I’m gonna brag a little: The Food Revolution Network YouTube channel has some popular videos that have been viewed tens of thousands of times. They feature deep conversations with thoughtful people, healthy recipes, and actionable advice on living a sustainable, delicious, and ethical life.
Let’s contrast that with the videos that appear when you search YouTube for “drop a watermelon.” One video, “DROPPING WATERMELON 45FT!!” has been viewed more than 18 million times, and the channel that produced it has over 11 million subscribers. Clearly, the gravity-induced destruction of watermelons is a very important topic. But despite my desire to be hip and relevant, I’m going to leave that subject be and instead talk about what happens when you actually eat one.
Which, it turns out, people have been doing enthusiastically for thousands of years. Watermelon is one of the most beloved fruits in the world. They exceed 105 million tons of annual production, with China harvesting more than 64 million tonnes each year. The Japanese have taken their enthusiasm so far that you can buy a cube-shaped luxury watermelon, grown in a square box, at a high-end department store for $200. They’re popular gifts, harvested before ripening and sold solely for display. (Which made me a little sad. Imagine how much more efficiently we could load our fridges if all produce were cubic. Plus, they wouldn’t roll around. But I digress.)
So is watermelon actually good for you, or is it just a large, elegant sack of sugar water in a rind? Let’s find out.
History of Watermelons
While watermelons are sometimes thought of as the “all-American” summer fruit (at least, by Americans), they’re actually native to Africa. Archaeological remains of watermelon seeds have been discovered in northeastern Africa, dating from approximately 5,000 years ago.
The oldest archaeological finds of dessert watermelons (yes, that’s “dessert,” as in the sweet ending of a meal, not “desert,” which is commonly associated with a lack of water) are from Egypt and Sudan. In a tomb dating to at least 4,000 years ago, scientists found an image of a large, striped, oblong fruit on a tray, further suggesting that the enjoyment of watermelons dates back thousands of years. Sadly, there were no artistic renderings of seed-spitting contests or what happened when they dropped one from the apex of a pyramid.
The oldest references to watermelons being sweet are in codices of Jewish laws from Israel dating to the Roman Empire. In fact, the Greek word pepon, Latin pepo, and Hebrew avattiah were all used to describe large, wet fruits with a thick rind, a description that perfectly matches our suspect, the watermelon.
If you close your eyes and think of watermelon, you’ll probably come up with the classic green-striped oblong, or the slice of red with black seeds and a white/green rind. There are also two additional species of the plant: the citron (mainly used for preserves and pickles) and the egusi (popular in West Africa and grown for its nutty seeds).
Watermelon’s history isn’t only one of species and recipes, though. One more piece of watermelon history worth acknowledging: In the United States, watermelon became the target of a racist trope after the Civil War. Formerly enslaved people had grown and sold watermelon as a cash crop, making it a symbol of the economic independence they’d just won. Those threatened by that independence twisted the fruit into a caricature used to demean Black Americans as lazy and unrefined, and weaponized it to demean them. It’s a reminder that food is never just food; it carries cultural weight that varies depending on who’s eating it and who’s watching. The most fitting response to that history is probably what people have always done: keep enjoying the watermelon.
Types of Watermelon
While many watermelon varieties can look similar on the outside, their flesh can come in a rainbow of colors, including red, pink, orange, yellow, or even white. Cutting into a watermelon can be its own “species reveal” party, without the fire hazard.
Watermelon rinds, on the other hand, are typically green, but don’t always have stripes. Solid green rinds or speckled rinds, as with the Moon & Star variety, are also possible. All varieties come in round or oblong shapes (when they’re not crammed into growing boxes for aesthetics).
The three most popular types of watermelon enjoyed in the U.S. are:
1. Icebox
This is a smaller type of watermelon that you can usually store whole in your refrigerator. It weighs anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds. Some popular varieties of icebox watermelon include Sugar Baby, Cal Sweet Bush, and Garden Baby.
