How Many Calories In 2 Cups Of Watermelon

5 Things You lot Didn't Know About Watermelon

Your favorite summer snack has some serious health perks.

 -- intro: No other produce screams summer quite like watermelon. It could be its refreshing sweetness or even the burst of color that adds a bit of effulgence to your plate.

Thing is, at that place's more than to watermelon than just its flavour: It boasts some powerful health benefits, as well. At 46 calories per cup, watermelon offers 20 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C and 17 pct vitamin A, according to the USDA. That'southward not all.

"Watermelon contains dietary fiber for digestive health equally well as potassium, a mineral that helps proceed blood pressure capped," says Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, Health's contributing nutrition editor.

No wonder there'due south a calendar month-long holiday dedicated to it—July is National Watermelon Month. Here are some other fun facts to celebrate watermelon's big month.

30 Healthiest Superfoods

PHOTOS: Deliciously Sweet Watermelon Carvings

quicklist: 1category: What to Know About Watermelontitle: Information technology has more lycopene than raw tomatoesurl:text: In only one cup, watermelon has 1.5 times the stuff than a large fresh lycopersicon esculentum, 6 milligrams compared to four milligrams, co-ordinate to the USDA. That matters because lycopene is thought to act equally a super antioxidant, stopping gratuitous radicals from dissentious your cells and messing with your immune system. Some research even suggests that lycopene, typically found in cherry-red fruits and vegetables, may aid fight eye disease and several types of cancer.

Pro Tip

"To retain the most antioxidants in this delicious superfood, shop your watermelon at room temperature before slicing," Sass says.

sixteen Means to Lose Weight Fast

quicklist: 2category: What to Know About Watermelontitle: The juice tin can salvage musculus sorenessurl:text: A Spanish written report in the Periodical of Agronomical and Food Chemistry constitute that drinking watermelon juice can actually be quite soothing later a grueling workout. Athletes who consumed a little more than than xvi ounces an hour before do had less musculus soreness and a lower heart rate within a day.

That may be considering watermelon contains a natural substance called citrulline that's been tied to improved artery function and lower claret pressure. In fact, its ability to relax the blood vessels led Texas A &Thousand Academy researchers to say watermelon has Viagra-like furnishings. But you'll demand to look beyond the pink flesh if you actually want to load up on citrulline—information technology's concentrated almost in the rind. If that's non your thing, you tin can always save it for pickling or preserving later, Sass says.

26 Healthy Juice and Smoothie Recipes

quicklist: 3category: What to Know Nigh Watermelontitle: It's a fruit AND a vegetableurl:text: Talk about an overachiever.

Like near fruits, watermelon is the product of a seed-producing plant and has a signature sweet gustatory modality. Just information technology can be traced back to the squash, pumpkin, and cucumber family unit known as Cucurbitaceae. Remember how you can consume the rind? The dual nature of watermelon makes it all edible, so there's no excuse to exit any office behind.

quicklist: 4category: What to Know About Watermelontitle: It's packed with, well, waterurl:text: Now this is a food with some serious hydration power.

Watermelon is 91.5 pct h2o, according to the USDA. That's a big deal seeing equally how being dehydrated is bad for your health. A report published in The Journal of Nutrition found that women with fifty-fifty balmy aridity experienced headaches, poor concentration, fatigue, and worse moods.

quicklist: 5category: What to Know Most Watermelontitle: In that location'south a yellow varietyurl:text: It'due south hard to believe at that place's a watermelon that'due south Non pink on the inside, but in that location's another variety, known as Yellowish Crimson, has a sunny interior and the flesh has a sweeter, honey-like gustatory modality. Thing is, the two are nearly identical on the exterior, and so unless you're reading the signs at your grocery shop or farmers' market, it can exist hard to tell which is which. If you want the regular pink watermelon, enquire for a Crimson Sweet.

Just keep in mind that no ane really knows what, if any, nutritional value the xanthous variety offers. Most enquiry has been washed on the pink kind, Sass says, and then best to stick with that or round up a good mix of both.

This article originally appeared on Health.com.