Hydrating and loaded watermelon

Being a proponent of local foods, I decided to do some research on the health benefits.  Watermelon is easily available in Malaysia and at an affordable price.  Hence it can be added into our daily diet effortlessly without doing damage to our food budget.

Why do I love it?  Many reasons.  The nutrient value is good with rich in vitamin C, Vitamin A, the various vitamin Bs , calcium, potassium as well as containing the enzyme lycopene (like those found in tomatoes at a fraction of the cost) and the amino acids arginine and citruline.  Some studies has indicated that citruline is more bio-available when consumed as a juice so I tend to blend it.  It also has a respectable dietary fiber content.  Being alkaline in nature, it also helps to neutralise the acts our body produces especially after food digestion of proteins, fats and sugars.  So, it is my go-to drink during the festive season as a pre-emptive measure from all the variety of foods that is consumed during this period.

In caring and maintaining our health, the nutrients in watermelon contribute towards:

1. care of our gastro-intestinal system
2. helps in lowering blood pressure
3. helps in caring for our heart.

Being high in water content (about 90%), it is a great juice to drink on our hot days whilst providing nutrition to our body.  It is also a great post workout juice to consume as whilst it replenishes the fluids lost during the workout, the citruline also helps remove the lactic acid produced by our body and helps speed up our muscle recovery.  So instead of reaching out for those manufactured post-workout drink, just blend some watermelon and replenish with all the natural goodness.

So, why not blend some watermelon for a great breakfast drink, hydrating drink on hot days and a post-workout drink and reap the benefits naturally.  As with everything, I consume it in moderation as part of a daily diet with a boost depending on what activity I did :)