The Hemp Connection:
watermelon

Marissa Kent of Mission Viejo, California wrote a wonderful article about watermelon for her August newsletter. Be sure to check out the watermelon salad recipe at the bottom of the post!

In addition to being a dietitian specializing in eating disorders and a certified diabetes educator, Marissa loves food, cooking, and hanging out at her local farmer's market.

You can learn more about Marissa and her nutrition counseling services at http://www.marissakentnutrition.com/.

One of the most enjoyed fruits during the hot season is the watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), which originated
from Africa. Did you know a watermelon is 95% water, and there are more than 200 to 300 varieties grown
in the United States alone? Only about half a dozen of those varieties make it into your supermarket. There
is even a square shaped watermelon grown in Japan, so that it will fit into refrigerator shelves nicely and not
take up too much space.

Watermelons do grow from a vine, but the melon is on top of the ground. Growing a watermelon can be very demanding. They require a lot of sunlight, space, water, and nutrients.It takes about 90 days for a full mature watermelon. California’s peak season for watermelon is May – October, but in general you can buy watermelon throughout the year.

Picking a watermelon requires both talent and skill, or just pure luck. Ideally you want a firm, smooth melon
with a yellowish creamy-white underside where it touched ground. Ripe watermelons should have a healthy
sheen and a melon smell. One popular way of picking a watermelon is by knocking on the melon with your
knuckles and listening for a dull, hollow sound. The unripe melons have a higher pitched sound.

Most people prefer watermelons for the cool sweet refreshing taste, but little do they know a watermelon is filled with nutrition.

Nutrition values:

1 cup of diced watermelon:
50 calories
11 grams of carbohydrate
0.6 grams of fiber
9 grams of sugar
1 gram protein– (can you believe it!)
11 mg calcium
170 mg potassium– (helps you stay hydrated)
12.5 mg Vit. C
875 IU (International Units) Vit. A
6900 mcg (micrograms) lycopene — Wow!

Watermelon (as defined by its name) mostly consists of water. It’s a great source for keeping your body hydrated during this hot season. Most of the water will come out of your body through sweat or urination. This does not mean it is low in nutritional value!

The top 2 benefits of eating a watermelon are: 1) the values of vitamin A and 2) lycopene. Both of these are antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals (highly reactive and unstable molecules). Vitamin A aids in the building and strengthening of bones, soft tissue, skin, and mucous membranes. Lycopene is in the subcategory of Vitamin A, and has been shown in recent studies to have potential health benefits to reduce the risk of cancer! Watermelon contains potassium. Potassium helps trigger your heart’s squeeze of blood through your body. It also helps with reducing the amount of muscle cramps.

People with diabetes may be concerned with the sugar content of watermelon. However, other foods you eat with watermelon will reduce the impact on your blood sugar.

Glycemic index refers to how fast a specific carbohydrate (bread, rice, potato, fruits, etc… ) food raises the blood sugar within a given time. The glycemic index of a food can change when you eat a combination of nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, fat). Watermelon (as defined by its name) mostly consists of water. It’s a great source for keeping your body hydrated during this hot season. Most of the water will come out of your body through sweat or urination. This does not mean it is low in nutritional value!

The top 2 benefits of eating a watermelon are: 1) the values of vitamin A and 2) lycopene. Both of these are antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals (highly reactive and unstable molecules). Vitamin A aids in the building and strengthening of bones, soft tissue, skin, and mucous membranes. Lycopene is in the subcategory of Vitamin A, and has been shown in recent studies to have potential health benefits to reduce the risk of cancer! Watermelon contains potassium. Potassium helps trigger your heart’s squeeze of blood through your body. It also helps with reducing the amount of muscle cramps.

People with diabetes may be concerned with the sugar content of watermelon. However, other foods you eat with watermelon will reduce the impact on your blood sugar.

Glycemic index refers to how fast a specific carbohydrate (bread, rice, potato, fruits, etc… ) food raises the blood sugar within a given time. The glycemic index of a food can change when you eat a combination of nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, fat).

For example, if you are eating a hamburger and then a slice of watermelon, that will decrease the time it takes to rise the sugar level. You may want to work with a dietitian to learn more about combining and preparing foods to achieve the lowest glycemic index levels in your meals.

The glycemic index of a watermelon is 72, which is high compared to the chart below. Most nonstarchy vegetables, legumes, high fiber fruits and grains, have a low glycemic index.

Here is a chart of the levels of the glycemic index:

 Low (good) glycemic index levels: 55 or less

 Medium glycemic index levels: 56–69

 High (bad) glycemic index levels: 70 or higher

In conclusion, the glycemic index of watermelon is high. If you stay within the recommended portion size (1 cup diced), your blood sugar will not be significantly affected. In addition, if you enjoy watermelon with a meal this will further balance blood sugar.

Enjoy picking out and eating your watermelon while we are still in summer!!!

Watermelon Summer Salad

Dressing:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup minced shallots (1 large)
1 T honey
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Salad:

6 cups of baby arugula, washed
1/8 of a seedless watermelon, rind removed and cut into 1 inch cubes
12 oz of feta cheese, 1/2 inch diced
1/2 cup whole fresh mint leaves, julienned

Directions

Whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice and shallots, honey, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly to form an emulsion. If not using within an hour, store the vinaigrette covered in the refrigerator.

Place arugula, watermelon, feta, and mint in a large bowl. Drizzle with enough vinaigrette to coat the greens lightly and toss well. Taste and serve immediately

This time of year the Southern Belle part of my DNA kicks in and I eat watermelon until it's coming out of my ears! It's the most refreshing fruit on a hot summer day.

I made a watermelon feta salad yesterday that was to die for. I'd never tried vinegar on watermelon but there was something about the combination that has me hooked! Here is something close to what I made for you to try, from the Domestic Goddess blog.

I wanted to share it with all of you since I've been writing a lot about how vinegar can help postprandial blood sugars. There are so many ways to use this concept other than taking a spoonful of vinegar!

¼ seedless watermelon, diced (about 4 cups)
1 cup salty feta cheese, broken into teaspoon-sized lumps
¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
excellent quality extra virgin olive oil – to drizzle on top
drizzle of red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

My Facebook friends already know most of this story, but my kitchen experimenting turned out so well I wanted to share it.

I got an email from Whole Foods Market with a recipe for watermelon lemonade. I had just bought a watermelon so I decided to try it. However, rather than using lemon juice, I used 3 lemons that I threw in the food processor. I also added no sugar or sweetener. I did have some dried mint which I crumbled in, and I think that enhanced the sweetness of the fruits. Some of you probably have sweeter teeth than I do, so you may need to add something. I'm betting you could use the artificial sweetener of your choice.

After I let the finished product sit for a day (and it was perfectly tasty that way), I decided to take the fun one step further. I brewed a cup of organic decaf green tea, put it in the refrigerator to cool, and made an Arnold Palmer (a mix of tea and lemonade). My ratio was 3 parts tea, with 2 parts lemonade, but mix it up in whatever ratios suit your taste.

I got natural fruits, with natural sweetness, all of the fiber from the lemons and the watermelons, the benefits of the green tea…with none of the added sugar. And it quenched my thirst!

If you have a few minutes and a few simple ingredients, and you're looking for something other than a soft drink to quench your thirst, give this recipe a whirl!

I live primarily in Arizona, which means if I'm going to eat locally, I have to learn how to use watermelon a gazillion different ways. It's been a fun adventure to take on…if you look online you can find recipes for grilled watermelon, chicken stir fry with watermelon, watermelon feta salad…happy experimenting!