2. Picnic
Weighing 15 to 50 pounds, the picnic watermelon is very large and best cut before storing in your fridge, unless your fridge is the size of a walk-in closet. Some popular varieties of picnic watermelon include Black Diamond, Crimson Sweet, and Dixie Sweet.
3. Seedless
Usually similar in size to picnic watermelons, seedless types are the majority of watermelons you’ll find in grocery stores. Seedless watermelons were developed around 50 years ago. And while they don’t contain mature black seeds, they may contain some immature and edible white seeds.
While there’s a common misconception that seedless watermelons are genetically modified, this isn’t the case. They’re actually sterile hybrids created by cross-pollinating male watermelon pollen with female watermelon flowers. In this sense, seedless watermelons are sort of the mule of watermelons, made similarly to crossing a horse and a donkey. And just like mules, they can’t reproduce on their own, which means farmers have to create new seedless plants each season by repeating the cross-pollination process with seeds from the original hybrid. Popular varieties include King of Hearts, Millionaire, and Crimson.
Watermelon Nutrition
Nutritionally, watermelons are packed with good things. As their name suggests, watermelons have a high water content, which helps keep you hydrated. They’re also high in vitamins A and C, potassium, and carotenoids. In particular, watermelons are high in the antioxidant-rich carotenoid lycopene, which gives the flesh its pinkish-red color. (As a result, red watermelons are naturally higher in lycopene than yellow or pink ones.)
Watermelons are also high in natural sugars (about 9.4 grams of sugar per cup), so they’re high on the glycemic index. But because they’re so high in water, they still turn out to be low on the more meaningful glycemic load scale. This means that despite their sweetness, they likely won’t spike your blood sugar when you eat them.
Health Benefits of Watermelon
The watermelon is mighty not just in size and shape, but also in its health benefits. And it’s not just the flesh; watermelon seeds, sprouts, and leaves are also rich in compounds that may offer protective properties.
Some of the top health benefits of watermelon include that it may:
1. Help you lose weight
Watermelon is rich in water and fiber, which help you feel full when you eat it. These nutrients can reduce appetite and prevent overeating that would otherwise contribute to unwanted weight gain.
In one study of 33 overweight or obese adults, researchers found that eating 2 cups of watermelon daily for 4 weeks led to significant reductions in body weight, body mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio. Another group consumed the same number of calories from low-fat cookies and gained body fat.
2. Protect against heart disease
Watermelon is high in compounds that may reduce inflammation and offer antioxidant effects. It contains the amino acid L-citrulline, a precursor of L-arginine, another essential amino acid used in protein synthesis. As we’ve seen, it’s also a rich source of the antioxidant-rich carotenoid lycopene. Both of these compounds may help protect your cardiovascular system.
Additionally, watermelon can help increase the synthesis of nitric oxide, a colorless gas that dilates your blood vessels and helps prevent blockages.
3. Have Anti-Cancer Properties
Eating plenty of naturally antioxidant-rich foods — among them lycopene-rich foods — is one way you can help your body better defend itself against cancer. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 studies involving more than 692,000 participants found that both higher dietary lycopene intake and higher circulating lycopene levels were associated with a significantly reduced risk of prostate cancer.
4. Help treat ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease that’s characterized by widespread inflammation throughout the digestive tract. It’s a risk factor for colorectal cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriasis.
Some research suggests that watermelon may help with UC by increasing antioxidant activity and reducing inflammation.
5. Be good for your skin
Lycopene, one of watermelon’s primary antioxidants, may help protect skin cells from UV-induced oxidative stress. Antioxidants, such as lycopene in watermelon, may help minimize wrinkles and slow other aging effects associated with UV damage.
6. Support your athletic performance
Some athletes consider foods that boost nitric oxide production “legal and healthy doping” because increased oxygen flow to muscles can reduce soreness and increase stamina.
Remember those L-compounds in watermelon: L-citrulline, which may increase L-arginine bioavailability? They’re also associated with improved athletic performance, with several studies finding that L-citrulline supplementation can improve exercise performance and recovery.
