes and digestive disorders, increased metabolism and anti-aging. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/277669-young-coconut-nutritioninformation/#ixzz2a9ewFB46