Ode To A Watermelon

This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a real recipe, unless you count the fact that you have to cut something up and put it in a bowl as meal preparation.  I have been known to stretch lesser incidents into facts of great merit.  What this really happens to be is a bunch of facts about the goodness of watermelon and an attempt to get out of cooking for a whole day.  Doesn't that sound like a worthy endeavor?

This all came about because one of my dear friends, Molly, told me that every now and then she takes one day in the summer and eats nothing but watermelon for the whole day.  Sometimes she might repeat this kind of a day depending on the weather and the availability of sweet melons.  She said that this makes her feel really good because there is so much water in a watermelon (hence the name) that her kidneys get a good flushing.  I believe it makes her feel really good because she doesn't have to cook for a whole day.

Anyway, the temperature has spiked up into the 90's and our local grocer has sweet, seedless melons on sale for $3.50 each.  But not wanting to rush into anything that might be detrimental to my health, I Googled "watermelon" to find the nutritional lowdown.  Of course, there was not complete agreement on all of the facts, as one site said that a cup of watermelon contains 2 grams of fat and all the other sites say 0 grams of fat, but on one thing they all agreed - watermelon is really good for you, but don't tell the kids.

First of all, watermelon is packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature and is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene.  Yes, that's the same antioxidant that's found in tomatoes, but I'd much rather sit down to a bowl of watermelon chunks.  Maybe that's just me.  This means that watermelon helps fight inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis.  When paired with green tea, watermelon  may greatly reduce a man's risk of developing prostate cancer.  One article suggests brewing up some green tea, chilling it, and whirling it around with some watermelon chunks and a splash of lime juice in a blender.

Well, the list goes on and on talking about macular degeneration, erectile dysfunction and insulin sensitivity, but that was not the information I was seeking.  The questions of the day were, how can I pick out a good watermelon and will eating a whole watermelon make me fat? 

To choose a good watermelon, according to one expert, look for a melon that is heavy for its size with a relatively smooth rind.  Also, look for  an area that has a distinctly different color from the rest of the melon - a yellowish or creamy tone.  This is the place where the melon rested on the ground and probably means that the melon was allowed to ripen on the vine.  Melons without this marking may be negatively affected in taste, texture and juiciness.

As far as the impact on my girlish figure, it seems that watermelon is about 92% water. which explains the kidney flushing properties.  Calorie wise, a whole watermelon is only about 1000 calories.  But the best part is the impact that a day of watermelon has on my attitude.  Just imagine a day of eating whenever you feel like simply by dishing up a bowl full of watermelon chunks.  I highly recommend cutting up an entire melon early in the day so the prep work is finished once and for all.

My own regime was to begin the day with my usual smoothie, have a large, lovely salad for lunch, and spend the second half of the day munching on melon.  A great day, indeed, with very little time spent in the kitchen.