Robin found this in the Idahostatesman today, 11/11/11. Interesting reading. Enjoy!
You Docs: There’s a new superfruit in town
The You Docs Tip of the Day:
– Statesman wire services
Published: 11/11/11
http://www.idahostatesman.com/youdocs
Unless you live in San Diego or Key Largo, scribbling watermelon on your grocery list in November is about as likely as the Cardinals winning the World Series. Be like the Cards: Do it anyway! Watermelon’s racking up health points. The latest:
1. Watermelon degunks arteries. Swapping watermelon juice for water reduces body fat, lowers LDL cholesterol and — the biggest effect — cleans heart-threatening plaque out of arteries. Early days on this research, but it fits.
2. It drops your blood pressure and boosts circulation. Watermelon is one of the few food sources of citrulline, a protein that’s a real powerhouse. Got borderline hypertension? Citrulline lowers systolic blood pressure by as much as nine points, enough to prevent full-blown hypertension. That’s because it helps produce nitric oxide, powerful stuff that opens and relaxes your arteries. Citrulline also turbocharges blood flow, enhancing circulation to all your vital parts (much the way Viagra does). And citrulline helps wound healing and cell division.
3. It’s loaded with lycopene. This potent plant polyphenol is thought to fend off heart disease and some cancers (though prostate cancer looks like a bust). Tomatoes are considered the lycopene all-stars, but cup for cup, watermelon has 40 percent more.
4. It’s naturally low-cal. There are only 96 calories in two fill-you-full cups of sweet watermelon.
Whether you slice it, dice it or juice it, eat watermelon year-round, not just on the Fourth of July. Happily, it’s increasingly a salad-bar staple. And, yes, you can buy 100 percent watermelon juice; if your local health-food store doesn’t have it, Amazon.com does.
The You Docs — Mehmet Oz, host of “The Dr. Oz Show” and Mike Roizen of Cleveland Clinic — are authors of “YOU: Losing Weight.” To submit questions, go to www. RealAge.com. A King Features syndicate.
Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/11/11/1873548/theres-a-new-superfruit-in-town.html#ixzz1dRJVko5r
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