This time of year as the weather starts to warm up nothing sounds quite as refreshing as a giant bowl of watermelon!  Picture this…laying by the pool, relaxing to some tunes, munching on some delicious watermelon?!  Sounds pretty great to me!!  Well not only is watermelon refreshing and yummy…it is also really good for you!!!  {duh}  Watermelon is a powerful diuretic and boosts your kidney function.  If you suffer from kidney stones watermelon is just what the doctor ordered, it causes increased urination which creates a stronger more steady flow of urine but also assists in dissolving kidney stones!  If you don’t have kidney issues like kidney stones, watermelon is a great way to keep those kidneys healthy…so eat it up!

Watermelon contains 40% more lycopene than tomatoes!  Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant {also found in tomatoes, grapefruit and guava} that reduces the risk for prostate cancer and lowers the risk of heart disease.  The lycopene in watermelon reduces enlarged prostates and assists in overall prostate health {so ladies…get those boys to eat their watermelon!!}  Lycopene from raw watermelon is more bio-available then raw tomatoes {tomatoes are one of the few foods that cooking actually increases the bio-availabilty of nutrients}  Watermelon also contains an amino acid called citrulline.  Thru our bodies natural enzymatic process citrulline quickly changes into L-arginine which is a precursor of nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow.  The rind of the watermelon contains 60% more citrulline then the pink part.