Watermelon: The Happiness of Summer
- FibonacciMD
- Jul 25
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 28
Savor summer's joy with watermelon! This hydrating fruit, rich in nutrients, offers a sweet escape and numerous health benefits.
Culinary Medicine
You cannot dry it, can it, or freeze it, so watermelon is truly a seasonal fruit for the long, lazy, hot days of summer. An essential at picnics and barbeques, it is the most popular type of melon in the US. Mark Twain once said of watermelon “When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat.”
Origins
Watermelon, along with cucumbers, pumpkins, cantaloupe, and squash, is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family of plants. It has been part of the human diet for thousands of years. Five thousand-year-old seeds were found in northeastern Africa and watermelon images appear in a 4000-year-old Egyptian tomb.[1] These early watermelons were a bitter, drought-tolerant ancestor of today’s melons and were likely used by ancients as natural canteens.[2] Sweet watermelons, more similar to what we enjoy today, emerged in the Mediterranean about 2000 years ago.[1]
Today there are more than 300 types of watermelon cultivated in the US, including seeded, seedless, mini, and yellow and orange varieties. The color of the watermelon flesh depends on the mix of carotenoids in the melon. Traditional vibrant pink watermelons are high in lycopene, the carotenoid that gives tomatoes their red color. Orange watermelons have more ß-carotene and less lycopene, and yellow watermelons get their color from the carotenoid pigment neoxanthin.[3]
Nutrition and Health Benefits
Did you know that eating an average-sized watermelon wedge is the equivalent of drinking a cup of water? Watermelon is more than 90% water; this high water content makes it low in calories, about 45 calories per cup. It provides a small amount of protein and is very low in fat. Although watermelon tastes sweet, a cup has less sugar than a cup of grapes.[4] Because the total amount of carbohydrate in a serving of watermelon is relatively small, it can be eaten in moderation by people with diabetes without significantly affecting their blood glucose control.[5] Eating watermelon can benefit weight management by boosting satiety. In a study of overweight and obese adults, consuming 2 cups of watermelon per day for four weeks resulted in reductions in body weight, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure.[6] The connection between watermelon consumption and blood pressure may be related to its citrulline content. Citrulline is an amino acid that can be converted into arginine, another amino acid. Arginine is needed to synthesize nitric oxide, a signaling molecule that can relax artery walls and lower blood pressure.[7]
Watermelon also contains vitamins and phytochemicals that provide health-promoting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.[8,9] One slice has a third of the daily requirement for vitamin C, an antioxidant that is essential for connective tissue health. Watermelon is also a reliable source of ß-carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A in the body and also provides antioxidant protection. The lycopene in watermelon is another antioxidant. It may protect against heart disease and cancer, but is particularly important for eye health, reducing the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.[10]
Picking the Sweetest Melon
Unlike peaches and pears that ripen and sweeten after picking, watermelons do not get sweeter after harvest, they will only soften and begin to spoil. To select a sweet watermelon, whether you are picking it from the field or the grocery store, focus on color and tone.[11] The green color of watermelon lightens when it is ripe, so look for paler ones. Also, look at the spot where the melon rested on the soil. It starts out white and turns creamy yellow once the fruit has matured. To assess the tone of your watermelon you may need to be musically inclined. If you slap it the sound should bounce back like a drum. If the sound is absorbed, it indicates that the flesh is mealy. The best melons have a tone that is not too high pitched but also not too low a bass note.
Including Melon in Your Meals
You may think that the only way to enjoy a watermelon is as a cool treat at your summer picnic, but it is a great addition to salads and can be made into a salsa to serve alongside a hot meal. If sweet is not enough for you, you can spice it up by sprinkling on some chili powder and cumin. You can blenderize it for your breakfast smoothie or to make a frozen sorbet.[12] You can make it part of a main course by tossing it into a stir fry or curry recipe or using chunks to make a vegan sushi. Do not forget about the rind, you can pickle it or fry it. Whether you choose the classic option or a more exotic presentation, enjoy the taste and health benefits of some watermelon whenever they are available.
References
[1] Paris HS. Origin and emergence of the sweet dessert watermelon, Citrullus lanatus. Annals of Botany. 2015;116(2):133-148. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcv077
[2] Trinklein D. Watermelon: A Brief History (David Trinklein). ipm.missouri.edu. Published July 17, 2020. https://ipm.missouri.edu/MEG/2020/7/watermelon-DT/
[3] Zhao W, Pin Lv, Gu H. Studies on carotenoids in watermelon flesh. Agricultural Sciences. 2013;04(07):13-20. doi:https://doi.org/10.4236/as.2013.47a003
[4] Hopkins, C. How Healthy is Watermelon. New York Times. July 1, 2024https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/01/well/eat/watermelon-health-benefits-recipes.html
[5] Gordon JP. Can I Eat Watermelon If I Have Diabetes? Healthline. Published September 27, 2016. https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/watermelon-and-diabetes#other-fruits
[6] Lum T, Connolly M, Marx A, et al. Effects of Fresh Watermelon Consumption on the Acute Satiety Response and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Adults. Nutrients. 2019;11(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11030595
[7]Volino-Souza M, Oliveira GV de, Conte-Junior CA, Figueroa A, Alvares TS. Current Evidence of Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Ingestion on Vascular Health: A Food Science and Technology Perspective. Nutrients. 2022;14(14):2913. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14142913
[8] Manivannan A, Lee ES, Han K, Lee HE, Kim DS. Versatile Nutraceutical Potentials of Watermelon—A Modest Fruit Loaded with Pharmaceutically Valuable Phytochemicals. Molecules. 2020;25(22):5258. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25225258
[9] Maoto MM, Beswa D, Jideani AIO. Watermelon as a potential fruit snack. International Journal of Food Properties. 2019;22(1):355-370. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2019.1584212
[10] Petre A. Lycopene: Health Benefits and Top Food Sources. Healthline. Published October 3, 2018. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lycopene#other-benefits
[11] 1.Ko G. How to Pick a Watermelon. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/26/dining/how-to-pick-a-watermelon.html. Published July 26, 2024.
[12] Groskreutz R. 13 Ways to Have Watermelon on a Hot Summer Day. FunCity Stuff DFW. Published July 28, 2018. https://funcitystuff.com/watermelon-recipes/