紅西瓜？黃西瓜？關於西瓜營養的13個事實
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.
也許沒有什麼能比喝上一杯果汁，吃上一隻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，還有很多奧祕呢。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。爲什麼你要在意這個呢？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，存在於大多數紅色水果及蔬菜中的番茄紅素，能幫助我們抵禦各種癌症。爲了儘可能保證番茄紅素的含量，請把西瓜置於室溫中保存。
3. Relieves Sore Muscles 緩解肌肉痠痛
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，在鍛鍊前喝上大約16盎司的西瓜汁，可以在24小時內減輕肌肉痠痛，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.
這是由於西瓜裏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鬆血管；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裏，而不是在果肉裏。
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.
西瓜裏有豐富的維生素B，並由你的機體轉化爲維生素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。
5. Alkaline 西瓜是鹼性的
When fully ripe, watermelons have an alkaline effect in the body. Eating plenty of alkaline forming fruits and veggies helps to reduce your risk of developing illness and chronic disease.
熟透的西瓜在體內呈鹼性。吃大量的鹼性水果和蔬菜可以減少你得一些小病及慢性疾病的機率。
6. It’s both a fruit and a veggie 它既是水果也是蔬菜
Almost unbelievable, but true! Like almost all fruits, watermelon comes from seeds but its roots can be traced to pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers. Talk about an overachiever!
不相信麼？不過這是真的！和幾乎所有水果一樣，西瓜是由種子而來的，但它的根源可以追溯到南瓜，南瓜屬植物，以及黃瓜。說起來它好像是個成就感爆棚的水果！
7. It’s absolutely packed with, well, water.西瓜麼，當然是水做的。
Of course! You are really talking about some serious hydration when you start talking watermelon! It’s 91.5 percent water! This is good to know since being dehydrated is really bad for your health. It’s a good thing we eat these when we are under the hot summer sun so we can keep ourselves hydrated.
還用說麼！我們談論西瓜，其實是在正兒八經地談水合作用。西瓜92.5%都是水分。對於人體健康來講，最怕的就是脫水。炎炎夏日要是能吃上西瓜真是開心，同時也保證我們能得到充分的水分供應。
8. Reduces body fat 減少脂肪
We are talking about that wonderful compound citrulline again. It’s been shown in studies to help our body’s stop the accumulation of fat. This amino acid, with a little help from our kidneys, coverts into arginine, which blocks the activity of TNAP, which makes our fat cells, accumulate less fat. Kinda complicated, but a beautiful thing all the same.
又談到神奇的瓜氨酸。研究表明瓜氨酸能阻斷脂肪的堆積。這種氨基酸，在腎臟的幫助下，能轉化成精氨酸，精氨酸能抑制TNAP（組織非特異性鹼性磷酸酶）的活動，而TNAP會產生脂肪細胞的。聽起來是不是有點複雜啦？但整個過程還是很美妙的。
9. Anti-inflammatory 消炎作用
Watermelons are high in phenolic compounds such as carotenoids, flavonoids, and triterpenoids. Carotenoids are super helpful in reducing inflammation and killing off those nasty free radicals. Tripterpenoid curcurbitacin E is another great compound in watermelons, which is another great anti-inflammatory. Be sure to eat really ripe watermelons as they have much higher levels of these helpful compounds.
西瓜也富含酚類化合物，比如類胡蘿蔔素，黃酮類已經三萜。類胡蘿蔔素對於減輕炎症有非常好的效果，並且殺死自由基。三萜葫蘆素E是西瓜裏另外一種優良的化合物，同樣可以減輕炎症。因此一定要吃真正熟了的西瓜，因爲這些化合物的含量更高。
10. Diuretic and kidney support 利尿益腎
A natural diuretic, watermelon can help increase the flow of urine but doesn’t place a strain on the kidneys the same way caffeine does. Also, watermelons help your liver process ammonia which will help you get rid of excess fluid in the body while making it easy on the kidneys.
西瓜是一種天然的利尿劑，幫助尿液流動，但是又不像咖啡因那樣對腎臟造成一定的壓力。此外，西瓜還能幫助肝臟分解氨，排解體內多於的液體，以減輕對腎臟的負擔。
11. Nerve and muscle support 利於神經系統和肌肉組織
Watermelon is a great, all natural electrolyte that helps to regulate the nerves and muscles. Potassium is important in the determination of how much our muscles contract and controls the over stimulation of the nerves in the body. Since watermelon is high in potassium, it’s super good for those nerves and muscles.
西瓜真是一種純天然的電解質，讓你的神經系統和肌肉保持正常運轉。鉀元素決定了人體肌肉的收縮，也能控制體內神經的過激。因爲西瓜富含鉀，因此對於神經系統和肌肉非常有利。
12. Supports cardiovascular and bone health 利於心血管和骨骼健康
Those high lycopene levels that are in watermelon are important to both our bone health and cardiovascular health. Consuming large amounts of watermelon has been linked to improved cardiovascular function as it improves blood flow due to the relaxation of blood pressure as well as reducing the oxidative stress which is involved in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. This means you will get stronger bones when you eat foods rich in lycopene, such as watermelons.
西瓜裏富含的茄紅素對我們的骨骼和心血管健康都有好處。多吃西瓜被認爲能促進心血管功能，原因是它能夠降血壓，促進血液流動，此外還能減少導致骨質疏鬆的氧化壓力。這就意味着多吃富含茄紅素的食物會讓你的骨骼更加強健，西瓜就是這麼個好東西。
13. About those yellow watermelons 關於黃西瓜
If you haven’t seen them, there are watermelons that are not that beautiful pinkish-red red color. It’s called Yellow Crimson. It has a yellow interior with a sweeter taste that will remind you of honey. Both types of watermelons are green on the outside so unless they are labeled, you can’t tell which one is which! Just remember that no one knows what, if any, nutritional value the yellow kind might have to offer. If you love the yellow kind, mix up a batch of both colors, just to be on the safe side.
也許你沒見過（說實話在中國這東東還是蠻常見的），黃西瓜的裏面看起來不是那麼的紅彤彤。這玩意兒也叫Yellow Crimson（這個說法有點費解，黃色的深紅色？）。這種西瓜的內瓤是黃色的，更濃的甜度會讓你覺得味道像蜂蜜。當然啦，無論是紅西瓜還是黃西瓜，外面都是綠油油的。要是沒標籤，你還真不知道哪個是哪個。不過現在也沒人知道黃色的西瓜是否更具營養價值。要是你喜歡黃西瓜，爲保險起見，吃的時候還是和紅的一起吃吧（以確保營養全面）。