One study in 22 athletically trained males found that 7 days of oral L-citrulline supplementation reduced the completion time of a 4-kilometer bicycle race by 1.5% compared with the placebo group. The athletes also reported significantly reduced muscle fatigue following exercise. Of course, cyclists will not race faster if they have to carry a watermelon while riding.
Downsides To Eating Watermelon
Watermelon is clearly worth eating. But like most things in life, it comes with a few caveats to keep in mind, especially if you have certain health conditions or digestive sensitivities.
Watermelon Diet
The watermelon diet — like other diets with similar single-food names — is a fad diet intended for quick weight loss. In this diet, you eat nothing but watermelon for three days, then gradually add more foods back in. Not only is this way of eating unsustainable, but it can be dangerous.
Such restrictive approaches to weight loss are not recommended for pregnant women, people with diabetes, or those with impaired immune function. Watermelon contains an array of vitamins and minerals, but lacks protein and other important macronutrients. Overall, watermelon is best when eaten in moderation as part of an overall balanced diet. It’s never a good bet to rely on one single food to meet all your nutritional needs.
FODMAPs
FODMAPs (a cumbersome acronym for an even more cumbersome list: fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) are short-chain sugars that can be poorly absorbed in the intestines.
Watermelon is considered a high-FODMAP food because it contains high levels of fructose and other oligosaccharides. They can cause digestive problems for people with existing digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
Allergies
Though a true watermelon allergy is rare, some people may experience an allergy-like reaction to eating it as a result of what’s called oral allergy syndrome. This phenomenon often coexists with an existing ragweed and pollen allergy.
Oral allergy syndrome can occur because the proteins in raw watermelon are similar to those of pollen from common allergenic plants like ragweed. Bodies occasionally get confused, resulting in a similar allergic reaction.
How To Choose and Store Watermelons
For the best results, it’s helpful to know how to choose a high-quality watermelon and store it properly once you get it home.
Watermelons score relatively well on the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Indeed, they nearly made the Clean 15 list, so the choice of whether to purchase organic or not may come down to availability, budget, ethical and sustainability concerns, and personal preference.
Choosing a Ripe Watermelon
At the store, you’ll usually find whole watermelons arranged together in a display within the produce section. They should each have a light-yellow “field spot,” which indicates the part that touched the ground while the watermelon was ripening. If that spot is white instead of yellow, it probably means it was picked too early and may not taste as ripe or juicy as others. (If there is no spot, the watermelon was probably levitating.)
Your other senses also come in handy when choosing a good watermelon. A ripe melon should sound deep, full, and hollow when you gently knock on it. (If you hear, “Who’s there?”, put the melon back and try another one, or rub it and take your chances on three wishes.)
On the opposite end from the stem, the rind should also have some give when pressed with your fingers. And when you hold the watermelon, it should feel heavy for its size, thanks to its high water content.
Look for watermelons free of obvious bruises, cuts, or dents, as these can shorten their lifespan. It’s also important to choose a size that best serves your needs and how quickly you can eat it, as watermelons can range from fairly small to very, very large.
The Best Ways To Store Your Watermelon
When you get your watermelon home, store the whole uncut fruit on the counter or in a cellar. Keep it separate from other countertop fruits and veggies to prevent premature ripening caused by ethylene gas emitted by produce like bananas. If you want to chill it before eating it, a few hours in the fridge is fine — just don’t store it there long-term. But do not, under any circumstances, give your watermelon a name (even if it does look like a giant head), as this will make it very difficult for you to cut it up and eat it later.
Whole watermelons keep best stored between 50 and 60°F — a cool pantry or basement works well. Most refrigerators run colder than this, so while a few hours in the fridge to get it cold before serving is fine, storing a whole watermelon in the refrigerator for days can cause chilling injury, resulting in pitting, off-flavors, and color loss. Once cut, cover, refrigerate immediately, and use within a day for best quality. Freezing watermelon isn’t recommended, as this causes the rind to break down and produces a mealy, mushy texture.
Creative Ways To Enjoy Watermelon
Slices are the most traditional way to enjoy this fruit, but there are several other ways to make the most of yours.
