Saturday, March 17, 2012

SUMMER STAR - WATERMELON

SUMMER STAR - WATERMELON 


 Replenish   yourself with watermelon in this summer

Watermelon season is now getting started. Especially during the summer months, hydration becomes so important as you are likely sweating more than usual, further increasing your need. Eating more fruits and vegetables is a great way to increase your hydration level while providing your body with plenty of vitamins and nutrients. The watermelon has a large amount of water because it is rich in electrolytes The body temperature increases when the weather gets hot. The watermelon will actually help you cool off  because of it’s water content. This fact makes the watermelon the perfect option when you want to rehydrate. Your body needs water for cells processes and also for smooth skin. Ensure that you eat a watermelon in summer.

NUTRITIOUS

Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential in boosting the immune system. Diseases like the flu will no longer disturb you. The watermelon will also slow down the aging process by giving you great, healthy skin. Vitamin C will also help to avert cell damage and heal wounds. This vitamin will help prevent cataracts and also facilitate healthy gums and teeth.

It is a very good source of vitamin A, notably through its concentration of beta-carotene. This helps to prevent night blindness and infections. Kidney and liver diseases can be prevented as this fruit has citrulline. Citrulline is an amino-acid that can be converted to an essential amino acid, arginine. Arginine helps to get rid of excess ammonia from the body.

 Watermelon is rich in the B vitamins , especially vitamin B1 and B6. It is also a rich source of magnesium . Vitamin B6 is essential in helping people to deal with panic and anxiety in a better way. It promotes chemicals in the brain that facilitate proper state of the mind. The watermelon boosts the well being of the nervous system and reduces risks of hypertension as it is rich in potassium. 

HEALTHY 

The watermelon is full of antioxidants. These are elements that prevent the production of free radicals in the body. Antioxidants also ensure that overproduction of substances in the body is prevented.

Free radicals are substances in the body that can cause a great deal of damage. They are able to oxidize cholesterol, making it stick to blood vessel walls, where it can lead to heart attack or stroke. They can add to the severity of asthma attacks by causing airways to clamp down and close. They can increase the inflammation that occurs in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and cause most of the joint damage that occurs in these conditions, and they can damage cells lining the colon, turning them into cancer cells. Fortunately, vitamin C and beta-carotene are very good at getting rid of these harmful molecules and can therefore prevent the damage they would otherwise cause. As a matter of fact, high intakes of vitamin C and beta-carotene have been shown in a number of scientific studies to reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce the airway spasm that occurs in asthma, reduce the risk of colon cancer, and alleviate some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

One of the major antioxidants present in the watermelon is lycopene. The antioxidant function of lycopene—its ability to help protect cells and other structures in the body from oxygen damage—has been linked in human research to prevention of heart disease. Protection of DNA (our genetic material) inside of white blood cells has also been shown to be an antioxidant role of lycopene Lycopene reduces the risks of heart disease and prostate cancer. People who include watermelons in their diet have a lesser chance of getting a heart attack that those who do not.

One more reason to enjoy watermelon before summer ends: this sweet, crunchy, cooling fruit is exceptionally high in citrulline, an amino acid our bodies use to make another amino acid, arginine, which is used in the urea cycle to remove ammonia from the body, and by the cells lining our blood vessels to make nitric oxide. Nitric oxide not only relaxes blood vessels, lowering high blood pressure, it is the compound whose production is enhanced by Viagra to prevent erectile dysfunction. Arginine has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity in obese type 2 diabetic patients with insulin resistance. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Nov;291(5):E906-12. In volunteers drinking three 8-ounce glasses of watermelon juice each day for three weeks, blood levels of arginine (synthesized from citrulline provided by the watermelon) were 11% higher than in controls. Volunteers who drank six daily 8-ounce glasses of watermelon juice for 3 weeks had arginine levels 18% higher than controls. Nutrition. 2007 Mar;23(3):261-6.

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