I love watermelon. Heck I love most fruits really, and thank God I married a man who’s as mad about fruits as I am.
If you’re pregnant, the benefits are even more fabulous. Watermelon eases heartburn and reduces swelling; its high water content (92 percent) and fruit sugars can help alleviate morning sickness and dehydration; and the minerals it contains can help prevent third-trimester muscle cramps.
Ounce for ounce, watermelon is richer than tomatoes in lycopene, an antioxidant that protects against cancer and cardiovascular disease, boosts the body’s immunity to infections and naturally raises the skin’s SPF.
Even better news for pregnant women: A study in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics found that daily lycopene supplements reduced the incidence of preeclampsia by 50 percent. Test subjects were given 4 milligrams of lycopene; a single serving of watermelon can have triple that amount.
What’s more, scientists have discovered that watermelon is packed with vitamins A, C and B6, as well as potassium and magnesium. These nutrients are important for the development of your baby’s vision, brain, nervous and immune systems, and more. For ladies, potassium regulates water balance in the blood and body tissues during pregnancy. And you get all these benefits for less than 50 calories per cup! That waistline can remain trim (well as trim as it can possibly be, for a preggers woman anyway:P)
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