July is watermelon month which I absolutely love because watermelon is my favorite fruit. Seriously, sign me up for a watermelon eating contest and I would likely dominate. But for some reason, popular wellness advice would say that fruit, especially watermelon and bananas have “too much sugar” and EFF THAT NOISE! Seriously #effthatnoise. Fruit is not the sugar-laden demon some people make it out to be.
Watermelon is also a cute and fun pattern to wear. So this blog will be about watermelon nutrition and fashion. Read on!
Watermelon Nutrition Vitamin A is important for optimal eye and skin health. There are 2 forms of vitamin A: beta-carotene and retinol. Beta-carotene is the plant form of Vitamin A. 1 cup of 154 grams of watermelon has 876IUs (International Units) of Vitamin A. If you were eating a 2000 calorie diet, this would make up about 17% percent of your day’s needs of Vitamin A.
Vitamin B6
is also known as pyridoxine . It functions in our body as a cofactor. Cofactors plug into enzymes and enzymes are proteins that make reactions occur (hello, chemistry!). I particular, Vitamin B6 is a cofactor in chemical reactions that make neurotransmitters in our body: serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine. Those last two may remind you of exercise. Well, good.
When we exercise we need protein to repair and as our protein needs increase our need for Vitamin B6 also increases!
1 cup or 154 grams of watermelon provides 0.1 mg B6. That’s not a lot, but females between ages 19-50 only need about 1.3mg B6 per day.
Calories are units of energy we need to builds things up and break things down. We need them and it’s a good thing we can get them from so many foods, including watermelon. 1 cup / 154 grams of watermelon yields 47 calories. That’s a lot of volume for very few calories and what would be considered a low-calorie density food.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant and when you think of vitamin C think collagen. oh, yes, the trendiest of supplements these days amiright? Well did you know that Vitamin C helps build collagen? So if you’re looking to take a collagen supplement I hope you are also meeting your Vitamin C needs.
1 cup of watermelon gives us 12.5 mg of vitamin C. How much should we aim for in a day? about 75mg! 90mg if you’re a smoker.
Lycopene is another antioxidant in watermelon. It’s functions include making watermelon have that gorgeous red colored flesh and playing a role in cancer prevention.
Potassium This one is a bit of a stretch since 2 cups of watermelon yield less than 10% of someone’s daily needs of Potassium. That said, if you’re out ‘n about on a hot summer day any potassium is beneficial.
I actually see potassium intake is usually low in my client’s nutrition recalls. So get you some watermelon as a tasty way to bump up that potassium, K? (hehe, see what I did there?)
Is Watermelon High in Sugar?
No there are 10 grams in 154 grams of sugar.
Let’s divide: 10/154 = 0.06
0.06 translates to 6% so only 6 percent of the watermelon is sugar and the rest is water.
So calm down with the watermelon is high in sugar shenanigans and enjoy it!
Alright, now let’s move on from nutrition to fashion!
Watermelon Outfits
Food on clothes is definitely trendy.
Let’s be real food in general is trendy we’re all obsessed with food. I’m a foodie and a dietitian so obviously I am in love anytime I see a food pattern on an article of clothing. I feel like it’s my RD uniform haha.
The one food on clothing trend I refused to take part in was the pineapple one. Call me hipster, but I was just too damn stubborn to succumb to buying a pineapple-adorned t-shirt. Until I found this awesome crop top.
Watermelons? Well, that’s a different story.
I also had a cherry patterned sleeveless tank top I wore for a presentation in my undergraduate years. I rocked it with red columnist pants from express.
These days I’m not giving many presentations unless I am hosting a nutrition workshop somewhere. When I do them at Athleta I am sporting some of their latest styles. Since I usually do nutrition talks and workshops in gyms and fitness studios around Denver I am wearing workout clothes. This cute watermelon crop that says YEAH! Summer is coming is perfect for hot weather & workouts.