解暑神器的營養：紅西瓜？黃西瓜？
解暑神器的營養：紅西瓜？黃西瓜？
Perhaps nothing else screams summertime quite as much as a juicy, ripe watermelon. It’s sweet and refreshing and adds a huge burst of color to just about everything.
也許沒有什么能比喝上一杯果汁，吃上一只熟西瓜更能嗨翻夏季了。它香甜可口，讓人神清氣爽，讓你所看到的所有事物都鮮活亮麗起來了。
But there is so much more to watermelon than meets the eye. Watermelon is simply bursting with numerous health benefits, too.
但西瓜遠遠不止我們看到的這樣，還有很多奧秘呢。西瓜能給我們的身體健康帶來極大的好處。
July is National Watermelon Month and it’s no surprise why. Besides being tasty and super hydrating, watermelon is super healthy. Check out our list of 13 healthy benefits, and interesting facts, you never knew about this summertime treat.
毫無疑問七月就是國家西瓜月。除了好吃和水分多，西瓜也是超級健康的。看看我們列出的13條健康小貼士，結合一些有趣事實，你會發現原來夏天還可以大補呢!
1. Immune support, wound healing, and helps prevent cell damage 免疫保障，傷口修復，還能防止細胞損傷
Watermelons are surprisingly high in vitamin C. Vitamin C is great at improving your immune system by protecting our cells from reactive oxygen. Reactive oxygen damages our cells and DNA. Vitamin C has long been known to help heal wounds in the body and is essential to making new connective tissue. Enzymes involved in forming collagen, the main compound needed when wounds are healing, simply cannot function without Vitamin C. If you should find you are suffering from slow healing wounds, seriously up your consumption of vitamin C heavy fruit such as watermelon!
西瓜富含維生素C。維生素C 能通過保護我們的細胞免受活性氧的侵害，從而極大地保護你的免疫系統。活性氧會損壞我們的細胞和DNA。長久以來，維生素C都被大家所知是可以幫助修復體內傷口，是促生結締組織的必需微量元素。如果沒有維生素C，酶也是無法參與生成膠原蛋白的過程，而膠原蛋白是傷口修復很重要的一種化合物。如果你發現你的傷口一直沒有好起來，那就趕緊多吃些富含維生素C的水果，比如西瓜!
2. Watermelon has more lycopene than tomatoes 西瓜比番茄富含更多的番茄紅素
Just one cup of watermelon has 1.5 times more lycopene than a large fresh tomato. Why should you care? Lycopene is a super antioxidant, which is important for stopping those free radicals that damage your cells, mess with your immune system, and lead to advanced aging. Research shows that lycopene, which is found in most red fruits and veggies, helps fight against several types of cancer. To get the most antioxidants possible, store your watermelon at room temperature.
一杯子西瓜汁所富含的番茄紅素是一個新鮮大番茄的1.5倍。為什么你要在意這個呢?番茄紅素是一種超級抗氧化劑，它可以阻止自由基侵害你的細胞，擾亂你的免疫系統，提前衰老。研究發現，存在于大多數紅色水果及蔬菜中的番茄紅素，能幫助我們抵御各種癌癥。為了盡可能保證番茄紅素的含量，請把西瓜置于室溫中保存。
3. Relieves Sore Muscles 緩解肌肉酸痛
A study conducted in Spain discovered that drinking about 16 ounces of watermelon juice before working out had less muscle soreness, as well as a lower heart rate, within 24 hours.
在西班牙組織的一項研究表明，在鍛煉前喝上大約16盎司的西瓜汁，可以在24小時內減輕肌肉酸痛，降低心率。
This is attributed to a compound in watermelon called citrulline that has been found to improve the functioning of arteries and lower blood pressure overall. In fact, watermelon can relax the blood vessels so much; Texas A&M University says that watermelon is like the Viagra of the fruit world! Unfortunately, most of that citrulline is found in the green rind, not so much in the red flesh.
這是由于西瓜里的一種叫瓜氨酸的物質，它被發現可以提升動脈功能，降低血壓。事實上，西瓜可以很大程度地放松血管;德克薩斯A&M大學得出，西瓜就像是水果中的偉哥!但可惜的是，大多數瓜氨酸都在西瓜皮里，而不是在果肉里。
4. Supports eye health 保護眼睛健康
Watermelon is a fantastic source of beta-carotene, which your body will turn into vitamin A. Vitamin A helps to make the pigments in the retina of your eyes and this helps to protect you against macular degeneration.
西瓜里有豐富的維生素B，并由你的機體轉化為維生素A。維生素A能幫助你生成視網膜上的色點，防止患上黃斑變性。