Watermelon: A super food which is a
rich source of lycopene.
Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
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What is that red pigment in watermelon?
It is from lycopene, a carotenoid holding antioxidant properties which may help prevent heart disease, some types of cancer and which may support prostate health.
And in the case of most watermelons, lycopene content is high. Unseeded specimens tend to contain more lycopene than seeded.
This Super Foods Other Health Related Benefits
- This super food is super duper low in calories - about 50 calories a cup along with its other buddies - the cantaloupe and honeydew.
- It contains zero cholesterol and is ultra low in fat & sodium.
- Vitamin C, Vitamin A & beta-carotene are embedded within this super food as well a bit of fiber.
- It comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors - from red meat to yellow.
Let's take a look at the nutritional values of the watermelon:
Calories in Watermelon, Nutrition Facts
|
Nutritional Elements |
Units |
100 grams |
1 cup balls |
1 cup diced |
1 watermelon 15" long by 7-1/2 inches round |
1 wedge, about 1/16th of a melon |
10 watermelon balls |
| Energy, Calories |
kcals |
30 |
46 |
46 |
1355 |
86 |
37 |
| Protein |
g |
0.61 |
0.94 |
0.93 |
27.56 |
1.74 |
0.74 |
| Carbohydrates |
g |
7.55 |
11.63 |
11.48 |
341.11 |
21.59 |
9.21 |
| Fiber, Dietary |
g |
0.4 |
0.6 |
0.6 |
18.1 |
1.1 |
0.5 |
| Sugars |
g |
6.20 |
9.55 |
9.42 |
280.12 |
17.73 |
7.56 |
| Total Fat |
g |
0.15 |
0.23 |
0.23 |
6.78 |
0.43 |
0.18 |
| Saturated Fat |
g |
0.016 |
0.025 |
0.024 |
0.723 |
0.046 |
0.020 |
| Monounsaturated Fat |
g |
0.037 |
0.057 |
0.056 |
1.672 |
0.106 |
0.045 |
| Polyunsaturated Fat |
g |
0.050 |
0.077 |
0.076 |
2.259 |
0.143 |
0.061 |
| Cholesterol |
mg |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Minerals, Vitamins | |||||||
| Calcium |
mg |
7 |
11 |
11 |
316 |
20 |
9 |
| Iron |
mg |
0.24 |
0.37 |
0.36 |
10.84 |
0.69 |
0.29 |
| Magnesium |
mg |
10 |
15 |
15 |
452 |
29 |
12 |
| Phosphorus |
mg |
11 |
17 |
17 |
497 |
31 |
13 |
| Potassium |
mg |
112 |
172 |
170 |
5060 |
320 |
137 |
| Sodium |
mg |
1 |
2 |
2 |
45 |
3 |
1 |
| Zinc |
mg |
0.10 |
0.15 |
0.15 |
4.52 |
0.29 |
0.12 |
| Vitamin C |
mg |
8.1 |
12.5 |
12.3 |
366.0 |
23.2 |
9.9 |
| Thiamin |
mg |
0.033 |
0.051 |
0.050 |
1.491 |
0.094 |
0.040 |
| Riboflavin |
mg |
0.021 |
0.032 |
0.032 |
0.949 |
0.060 |
0.026 |
| Niacin |
mg |
0.178 |
0.274 |
0.271 |
8.042 |
0.509 |
0.217 |
| Vitamin B-6 |
mg |
0.045 |
0.069 |
0.068 |
2.033 |
0.129 |
0.055 |
| Folate, DFE |
µg |
3 |
5 |
5 |
136 |
9 |
4 |
| Vitamin B-12 |
µg |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
| Vitamin A, RAE |
µg |
28 |
43 |
43 |
1265 |
80 |
34 |
| Vitamin A |
IU |
569 |
876 |
865 |
25707 |
1627 |
694 |
| Vitamin E |
mg |
0.05 |
0.08 |
0.08 |
2.26 |
0.14 |
0.06 |
| Vitamin D2 + D3 |
µg |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
| Vitamin D |
mg |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Vitamin K |
µg |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
4.5 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
Serving Suggestion for this Watermelon
This fresh baby is delicious in tropical-themed salads such as our Aloha Watermelon Chicken Salad Below.
Aloha Watermelon Chicken Salad, a low calorie, low fat watermelon recipe
Simply mix the following and drizzle with a light fruit-based salad dressing such as Ken's Raspberry Walnut salad dressing:
- 1/2 cup of roasted chicken
- 1 cup of cubed seeded watermelon
- 2 cups of raw baby spinach
- 1 teaspoon of golden raisins
While you can use the dark raisins, they may be mistaken for the black seeds of the melon, therefore our suggestion to make use of the golden variety. So if you plan to serve this recipe to your family or friends - or at a function, be sure to use the golden.
You can also opt for red dried cranberries over the golden raisins if you wish - as long as they are bright red and fresh; the older they are, the darker they tend to be. In addition, older dried fruits tend to harden. They can be re-plumped by soaking for a bit in warm water before patting dry with a clean paper towel, then added to the recipe.
This diet recipe serves one for about 230 calories, including the light dressing.
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