Watermelon Stealer

I was in line at Michaels this weekend buying craft paint when the man behind me said "You've been stealing watermelons haven't you?". I honestly didn't know what he meant, it took me a good 5 seconds to get it. Although I could have been distracted because his eyes each went off in different directions and he was wearing a sweat band around his forehead. I haven't seen a sweatband on a man since the 80's. Anyways, it got me thinking about watermelon and of course I started craving it. I've been eating my weight in watermelon lately (and that ain't easy if you've seen me) and thought I'd look up the nutritional benefits to it, if there were any at all. Turns out watermelon is a pregnant gals best friend. Who knew?

I found an article in FitPregnancy that just sings its praises and I thought I'd share a little:

"Watermelon eases heartburn and reduces swelling; its high water content (92 percent) and fruit sugars alleviate morning sickness and dehydration; and the minerals it contains can help prevent third-trimester muscle cramps. Ounce for ounce, watermelon is richer than tomatoes in lycopene, an antioxidant that protects against cancer and cardiovascular disease, boosts the body's immunity to infections and naturally raises the skin's SPF, according to Steven Pratt, M.D., author of SuperFoods Rx (HarperCollins, 2003).Even better news for pregnant women: A 2003 study in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics found that daily lycopene supplements reduced the incidence of preeclampsia by 50 percent. Test subjects were given 4 milligrams of lycopene; a single serving of watermelon can have triple that amount. What's more, scientists have discovered that watermelon is packed with vitamins A, C and B6, as well as potassium and magnesium. These nutrients are important for the development of your baby's vision, brain, nervous and immune systems, and more. For you, potassium regulates water balance in the blood and body tissues during pregnancy. And you get all these benefits for less than 50 calories per cup."

Here is the whole article if you'd like to read it.
It sure makes me feel better about downing as much as I do.