The watermelon seeds are also edible, though the immature white seeds may be easier to chew than the mature black ones. Still, watermelon seeds are rich in minerals such as magnesium, iron, and zinc. Enjoy roasted or sprouted watermelon seeds at home. You can throw them on your salads for extra crunch, and some people even enjoy them on their oatmeal.
And before you get concerned about things your parents might have told you about eating watermelon seeds, it’s a myth that they can grow inside of you. Any gardener will tell you that they’re challenging enough to grow in good soil, with plenty of sun and rain. Your stomach, with a pH of around 2 and zero natural light, will not allow anything to germinate.
If you’re into no-waste fruit, even the watermelon rind is edible when pickled. The process is similar to pickling other produce like cucumbers or carrots, where you cut the rind into chunks and use a flavorful pickling liquid to create a unique snack. You can find one example of how to make pickled watermelon rinds here.
As for the watermelon flesh itself, try some of these creative presentations:
- Cut the flesh into chunks, or use a melon baller, and add them to a mixed green or fruit salad
- Add them to smoothies
- Make n’ice cream or popsicles by blending them with plant milk and other fruits you like, such as frozen bananas
- Make watermelon chunks into grilled fruit skewers, along with honeydew melon, orange, grapefruit slices, and even berries
- Add to cold soups like gazpacho
- Make it into a salad dressing, like a watermelon vinaigrette
- Blend it into mocktails, or throw cubes of it into regular water to give it a refreshing melon flavor
- Make watermelon salsa, combining cubes with onion, cilantro, salt, lime, and some diced jalapeno for a little kick
Wonderful Watermelon Recipes
Incorporating watermelon into your diet can be good for your weight, skin, digestion, and heart. What’s more, it can be enjoyed in a variety of ways! Opt for sweet, savory, and cooling with the Cooling Watermelon Gazpacho. Have some summer fun and wow your picnic guests with Grilled Watermelon and Pineapple Skewers. Tempt your palate with soothing and creamy 2-Ingredient Watermelon Gelato. If all of the above recipes sound super indulgent, rest assured they’re just as good for your health as they are for your soul!
1. Cooling Watermelon Gazpacho
Ditch your store-bought electrolyte replacement drink and enjoy this hydrating Watermelon Gazpacho instead! Not only is it super refreshing and bursting with flavor, but it’s also packed with electrolytes like potassium and natural sodium (especially good for people who sweat a lot!) and antioxidants like vitamin C and carotenoids.
2. Grilled Watermelon and Pineapple Skewers
Warm grilled watermelon with a little lime, salt, and mint is OMG delicious! Add sweet pineapple to the mix, and you have an appetizer that will please the entire family — and wow the guests at your next picnic. Fun fact: The healthy plant-based fat in tahini will help you absorb watermelon’s lycopene more effectively, since lycopene is fat-soluble!
3. 2-Ingredient Watermelon Gelato
What do you get when you blend watermelon and banana? A magically refreshing, sugar-free, and dairy-free gelato — that’s what! Enjoy this naturally sweet and nourishing treat as an after-dinner treat, a mid-afternoon power snack, or an energizing fuel before your workout.
Watermelon: Worth Every Pound
Watermelon is a refreshing fruit that humans have loved for thousands of years. In modern times, it’s become an iconic symbol of summer in many places. There are many types of watermelon out there — both seeded and seedless — and you can eat them in a variety of ways, on their own or as part of another dish. And, along with their high water content, watermelons offer many health benefits when enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
Tell us in the comments:
- What are some of your favorite ways to enjoy watermelon?
- Have you tried any non-traditional watermelon varieties, or one with a uniquely colored flesh?
- Have you ever made pickled watermelon rinds or tried any other creative ways to prepare parts of a watermelon?
Feature image: iStock.com/Sahil Yadav
Read Next:
- The Best and Worst Summer Foods + 5 Healthy Picnic Recipes to Enjoy
- Summer Fruits You’ll Love for Their Incredible Health Benefits and Tempting Tastes (Including 3 That Are Surprisingly Healthy!)