Alternative Health Blog

One of a summer day’s simple delights—summer is coming, right?–is a slice of watermelon. OK, maybe two or three slices. Who knew that watermelon might one of the healthiest items at the picnic too?

If you are like most of us, you would consider watermelon healthy because it is a delicious way to hydrate, given that it is 92 percent water. But food scientists like Penelope Perkins-Veazie have discovered the juicy red fruit is loaded with antioxidants to fortify the body, especially carotenoids that can offset cell damage caused by chemicals and sun.

Watermelon is especially high in lycopene, which is more typically associated with cooked tomatoes. Lycopene first made the news as a protector against prostate cancer in men.

Seeing the potential for the picnic-favorite melon, Perkins-Veazie has drilled down even more into the nutrient power of watermelons with recent studies. One of her research projects analyzed mini-watermelons available at markets over two years. The fruit is about six inches in diameter and perfect for singles or couples.

Perkins-Veazie tested 15 different lines of mini-watermelon. She discovered a good number of them have even more lycopene than the larger melons we all remember from summers past.

But there is one catch to the lycopene bonanza. Don’t refrigerate the melon. Perkins-Veazie and fellow USDA researcher Julie Collins discovered that icing down a watermelon inhibits the antioxidants. Keeping your melon at room/air temperature optimized the power-nutrient content.

What's more, listen to this one: The food scientists discovered that room-temperature watermelons stored for two weeks after they are determined ripe to pick by growers contained 40 percent more lycopene and 50 to 140 percent more betacarotene than just-picked melons. Watermelons appear to get more nutrient-dense with some period of room-temperature storage.

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The researchers documented that lycopene continues to be manufactured in the melon. When you hear vegetarians or raw food enthusiasts talk about "live foods," this sort of lycopene and nutrient production is an example of what they mean.

One note: Mass-harvested melons from big growers are typically stored for two to three weeks at 55 degrees, which doesn’t quell the lycopene as much as the standard 37 to 41 degrees of a fridge but still is down from the optimum of 70 degrees or room temperature.

So, when possible, buy your watermelons from local or small growers, then keep them out for a while at home. Maybe look for mini-melons if you don’t have big crowd on hand. An important note: Only once you have cut melon should it go into the fridge.

That is, if you can resist eating an extra slice or two of a crisp watermelon on a warm summer night.

Bob Condor blogs for Alternative Health Journal every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.