by Kate Heyhoe Watermelon is a lycopene leader among fresh fruit
and vegetables. A plant pigment found in only a few red plant
foods such as tomatoes and watermelon, lycopene is thought to
have powerful antioxidant capabilities and may help to prevent
certain diseases. While tomatoes traditionally have been used in
lycopene research because of their established lycopene levels,
scientists recently discovered that watermelon have as much
lycopene—or more—than that found in raw tomato. A 2-cup serving
of watermelon contains 18.16 mg while one medium-sized tomato
contains 4 mg. Studies also suggest that the bioavailability of
lycopene in fresh watermelon may be comparable to that in tomato
juice. With watermelon season ramping up, I thought you'd enjoy
learning a but more about this refreshing fruit that goes down
easy, courtesy of the National Watermelon Promotion Board.
Watermelon's origin traces back to the Kalahari Desert in
Africa. The first recorded watermelon harvest dates back to
Egypt over 5,000 years a