Neither Hot nor Cold: Cool!

Not exactly sure why this is, but my mouth is waterin' just thinkin' 'bout some watermelon right now.

Chemical reactions certainly do occcur at different rates at different temperatures, so I don't suppose the precise mechanism really matters to consumers.


Good thing for me that I already prefer my fruit and some beverages at room temp.

Cold Diminishes Watermelon's Nutrition

Ice-cold watermelon may be refreshing, but it can be less nutritious than watermelon served at room temperature, U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists reported.

Watermelons stored at room temperature deliver more nutrients than refrigerated or freshly picked ones, they wrote in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The USDA's South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Oklahoma looked specifically at carotenoids -- antioxidants that can counter the damage caused by sun, chemicals and day-to-day living. Watermelon is rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that may help prevent heart disease and some cancers.

Compared with freshly picked fruit, watermelon stored at 70 degrees gained up to 40 percent more lycopene and 50 percent to 139 percent extra beta carotene.


Comments

  1. Funny you should choose this subject because I have eaten more watermelon this summer than probably all my other summers combined. Besides whole watermelons at my market, they sell it in sliced wedges, four or five to a package. So you can eat one piece or the whole thing and it doesn't take up as much room in the frig. I don't like it ice cold, but it has to be chilled. Didn't know it could actually be good for me. Woo Woo, I was doing something for fun and it turns out it had positive benefits.

    Thanks for the info.

    Don't spit the seeds on the floor. And if you swallow them a watermelon vine will grow in your stomach. At least those were my grandmother's words. :)

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  2. I like mine at room temperature -- with salt! A little lime juice is fine too. Seeded tastes better, but yeah, not too good for the blender.

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  3. nutrients schmutrients! both are good but the cold melon is best for a hot, humid day. i agree with blueberry- little salt and we are in business :)

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  4. We always used a little salt, regardless the temp of the melon, when I was a kid.

    As an adult now, Glenda's recipe has got me dyin' to try it!

    Good stuff all!

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  5. This is true of most cooked versus raw veggies too.

    I am not a fan of watermelon -- too wet and goopy for my liking. However, Glenda's recipe has me wanting some...

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  6. I like mine cold, no salt but I seldom eat it cause of the mess. I'm just a pimp like that.

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  7. I have to try glenda's recipe,(dribbling over the key board),couse I like watermelon Wish you well

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  8. Ya know, I think the Seedy kind does taste a little better. But the seedless makes the mess less a hassle. No salt, no more for me either. Though that Tequilar sho does invite it!

    mmmm mmmm..

    hey now Zing!

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  9. sure, lets have more nutritious watermelons. but how about AFTER you regulate the crap out of High Fructose Corn Syrup?

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  10. Hhmmm. You mean, like, replace it with High Fructose Watermelon Syrup?

    Sure take fewer melons than cornears.

    An'd taste better with tequila!

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